- Demonstration hill runs for forthcoming 205 mph V12 Vantage S
- Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE to be driven by WEC stars
Aston Martin’s centenary celebrations thunder into Goodwood on Friday as the luxury British sports car maker brings thrilling road and race cars to the world-famous Festival of Speed.
Leading the brand’s exciting display at the Festival of Speed, 11-14 July, will be the CC100 Speedster Concept, a stunning celebration of the great British firm’s 100 years of sports car excellence and a brave pointer to its potential future design direction.
The 6.0-litre V12-powered concept car – created to celebrate Aston Martin’s first century in business – makes its UK dynamic debut in West Sussex as the Festival of Speed, staged for the 20th year in succession, celebrates its own milestone anniversary.
Designed and constructed in fewer than six months at Aston Martin’s global headquarters in Gaydon, the style of the two-seater CC100 – nicknamed DBR100 by CEO Dr Ulrich Bez – is the work of Design Director Marek Reichman who will be driving the car in its demonstration runs up the famous Goodwood Hill at the weekend.
Marek said: “I’m really excited to be driving CC100, such an important car for Aston Martin, in the thrilling surroundings of Goodwood on Saturday and Sunday.
“It was created as a truly fitting tribute to 100 years of the Aston Martin brand and demonstrates the creativity and talent that makes this such an exceptional luxury sports car maker. I’m sure it will turn heads at the Festival!”
CC100 will be joined in the grounds of Goodwood House by Aston Martin’s most potent road car to date – limited edition One-77 hypercar excepted – in the shape of the forthcoming V12 Vantage S.
The powerful two-seater, capable of 205 mph and 0-60 mph in only 3.7 seconds, will also complete a number of demonstration runs ahead of its global showroom debut before the year’s end.
Equipped with the new 573 PS AM28 6.0-litre V12 engine the V12 Vantage S has 620 Nm of torque available at 5,750 rpm. Low rev torque – measured at just 1,000 rpm – stands at 510 Nm and, driving the rear wheels through the new Sportshift™ III AMT (automated manual transmission) ensures the car boasts true sporting driveability.
Three-stage adaptive damping means the driver can more precisely tailor the car’s dynamic character and exploit its clear performance potential. ‘Normal’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Track’ modes provide a broad swathe of dynamic capability, while the system also governs the level of power steering assistance offered.
Working alongside the extended adaptive damping system is a ‘Sport’ mode, controlled via a button on the centre console, which alters throttle response, gearshift speed and timing, and exhaust note to, once again, tune the character of the car to the driver’s requirements.
Completing the luxury British brand’s participation at Goodwood will be demonstration runs of Aston Martin Racing’s World Endurance Championship car – the Vantage GTE – driven on Saturday and Sunday by WEC racers Darren Turner and ex-F1 star Bruno Senna.
Meanwhile, away from Goodwood, Aston Martin’s year of global centenary festivities continues from 10.00am on Sunday 21 July with a unique free-to-enter celebration in the historic setting of Kensington Gardens, London.
Jointly organised by the Aston Martin Owners Club, Aston Martin Heritage Trust and Aston Martin, and held in partnership with The Royal Parks and The Royal Household, the centenary celebration will see an unprecedented gathering of the rarest, most significant, most beautiful and most famous Aston Martins ever made.
