Photo gallery: Autorama 2008:

At Germany’s N??rburgring circuit, production-car-based race cars and racing-derived road-car specials are traditionally Porsche’s preserve. These days, Porsche is right in Aston Martin’s gun sights, so it’s no surprise to find all three–the ‘Ring, production-car racing and special editions–as inspiration for a new Vantage model, the N400.

That’s N for N??rburgring and 400 for horsepower, up by 20 hp over the standard Vantage. Each is adopted from the roll-cage-and-fire-extinguisher-equipped Vantages that acquitted themselves with distinction in 24-hour races at the infamous 73-corner circuit in the Eifel Mountains.

Of course, the Vantage’s more natural habitat is the Pacific Coast Highway or Britain’s M1 motorway, where it performs as Aston’s 911 wannabe–an accessible, everyday supercar with parking-lot-friendly dimensions and visibility.

autoweek.com

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