What's all this about?

Remember those two official F1 vehicles from Aston Martin we told you about the other day? Well, click on the link we've just provided and peer at the Vantage Safety Car a bit more intently. Then come back here, and have a look at the machine in the images above.

Aaah! The penny drops!

It most certainly does. Clever old Aston Martin. Yes, it seems that Tobias Moers, new CEO of the British marque and erstwhile-chief of Mercedes-AMG, didn't just task his team with making the perfect Safety Car for the F1 season, in which (incidentally) Aston Martin will be competing for the first time in more than 60 years. No, he was also planning a road-legal special model of the Vantage as well. Designed to be even more special to drive than an AMR and available in both Coupe and Roadster formats, this is the £142,000 Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition.

Cor! It looks nice! So what are the details?

Pretty much what we know from the Safety Car. Moers' demanding brief was to make a Vantage that was faster and more rewarding on track, without sacrificing any of the sports car's on-road usability and civility. Its Mercedes-AMG-sourced [discreet cough] 4.0-litre biturbo V8 has been ramped up from 510- to 535hp, with torque pegged at the same peak 685Nm as on other models but spread across a wider rev range. The eight-speed transmission features a 'torque-cut' feature during changes to allow for faster shift times, while the front of the car's structural strength has been increased with detailed underbody modifications. Aston's engineers have reworked the internals of the dampers to provide greater operating bandwidth via their effective force range, meaning the F1 Edition is superior to the normal Vantage when it comes to dealing with high-speed compressions and crests. Even the rear spring rates and lateral stiffness have been increased, while the wheels go up an inch to a set of 21s shod in bespoke-developed rubber from Pirelli.

Then there's the aero. A full-width front splitter, front dive planes, underbody turning vanes and the impossible-to-miss rear wing ensure the F1 Edition can summon up a massive 200kg more downforce at top speed than the other Vantages. The rear diffuser is the same as on other models but it is said to be an integral part of the car's overall aerodynamic performance, nonetheless.

Finally, you can finish all of this excellence in Aston Martin Racing Green, the marque's racing colour for 2021 and beyond, or other colours including Jet Black and Lunar White. These all come in Satin or Gloss finishes, with a Solid Matte Dark Grey racing graphic added to the bodywork to contrast the paint. Within the Vantage F1 Edition, Obsidian Black leather and Phantom Grey Alcantara abounds, with the option to finish the stripes and stitching in four contrast colours, these being Lime Green, Obsidian Black, Wolf Grey or Spicy Red. You might also note the F1 Edition has a vaned radiator grille, 2x2-twill carbon-fibre exterior detailing, quad exhaust pipes, further unique body graphics and then its specific-design 21s finished in Diamond-Turned Satin Black.

This sounds so, so epic. Is Moers happy with the end product?

He sounds like he is, and he's a tough fellow to please. His thoughts on the Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition amount to: "Performance is at the heart of every Aston Martin, but when it wears an F1 badge it has to be a truly exceptional car. Vantage was already the most focused sports car in our range but in the development of our Official Safety Car of Formula 1, it had to be a true athlete: more powerful; more agile; more immediate and more exciting to drive. And - of course - quicker and more capable in a race-track environment.

"I set the engineering team a tough target, as I was insistent that gains in performance came via genuine improvements in the car's dynamics, and not by fitting track-optimised tyres. The results speak for themselves. A Vantage to appeal to the most discerning drivers and a new model that marks an exciting moment in Aston Martin's history."

Expect first deliveries of this ultra-Vantage to take place in May this year.