Aston Martin built a road-version of its new F1 safety car

Aston Martin celebrates new F1 role with special edition Vantage

Remember Aston Martin's new Vantage Formula 1 safety car? It featured a large wing, more power, and improved suspension to lead the F1 pack. No doubt it is also the hottest Vantage to date, and we want to give take it for a spin. Unfortunately, being a “safety car” means it's not technically street legal. That said, F1 safety car drivers won't be having all the fun. That's because Aston Martin has built a road-going version of their new safety car called the Vantage F1 Edition.

While it's easy to dismiss the Vantage F1 Edition as a standard road-car with a fancy paint job, it shares most of the performance improvements with the safety car. The most obvious would be the new aero upgrade. The Vantage comes with a front splitter, canards, and even a rear wing. The new aero bits give the F1 Edition an additional 200 kg of downforce over the standard Vantage.

Other exterior upgrades include carbon fiber accents, quad-tip exhaust, and 21-inch wheels wrapped in sticky rubber. Only three colors are available, Aston Martin Racing Green, black and white, all three of which can be matte or gloss.

Under the hood, the F1 Edition gets a power boost too. The twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 now produces an additional 25 horsepower for a maximum of 535 horsepower. Meanwhile, peak torque remains unchanged at 685 Nm. An 8-speed automatic is the only transmission available, but Aston Martin says is re-tuned for faster shifting. Despite the power bump, acceleration and top speed remain unchanged.

To match the new look and power bump, Aston Martin also tweaked the suspension to improve handling. The F1 Edition features stiffer springs, revised dampers, and a new steering rack with better feedback.

Inside, the cabin of the F1 Edition looks much closer to the regular Vantage than the safety car. So, no roll cage, fire extinguisher, or harnesses here. Instead, potential buyers can opt for various upholstery and color choices.

While Aston Martin's safety car is based on a Vantage coupe, the F1 Edition will be available on both the hard-top and the roadster. The road-going version of Aston Martin's road-going pace car is now on sale in Europe, with deliveries scheduled to begin in May 2021.