| First Drive | Silverstone, England | Aston Martin V12 Vantage Nürburgring racecar |

Lurid paint, a stripped out interior and a huge rear wing: this V12 Vantage is everything the road car isn't. They're both fast though, this one ridiculously so.

In the Metal

They call it Kermit at Aston Martin and it's not difficult to understand why. It's green - very. That's not green as in the environmental sense either, as anything with 12 cylinders, a 6.0-litre capacity and 510bhp isn't going to please the tree huggers. The V12 Vantage looks every inch the racing car. Unlike the Rapide racer we drove on the same day the V12 Vantage benefits from some pretty serious aerodynamic enhancements. There's a wing you could dine from at the back, while the front splitter looks like it'd slice your ankles from 100 metres.

Fitted to the squat proportions of the Vantage the aero kit gives this V12 some serious presence. With its deep, punctured front wings, Plexiglas side screens and some serious looking brakes behind the alloy wheels equipped with track rubber, this V12 Vantage demands respect.

What you get for your Money

An engine, a manual gearbox, four sticky wet weather tyres, a rollcage and a deep, tight seat with belts that fix you to the car. There are no luxuries; this is an Aston Martin with none of the compromises of the road car. That's particularly evident inside, with the interior stripped of all its luxury. There's no cheesy start up logo on the instruments, just a toggle switch and a push button to fire the big V12 engine up.

Driving it

With a shorter wheelbase, more power and a manual gearbox than the Rapide racecar we'd been out in earlier, the expectation is that Kermit's going to be a bit more of a handful. It's not; the first time we enter Maggots on Silverstone's National Circuit the brakes bite with alarming force and the nose goes exactly where the steering wheel is turned. There's none of the twitchiness you might expect, the V12 Vantage feeling utterly planted and supremely composed. There's the small issue of manual gear changing, but when the gearbox is so delightfully crisp (and devoid of the ridiculously proportioned gear knob of the road car) and the pedals so perfectly positioned heel-and-toe downshifts are as easy as they come.

With entry speeds getting faster and faster, the speed this car can carry through the bends is immense. The track is damp, but the sticky wet race tyres reveal just how compromised even the best road tyres are. There's masses of grip, the traction too is incredible, so the V12 Vantage can use its prodigious power despite the conditions. It's all remarkably easy too, the aerodynamics adding to the Vantage's stability, even in slower speed corners.

It's remarkably easy to drive, but fast. Hugely so. There's barely time to register the big numbers piling up on the digital readout as the Vantage destroys Silverstone National Circuit's straights. The brakes are amazing; with every lap braking can be left later and pushed harder, the Vantage washing off its easily gained speed with zero fuss. Blipping the throttle while doing so and shifting down the manual 'box is a real pleasure, both physically and aurally as each flex of the foot has the V12 flaring up its revs with a glorious sound.

This is an intense, physical experience. The rich messages you get from the beautifully weighted steering, the quickness of the gearbox and the perfectly positioned pedals all allow this 510bhp machine to be flung around by even our inexperienced hands. We always thought racing cars were edgy, tricky to drive monsters, but quite the reverse is true - indeed compared to the road version on the same track the racecar is an absolute cinch to drive fast. But then this is its natural habitat, yet the evolutionary process to allow it to work so well here is relatively straightforward.

Worth Noting

The V12 Vantage scored a credible third in class position at the Nürburgring 24-hour race this year. It would have been higher had it not suffered some mechanical gremlins 17 hours in. Chris Porritt, one of the drivers who raced both cars at the 24-hour event says they're both easy to drive, which is a bit of a bonus if you're charging hard for 24 hours on a tricky circuit.

Summary

It never fails to amaze us how much additional performance can be gained by some tweaked suspension, lower weight, proper tyres and some clever aero kit. Aston Martin's V12 Vantage is an impressive road car, but it's also an awesome racecar.