Aston Martin released a rendering of the Vantage GT2 race car last month and now we have the official photos to share. The Vantage GT2 isn't quite as sexy as its roadgoing cousin, but it does look menacing in the Gulf colors.

Aston Martin built the Vantage GT2 with the American Le Mans Series in mind and thus the Vantage GT2 can burn E85 or regular racing fuel. The E85 know-how came from the DBRS9 that Aston Martin converted to run on E85. The ALMS is trying to utilize as many alternative fuels as possible, and it's easiest to convert a conventional gas engine to run on E85.

The V-8 engine found in the Vantage GT2 is based on the aluminum alloy, 4.3-liter V-8 found in the standard Aston Marin V8 Vantage. Horsepower is expected to be around 480, which is a 100 hp improvement over the road car.

Look for Aston Martin to compete in every GT class for both the European FIA GT series and the ALMS series here in the States. The main competition for the Vantage GT2 is the venerable Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, but there will also be Ferrari F430 GT2s and Dodge Viper GTSRs gunning for the Vantage GT2 on the track this season. The other teams don't have Dave Richards, head of Prodrive Racing and chairman of Aston Martin, to consult with, so Aston may have a leg up on the competition.

The differences between a sports car and a GT car are subtle but undeniable. In the way it looks, the way it sounds, and the way it feels, a sports car telegraphs a message of outright performance. If you drive a car to its absolute limit down a challenging road and find yourself grinning from ear to ear, chances are you're in a sports car, something like a Lotus Elise or a Ferrari F430. A GT car's mission, on the other hand, is to provide effortless performance, driving pleasure, and comfort over long journeys driven at triple-digit speeds. During a drive from, say, London to the south of France, you should be able to remain relaxed yet inspired behind the wheel, while your passenger should feel pampered and at ease. Aston Martin does GT cars as well as any automaker. Its DB9 coupe features a powerful twelve-cylinder engine, a cosseting cabin, and gorgeous, understated styling. But now Aston has a new top-of-the-line model, the DBS. So, is it a GT, or is it a sports car?

When you first glance at the DBS--and at its spec sheet--you might think that it's a full-on sports car. After all, the DBS is adorned with all the typical sports car styling cues, including scoops and vents and a carbon-fiber front splitter and rear diffuser. European buyers can even specify sport seats with a carbon-fiber shell that help the car shed an additional 44 pounds. The DBS's V-12 sends 510 hp--60 hp more than the DB9--through a six-speed manual gearbox. To help stop it from its nearly 200-mph top speed, the DBS gets carbon-ceramic brake rotors, a first for a roadgoing Aston. At the Frankfurt auto show in September, Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez bragged about the DBS's lap times around the Nrburgring. Despite all the exotic hardware, however, when we saw the new DBS at Frankfurt, we couldn't stop thinking that it looks pretty much like a DB9 with a body kit. A rather good-looking and superbly executed body kit, to be sure. But perhaps our first drive of the top Aston would dispel such notions.

Slide the DBS's substantial sapphire and stainless steel key--sorry, the Emotion Control Unit, as Aston Martin insists on calling it--into the slot above the radio and hold it in for what seems like an eternity. The V-12 lights up, and you're greeted with an intoxicating exhaust note--part deep bass, part metallic riff--that makes you want to search out every tunnel within 100 miles just to hear the sound reverberate against the walls. Blip the throttle a few more times, and you'll be hooked. Dip the light clutch, notch the comically large shift knob into first gear, and pull away. As you ease into a pace where you're driving at seven- or eight-tenths, the sound of the V-12, the incredibly strong and responsive brakes, and the precise gearbox tell you that this is one impressive car. But when you really push the DBS on twisty and bumpy roads, the Aston shows that it's not the true sports car you were led to believe it would be. Sure, the twenty-inch Pirellis provide massive amounts of grip, but no matter what setting you choose for the adjustable dampers--another first for Aston--body control is lacking. The DBS feels big and heavy, not light and lithe, when you really hammer it.

Our disappointment with the DBS's behavior on France's back roads was just settling in when we came upon the entrance to the autoroute. This is where the Aston comes into its own: at 130 mph and beyond through the smooth sweepers of the French highway system, the DBS's V-12 calls on gloriously deep torque reserves yet revs freely to its 6800-rpm fuel cutoff. The steering and chassis both feel perfectly calibrated for such conditions, and it becomes evident that the DBS is an extremely good GT car. But so is the DB9, which costs a cool hundred grand less than the DBS, and therein lies the rub. If you need more proof of the DBS's GT character, look no further than the fact that Aston Martin will offer the DB9's smooth automatic transmission as an option later this year.

If we could build the ultimate Aston Martin, we'd plug the engine and the exhaust system from the DBS into a standard DB9, a car whose subtle, elegant styling perfectly reflects the character of an Aston. But there are surely some Aston Martin buyers who want a car that is more extroverted, and the DBS fits the bill. There also is no doubt that the DBS is a good (read: profitable) short-term business move for an automaker that is now independent of Ford. We're all for Aston Martin's future profitability, we just wish the DBS were less of a bejeweled DB9 and more of a true flagship for the British company, especially for $265,000.

Q&A : Marek Reichman, Aston Martin design director

What are your favorite details on the DBS?

My favorite view of the DBS is the rear-three-quarter view, because the car looks so powerful. The car's width is accentuated by the carbon-fiber rear diffuser. Your eye is drawn to the corners and to the track and width of the car. Looking at it from the front-three-quarter view, you can see the crease line of the fender, which accentuates the tire and wheel size and shows the DBS to be very muscular. It has the definition of an athlete or a race horse at full speed.

It seems as if you're moving away from the DB9 shape. Do you want a new design direction for Aston?

An Aston Martin will always look like an Aston Martin, because the grille shape is so prominent and the face of Aston Martin is so prominent. But you're right, we are taking evolutionary steps toward a different shape. This is the first time we've shown the car's overt power. It's not quite brutal, but it's not all about elegance anymore; it's actually portraying the powerful state of an Aston Martin. I think this is the first time that's really happened since the DB4 GT Zagato.

What is the significance of your new design studio?

It's huge. We've always been in rented accommodations. Although it's fabulous to be in someone else's house, you can't put the furniture where you want it or paint it the color you want. This is our own studio. It's confirmation from the new shareholders that they believe in design, and Aston Martin is all about design. Aston Martin is organized so that we can do things very quickly and very efficiently. It says to everyone on the team that they believe in the future of Aston Martin. I'm over the moon, I'm so excited.

How does the Rapide fit into all this? Will it be a true four-seater?

It's a four-door sports car. I can fit in the back of the car, although I'm not sure whether I would want to be there for a five-hour journey. But it's not a sedan, it's a sports car. And, yes, there are compromises, but it will be more usable than our DB9. You can fold the rear seats down and actually carry more luggage. We've been in the studio refining and developing it. When the production car finally comes out, you'll see a difference from the show car. You'll see that it is the next generation of Aston Martin.

Aston Martin has been looking to show the world it never needed Ford's help. At the opening of the company's first dedicated design studio this week, one more piece of evidence was added to the file.

The V12 Vantage RS concept is exactly what it sounds like: a Vantage with Aston's V-12 engine nestled under the bonnet. Simple enough. In this trim, the engine displaces 6.0 liters and makes 600 horsepower and 508 pound-feet of torque, and that bonnet is made of carbon fiber.

This engine is similar to the 5.9-liter found in the DB9, though in the RS it takes advantage of Aston Martin's race experience. Additions include forged pistons, tuned exhaust headers, a dry sump lubrication system, and special cylinder heads and camshafts.

Other upgrades include a carbon-fiber trunk lid to go with the bonnet. Air flow is aided by a rear spoiler that deploys at high speed and a carbon-fiber front splitter. Ducts in the front fascia bring cool air to the carbon-ceramic brakes. These tweaks help make the fastest streetable Aston built yet, with the V12 Vantage reaching 62 mph in 4.0 seconds.

Lest you think this is just some one-off show car meant as lobby jewelry for the new design studio, Aston Martin officials say they can see a case for building the car. Numbers would be low, and the price inversely high, but if enough people show interest they'd be happy to add yet another variant to the VH architecture that underpins all current Astons.

We see no problem with adding more power to an already stunning car, even if it is a bit formulaic. And Aston, if you're reading, this would tide us over nicely until the Rapide becomes a reality.

Aston Martin's concept AMV8 Vantage provides a glimpse of Aston's new third model, which will join the Vanquish and DB7 in two years' time. The two-seat AMV8 is to be positioned below the DB7, and is built upon a new and flexible platform, easily modified for design changes as well as providing the basis for new models. Styling is decidedly Aston Martin. The long hood, trademark grille, and short overhangs should sit well with Aston enthusiasts. Performance will come from an all-new 4.3-liter V-8 powering the rear wheels. Inside the AMV8 is a bespoke leather and aluminum interior similar to that of the Vanquish. Elegant and decidedly British, Aston's volume leader will be built in a new factory in Gaydon, England.

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The last Vanquish already has rolled off the line at Newport Pagnell with much pomp and ceremony. In doing so, it has handed king-of-the-hill honors to the DBS. You'll be able to tell the DBS from the DB9 by its deeper front spoiler, extra-wide guppy-style intake for the oil cooler, large rear spoiler, twenty-inch wheels, flared wheel arches, and wider rear track. Weighing 400 pounds less and packing 60 hp more than its DB9 sibling, the 510-hp V-12 DBS should be good for a 0-to-60-mph dash of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 190 mph. The range topper also features ceramic-composite brakes and a paddleshifted six-speed transmission. That should give this latest iteration of the DB9 a much more raw driving experience--less Grand Touring and more hard-core sports thriller. Still, we can't imagine the DBS as a track-day car. That would be like watching Carl Lewis sprinting the 100-yard dash in a Brooks Brothers suit. So, is this a direct replacement for the Vanquish? Not quite. Aston says that there may be room for an even more extreme DB9, and that car could well revive the Vanquish badge. That's consistent with the company's strategy of spinning as many variants as possible off the same basic platform.

Like the DB9 LM, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N400 celebrates achievements in motor sports. Although the Nurburgring 24-hour race has less prestige than LeMans and Aston did not win the German endurance race, it does look like the British carmaker is producing a more impressive package with the V8 Vantage N400 than the LeMans-celebrating DB9 LM.

The N400 is available in either coupe and roadster form and gets a good mix of performance improvements. Aston claims the tweaked V8 Vantage can dance around the legendary Nordshleife circuit in under eight-minutes, an impressive time for a road car. Power is bumped from 380 to 400 hp and maximum torque is up slightly to 310 lb-ft. The N400 also is fitted with a unique sports package that includes stiffer springs and upgraded dampers. The coupe also gets a new anti-roll bar in the rear. Transmission choices are the same as the standard car, either six-speed manual or automated manual. Aston plans to build 240 examples of each body style worldwide.

On the exterior, different side sills, silver hood and side mesh grills, clear rear taillights, and a bright finish front grill are fitted to this hotter V8 Vantage. The Aston is available in three exclusive exterior colors including black, silver, and, we aren't lying here, orange. At the press conference, Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, told the gathered crowd that the orange exterior is his recommended hue but buyers can specify one of the other two colors if they feel they have to. Inside, perforated black leather seats and a unique spun alloy trim are both new. Surprisingly, most of the optional equipment available on a regular V8 Vantage is fitted as standard to the N400 including: navigation, premium audio, Bluetooth, Xenon headlights, and heated seats. Given this, the focus of N400 is obviously not to battle with the minimalist Porsche 911 GT3. While the relatively small power bump and large list of (heavy) standard features is not too exciting for the purist, we do look forward to feeling the chassis changes given Aston's impressive history of fine-tuning their cars throughout the model cycle. Plus, running the V8 Vantage's glorious engine through the gears is still one of the best aural pleasures around.

The DB9 LM celebrates Aston Martin's impressive win in the GT1 class at the 24 Hours of LeMans this past June. Offered in coupe version only, the DB9 LM is, surprisingly, only offered with an automatic transmission but comes standard with the normal DB9's optional sports package. Aston will build 124 cars worldwide, one for each dealer. The only exclusive features on the DB9 LM are the Sarthe Silver exterior color, exterior vents and rear crossbar detailed in silver, and, inside, a unique, handcrafted black leather interior and special fascia trim. Overall, the DB9 LM looks like a way for Aston to peddle a few more cars but it is nothing too exciting for real car enthusiasts.

We'll see a new lightweight sport version of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage at the Frankfurt Auto Show. We're expecting more power and less weight for this new Porsche 911 GT3 competitor. Check back soon for more information.