As Walkinshaw was keen on a V12, it was only sensible that the basis for this was the familiar Jaguar unit. Ever since the 1980’s TWR has been building and racing the engine in the XJ-S and Group C XJR Le Mans cars as well as their rather special JaguarSport road cars. The resulting engine is best described as a detuned race unit rather than a simply modified regular Jaguar item. Bored out to 6.4 litres it was fitted with unique ‘fast-road’ 24 valve twin overhead cam heads and a Zytec engine management system.The result is a claimed output of 475 bhp and 470 lb.ft. of torque all through  a six speed manual gearbox as used on the Corvette and appropriately, the supercharged V8 Vantage. The car has as you should expect uprated suspension and braking with wheels significantly wider than the regular i6.

Ian Callum’s updates to the shape didn’t involve changes to the metal but consisted of a revised lower air dam at the front, new rear skirt, new sills and small wheel arch extensions. Also added was an attractive rear wing that would be an attractive addition to any DB7.

Although the V12 DB7 was initially conceived as the personal car for the boss and to showcase for the talents of TWR as a special engineering company, the company must have hoped that Ford, owners of both Aston Martin and Jaguar would adopt the car for the much anticipated Vantage. Sadly this was not to be since Ford had earmarked a V12 of their own design for the higher performance Vantage derivative. The unique car was used for a few years by Tom but was eventually sold off when the financial situation at TWR deteriorated and it disappeared into a private collection, hidden from view. 

The car was photographed at the 2016 London Classic Car Show on the stand of Aston Martin specialist, Oselli, and we are grateful them for assisting with the photographs.

The Heritage Edition cars were the first AM6 Vantage to wear the racing aero kit, comprising of carbon fibre rear wing, dive planes and extended front splitter to increase downforce by 194 kg at 190 mph.

The standard UK price for the car started at £174,000 but certain liveries require a royalty payment which pushed them higher. The DBR9 Gulf car is the most expensive at £189,000. The edition was limited to 60 cars overall and it is believed the DBR9 was the most popular. Aston Martin Heritage Trust believes that the AMR1 and Razor Blade cars remain unique.

AMR1 (1989)

The AMR1 Heritage Car is finished in Club Sport White with Union Jack graphics, front to back centre stripe in blue with Mobil 1 style logos. The AMR1 was announced in August 1987 and the successor to the Nimrod, a joint venture between Aston Martin and Ecurie Ecosse and built to FISA Group C regulations. The car was powered by a 4-valve per cylinder mid-mounted V8 engine and had an advanced kevlar/carbon-fibre monocoque chassis.

Aston Martin Vantage AM6 Heritage Racing Edition in AMR1 colours.

Razor Blade (1923)

Developed by Bamford and Martin to be the first car to exceed 100 mph, it been subsequently claimed that the Razor Blade is indeed the narrowest racing car in the world. The Razor Blade car was finished in Spirit Silver with green graphics, which emulate the polished body and green painted chassis of the original 1923 car.

Aston Martin Vantage (AM6) Heritage Racing Edition – Razor Blade

Ulster (1934-35)

The Ulster team cars of 1934 and 1935and 5 in their striking Italian Racing Red paint, paid homage to one of Aston Martin’s most influential car designers – the Italian, Augustus Ceasare Bertelli. Bertelli’s cars saw much success, coming 3rd overall at Le Mans, winning its class, and finishing 4th in the RAC Tourist Trophy race. The cars are widely regarded as the pinnacle of pre-war racing cars. The Heritage Racing Edition cars were painted in Suffolk Red with white graphics and ‘Aston Martin’ written on the side gills in a delightful hand painted script as used before the second world war.

Aston Martin Vantage (AM6) Heritage Racing Edition – Ulster

DB3S (1953-56)

The Works DB3S was undoubtedly the quintessential 1950s sports racer and raced in period by by Stirling Moss, Carrol Shelby, Roy Salvadori, Reg Parnell, Peter Colins and many many more. The Heritage Edition car was finished in traditional Almond Green with contrasting yellow graphics and lipstick.

Aston Martin Vantage (AM6) Heritage Racing Edition – DB3S

DBR9 (1995-1998)

Getting more up to date with the famous Works DBR9 in Gulf livery, a highlight of Le Mans during the late 2000s. Successful in both 2007 and 2008 in the GT1 class, the car never looked better than in the iconic Gulf livery. The Heritage Racing edition cars were finished in Porsche Gulf Blue with contrasting orange graphics, lipstick and front to back centre stripe.

Aston Martin Vantage (AM6) Heritage Racing Edition – DBR9

Vantage GTE (AM6) (2018-2021)

The road car equivalent of the then current Works GTE cars finished in the AMR livery of Lime Essence with Stirling Green front to back centre stripe and orange graphics. Together with the standard fit aero package, the car closely follows the race car look.

Aston Martin Vantage (AM6) Heritage Racing Edition – GTE



Shortly after the 2021 AMHT Festival, the car was purchased by the first private owner: some the proceeds of the sale went to fund the AMHT.

Of the 6 cars, only 3 were built featuring a full GT4 Aerodynamics Kit that includes a carbon fibre front splitter and rear carbon fibre wing. Information held by the Aston Martin Heritage Trust shows that one example was built left-hand drive for the US market with the five remaining cars built right-hand drive for the UK market.

Although each car was bespoke, it is believed that the price of each was around £250,000.

Standard specification that we believe is common to all the Q CEO Editions includes

Carbon Roof, side vents and body pack
Carbon GT4 Bonnet
Quicksilver CEO Exhaust for Q Division

The car shown here is finished in Midnight Blue with Q graphics in silver.

The DB11 showcases a fresh and distinctive design language, pioneering aerodynamics and is powered by a potent new in-house designed 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine. Built upon a new lighter, stronger, and more space efficient bonded aluminium structure, DB11 is the most powerful, most efficient and most dynamically gifted DB model in Aston Martin’s history. As such, it is the most significant new Aston Martin since the introduction of the DB9 in 2003.

Heralding a new design era for Aston Martin, DB11 is the latest landmark in a remarkable aesthetic journey; one that gave us icons such as the DB2/4, DB5 and, most recently, the DB10 developed specifically for James Bond. DB11 re-imagines the relationship between form and function with a series of fresh design signatures. Foremost amongst these are the front-hinging clamshell bonnet, distinctive LED headlights and accentuated lines of the iconic Aston Martin grille.

The profile is equally dramatic, thanks to the roof strakes that flow uninterrupted from A-pillar to C-pillar. The clean lines continue at the rear, with a sloping decklid that smoothly blends into boldly sculpted tail-lights to create a new and unmistakable graphic. The roof strakes can be initially specified as either bright anodised or gloss black. Body coloured roof strakes should become available in due course

Innovative aerodynamics play their part in this aesthetic revolution with clever management of airflow both over and through the bodywork aiding stability while preserving the DB11’s uncluttered surfaces. Front-end lift is reduced by the gill-like Curlicue which releases high-pressure air from inside the wheel arch via a concealed vent within the redesigned side-strake. Meanwhile, rear-end lift is reduced by the Aston Martin Aeroblade^TM; a virtual spoiler fed by discreet air intakes located at the base of each C-pillar. Air is ducted through the bodywork, before venting as a jet of air from the aperture in the rear decklid.

Like every Aston Martin, the heart of the DB11 is found beneath the bonnet, though unlike any Aston Martin before it, the DB11’s heart is a 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12. Designed in-house this new engine develops 608PS¹ (600BHP¹) and 700Nm¹ of torque, making DB11 the most powerful production DB model ever. Naturally, it’s the most dynamic and most accelerative too, with a top speed of 200mph¹ and a 0-62mph time of just 3.9sec¹. Thanks to intelligent bank activation and stop-start technology that potency is matched by greatly improved efficiency.

To exploit the advantages of its new body structure and harness the immense performance of the new twin-turbo V12 engine, the DB11’s chassis, suspension, steering and electronics have been re-imagined  and key new technologies embraced. Multiple driver-selectable dynamic modes – GT, Sport and Sport Plus – progressively intensify the response of the engine, 8-speed automatic ZF transmission together with the new electric power steering and Torque Vectoring by braking while increasing the firmness of the adaptive damping for a greater sense of agility. The result is a driving experience that combines exemplary ride comfort and true sports car agility, for an extraordinary breadth of dynamic capability.

As a true 21st century Aston Martin the DB11 combines the very latest technology developed in conjunction with technical partner, Daimler AG, with the finest quality and hand craftsmanship. Using a full-colour 12” TFT LCD display, the all-new instrument cluster presents primary vehicle information with absolute clarity, while a second, centrally-mounted 8” TFT screen is dedicated to infotainment. Controlled via an intuitive rotary control, with an optional touchpad offering character recognition, multi-touch and gesture support, the new satellite navigation and audio system have never been more effective, sounded better or been easier to operate. A newly implemented auto-park assist feature and 360-degree birds-eye view camera helps provide safe maneuvering at slow speeds and is also operated via the car’s infotainment system.

The wheelbase is 65 mm longer than the outgoing DB9 GT and together with wider door apertures, gives significantly increased occupant space – especially head and legroom in the rear, the DB11 is a genuine Grand Tourer. Thanks to an inspiring palette of colours and a vast array of detailing options, its interior can be perfectly in-tune with your unique personal style. From calming, carefully co-ordinated tones to sharp contrasts in hue and texture, your choices are virtually limitless. Nexus quilting and Celestial perforation add layers of beautiful complexity and intrigue, while ornate leatherwork, such as intricate brogue detailing, creates areas of visual and tactile delight.

The original DB11 V12 Coupe was quite short lived being replaced in 2018 by the less expensive DB11 V8 coupe and the more powerful DB11 AMR Coupe. The use of AMR in branding was dropped in 2021 for the 2022 model year and therefore you could argue that the DB11 V12 Coupe was reintroduced. Production of the DB11 ended in the summer of 2023 and the car was replaced by the V8 powered DB12 Coupe