Aston Martin's fastest road car

Meet what Aston Martin is calling its fastest ever road car – the new V12 Vantage S.

That claim ignores the limited-edition and stratospherically expensive One-77, but still, there’s no denying the Vantage S has presence.

Think of it as the hardest and most extreme Vantage to date, with Aston stripping weight, boosting power and increasing its go-fast technology.

Set to replace the outgoing V12 Vantage, the Vantage S now boasts 421kW/620Nm (that’s 41kW/50Nm more) a top speed of 330km/h and a 0-100km/h sprint of under four seconds.

Gone is Aston’s traditional manual transmission, with the S using a faster and 25kg lighter seven-speed manual with paddle shift.

In fact, most of the S’s new tech is gleaned from Aston’s GT4, GT3 and GTE racing cars.

As with all Aston’s styling changes are subtle, but the increased use of carbonfibre, new wheels and a new interior sets it apart.