Is it #ThrowbackThursday already?

Not quite, no, and while the old 'VH' Aston Martin Vantage is being put out to pasture, it's not going without one last hurrah. Feast your eyes on the new V12 Vantage V600. The name harks back to a simply mental version of the 1998 V8 Vantage that used supercharging to make the then 600bhp. The new car has a metric 600hp from its 6.0-litre V12, Aston's sublime naturally aspirated unit. It'll be mated with a seven-speed manual gearbox for all 14 examples of the V600 that will be made.

Just 14? Seems tight.

Well, these limited editions are serving Aston Martin's bottom line very well and anyway, this is a car based on an architecture that is, as mentioned earlier, close to retirement. In fact, Aston tells us that the V600 was commissioned by one of its (presumably rather wealthy) customers through its 'Q by Aston Martin' service, so we're lucky there's more than one. There will actually be seven V600 Coupes and seven Roadsters. All feature a carbon fibre aerodynamic diffuser at the rear, housing prominent quad exhaust outlets. That's visually balanced up front by new side strakes, an aggressive new grille finish and a high-tech bonnet with a suggestive bulge in the middle. The visual makeover is all topped off by a set of bespoke forged and machined alloy wheels.

Gorgeous. What about the cabin?

The V600 gets a more subtle upgrade within, though look closely and you'll see more carbon fibre than usual and use of dark anodised aluminium. There are deep sport seats, new dials and a machined-from-solid gear shifter.

So, will there be a new V12 Vantage?

Aston is playing its cards close to its chest on that one, though it has confirmed that the company's new 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine will fit in the new car. We suspect it may make an appearance on one of the company's future limited editions.

Shane O' Donoghue - 9 May 2018