Aston Martin celebrates 30 years of 6.3-litre Vantage and Vantage Volante
Aston Martin Works is currently celebrating 30 years of the 6.3-litre conversion pack, introduced in the British manufacturer’s catalog in 1992. With it, the Vantage and Vantage Volante models therefore offered performance worthy of the best sports cars of the moment.
At the end of the 1980s, Aston Martin returned to the sport-prototype category with the AMR1 Group C chassis. Through this program, the V8 block saw its capacity increase from 5.3 liters to 6.0 liters, then to 6.3 liters. It then became logical that the V8 engine of the Vantage marketed since 1989, benefits from these advances.
This 6.3 liter conversion pack then offered via the brand’s customer service (now Aston Martin Works), allowed the Vantage to see its capabilities progress in all areas. The power of the standard model (around 330 hp and 745 Nm developed by its 5,340 cc V8 block) then increased to more than 500 hp and 650 Nm with the 6.3-litre conversion (including engine parts supplied by Cosworth), thus ensuring to the Vantage (and its Volante version) a top speed of 280 km/h and a time of 5.1 seconds on the exercise from 0 to 100 km/h, and this despite the substantial weight of the vehicle (1,969 kg) .
At the same time, the suspension and braking system (including 14-inch discs at the front) were also optimized, and the vehicle was fitted with 10.5 x 18-inch OZ five-spoke wheels fitted with 285/45 ZR tires Goodyear Eagle. Finally, its bodywork was the subject of serious development work (widened fenders, openings, etc.) in order to accommodate these multiple modifications.
In 1992, when it was launched, this 6.3 conversion pack was offered at a price of £60,000, an amount to be added of course to that of the factory Vantage (£140,000). Aston Martin sold a total of 46 Vantage models in 1992, and a good number of them would have visited the Aston Martin Works workshops to be converted, although Aston Martin did not take this into account. exact. In all, 60 conversions are said to have been made over a two-year period (in 1992 and 1993).
“The Virage 6.3 conversion was, and remains, a superb example of the capabilities of the department that is now Aston Martin Works,” concludes Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works. “The car has been completely redesigned and restyled right here in Newport Pagnell. It remains a true testament to the ingenuity and vision of the Aston Martin business and I am delighted – but also a bit shocked from a personal perspective – that we can celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2022.”
