What's this then?

This is the Aston Martin Vantage GTE racing car, and it has a tough job ahead of it. It must take victory in the 2019 Le Mans 24hrs if Aston Martin is going to properly celebrate the 60th anniversary of its 1959 win at La Sarthe - the only time the British brand has had an outright victory in the race.

It's won the GT class plenty of times since though, and with the Vantage GTE now in its second year, and coming off the back of wins in Shanghai and Belgium, it might be on for a big diamond anniversary victory. Then again, it's going to be a super competitive year - in testing for this year's race, the top ten cars were separated by just 0.7 seconds, and Aston has the likes of BMW, Corvette, Ford, Porsche and Ferrari standing between it and victory.

Aston Martin Racing Technical Director, Dan Sayers: "The test day was a lot closer than last year's and we are in a much more competitive position than we were 12 months ago, partly due to car development and to our increased understanding of the package. Last year's Le Mans race was only the Vantage GTE's second race. What we saw in the test was very encouraging. There is still a small gap to the fastest cars in the class, but we are confident we can find that over race week. This was the first time we've used the new aero pack and we've got some excellent data to work with. The car is very well-balanced, and the overall drivability has increased, so we are confident going in to Le Mans."

Aston Martin Racing Team Principal, Paul Howarth, added: "Le Mans is as much about preparation and focus as it is about pace. In order to be successful in the 24-hour race a team must manage every detail and be precise and disciplined in all of its procedures. We have given 100 per cent focus in every aspect of the team's build-up to Le Mans, from garage build to track time, so that we are in a maximum state of readiness to take advantage of all the opportunities that arise for this event and are ready to fight at the front of the field."

Aston Martin Vice President Chief Special Operations Officer and President Aston Martin Racing, David King said: "The 2019 24 Hours of Le Hours probably has the greatest field of GT cars ever assembled for the event - 34 across GTE Pro and Am - and it is with great pride that we can say that four of them will be Aston Martins that are capable of contending for victory. Aston Martin's history is tightly woven in the heritage of the event, and this year's 60th anniversary of our famous win in 1959 reminds us of the racing spirit that comes from the very core of the company. Back then, engineering, intelligence and planning were blended with brilliant driving talent and the race-craft of a crack team of dedicated people. The same is true of this year's team, and with luck on our side and a clear run, we can honour this occasion with a result worthy of it."

Darren Turner, Aston's old Le Mans hand and one of the drivers of the number 95 Vantage GTE said: "We have so much to look forward to going back to Le Mans this year. Last year was the first time with the new Vantage GTE and we learned a great deal with the car and as the season has gone on with the World Endurance Championship, a huge amount of progress has been made with the car. The test day looked very promising and we were in the mix, which is a good sign at this point. All the drivers were happy with the handling characteristics of the car. It is my 17th time at Le Mans and I am as excited as I was when I first went there back in 2003. I am really looking forward to seeing what we can do this year and hopefully we will have a good chance of fighting for a podium."