Aston Martin Vantage N400 : 2007

To commemorate the company's racing successes, Aston Martin released the limited edition N400 at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. The N400 is essentially a road-going version of the V8 Vantage N24.

The special edition Aston Martin V8 Vantage N400 commemorates Aston Martin's achievements at the legendary Nürburgring where, for the past two years, the company has enjoyed considerable success in the annual Nürburgring 24 Rennen 24-hour race with the V8 Vantage N24 production race car. The race-bred Vantage N400 includes a number of technical upgrades as well as enhancements to the car's standard range of renowned colour and trim specifications.

These include a more potent version of Aston Martin's 4.3 litre V8 engine, raising peak power to 400bhp and peak torque to 420Nm. The car also comes equipped with a new Sports Pack which offers subtly different driving dynamics tailored to enthusiasts who seek even more responsive handling. The Sports Pack comprises a unique lightweight graphite-finished aluminium wheels with diamond turning, up-rated springs and dampers and a new rear anti-roll bar (for the coupe).

The Vantage N400 also includes a number of exterior design changes, including a revised side sill design, Magnum Silver bonnet and side strake meshes, clear rear lamp lenses and a bright finish grille.

Interior enhancements include perforated black leather seats, micro-spin alloy facia trim and a unique numbered sill plaque. The Vantage N400 will be available in three new exterior colours; Bergwerk Black, Lightning Silver or Karussell Orange, with either Sportshift automated manual or conventional manual transmission and in either coupe or Roadster forms.

Additionally, the Vantage N400 comes equipped with a range of normally optional equipment, including Satellite Navigation, Aston Martin 700 W Premium Audio System, Bluetooth telephone preparation, HID headlamps, cruise control and memory/heated seats.

Set in Eifel mountains the epic Nürburgring Nordschleife is not only steeped in motorsport history but also regarded as the world's toughest test track. With 73 corners, a 300-metre change in elevation, steep gradients and notoriously fickle weather, it allows engineers to push their high performance cars to the limits of both dynamics and durability.

Aston Martin develops and tests all of its road cars extensively on the 14-mile Nordschleife. Well before reaching the showrooms, prototype V8 Vantages had clocked up hundreds and hundreds of laps. Few road cars can claim to have spent more time pounding around this brutal circuit - that's why so many of the engineers still refer to the Nürburgring as the V8 Vantage's 'spiritual home'.

And today the Nordschleife continues to play a major role in the car's on-going development programme. Maximising the V8 Vantage's pedigree, Aston Martin entered a near-production version of the car into the 2006 Nürburgring 24 Rennen, an annual 24-hour race set on the gruelling Nordschleife.

Despite the rigours of a race that saw 79 of the original 220 starters either crash or retire through mechanical failures, the V8 Vantage N24 never missed a beat and finished a remarkable fourth in class. It was an achievement that immediately passed into Aston Martin folklore and heralded an exciting new chapter in the company's illustrious road-based racing car history. The team enjoyed further success in 2007, this time fielding a two-car entry featuring a new N24 model equipped with a Sportshift gearbox.

Blessed with such thoroughbred breeding, it's no surprise that the new Vantage N400 recently broke the eight minute benchmark around the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Specifications.

Body:
- Two-door coupe with 2+0 seating or two-door roadster with soft cover convertible top

Engine:
- All-alloy, quad overhead camshaft, 4.3-litre V8 with 400 bhp and 420 Nm

Transmission:
- Six-speed gearbox with Sportshift option

Suspension:
- Sports suspension

Paint Colours:
- Karussell Orange
- Bergwerk Black
- Lightning Silver

Exterior:
- 19" Sports Pack wheels with diamond-turned graphite paint finish
- N400 side sill design
- Magnum silver side-strake meshes
- Magnum silver bonnet meshes
- Magnum silver front lower bumper mesh
- Magnum silver rear diffuser blade
- Magnum silver rear lamp inserts with clear rear lamp lenses
- Bright finish grille
- Boot mounted Nürburgring badge
- HID headlamps

Interior:
- Micro spin alloy facia trim
- Numbered limited edition sill plaque
- Obsidian black leather trim (only)
- Perforated leather seat inserts
- Roof lining colour available in black or tailor's grey (coupe)
- Armrest embroidered with Nürburgring circuit diagram
- Obsidian black carpet with black stitching
- Coarse stitching (only) available in black, red, tan, silver
- Satellite navigation (with TMC where currently available on V8 Vantage)
- Aston Martn 700 W Premium Audio System
- Bluetooth telephone preparation
- Powerfold exterior mirrors
- Memory seats
- Heated seats
- Cruise control

Options:
- Satellite radio system (USA only)
- Alternative brake caliper finish
- Wind deflector (Roadster only)
- Hood colours (as specified on Roadster only)
- Alarm upgrade
- Smoker's pack
- Tracking device (Standard in UK, not available in all markets)
- Battery conditioner
- Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror with garage door opener (not available in all markets)
- Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror

(source: Aston Martin).