Fleischmann
03-09-2005, 06:14 PM
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/?evo/news%2Fevo_news_story.php%3Fid%3D54620
www.esmotorsport.com
Having transformed the Ferrari 550 Maranello into a road-going Le Mans refugee in the form of the 550LM (evo 074), ES Motorsport has turned its attention to the Aston Martin Vanquish.
Led by customer demand, ES is aiming to give Aston's bruiser a more sporting edge, courtesy of a stick-shift manual gearbox conversion... and a quad-turbo engine conversion that pumps up the horsepower of the Vanquish S's 6-litre V12 from 520bhp to a heady 700bhp.
The conversion of the unloved paddle- change gearbox into a conventional manual is a relatively straightforward exercise. The basics of the gearbox are retained but all the electronic selector mechanisms are thrown away and a new casting, with revised selectors within the gearbox, fitted in their place. A clutch pedal appears in the footwell and the result, says ES, is improved reliability and performance over the original. Inside the cabin a cubby hole on the centre console is removed, allowing the gearlever to poke through the transmission tunnel in exactly the right place.
The amount of work involved in the conversion means that adding a gearlever to your Vanquish isn't cheap - some £18,800 - but the results should be worth the effort. We reckon it's exactly what the Vanquish has been crying out for.
The 700bhp engine conversion goes a whole lot further. The monster horsepower is the result of fitting four turbos, two to each bank of the V12. This set-up is, in effect, two of the twin-turbo systems that were originally developed for the Ford V6 found in the Noble M12. Twin intercoolers are then fitted in the generous space between the existing water radiator and the front of the V12, with air being fed to them through a larger opening below the familiar Aston grille. The big problem is not getting the air in but getting the resultant hot air out
of the engine bay, so the revised carbonfibre bonnet features an additional number of new vents.
In fact, horsepower has been pegged back to 700bhp to keep under-bonnet temperatures under control - ES says that over 800bhp is possible. Peak torque is a matching 700lb ft and, according to ES, there is no need to make modifications to the standard transmission because it was always designed to handle considerably more power than the original Vanquish was launched with. There are also revised brake kits and new damper/spring kits available on the options list if your wallet is fat enough - but bear in mind that the engine conversion alone costs £36,660.
And if you want to spend even more, ES Motorsport can shed around 200kg from the Vanquish's kerb weight by replacing various body parts, and the standard seats, with bespoke carbonfibre items, just as it did with the 550LM. Final weight should be around 1600kg, further boosting the car's awesome performance.
www.esmotorsport.com
Having transformed the Ferrari 550 Maranello into a road-going Le Mans refugee in the form of the 550LM (evo 074), ES Motorsport has turned its attention to the Aston Martin Vanquish.
Led by customer demand, ES is aiming to give Aston's bruiser a more sporting edge, courtesy of a stick-shift manual gearbox conversion... and a quad-turbo engine conversion that pumps up the horsepower of the Vanquish S's 6-litre V12 from 520bhp to a heady 700bhp.
The conversion of the unloved paddle- change gearbox into a conventional manual is a relatively straightforward exercise. The basics of the gearbox are retained but all the electronic selector mechanisms are thrown away and a new casting, with revised selectors within the gearbox, fitted in their place. A clutch pedal appears in the footwell and the result, says ES, is improved reliability and performance over the original. Inside the cabin a cubby hole on the centre console is removed, allowing the gearlever to poke through the transmission tunnel in exactly the right place.
The amount of work involved in the conversion means that adding a gearlever to your Vanquish isn't cheap - some £18,800 - but the results should be worth the effort. We reckon it's exactly what the Vanquish has been crying out for.
The 700bhp engine conversion goes a whole lot further. The monster horsepower is the result of fitting four turbos, two to each bank of the V12. This set-up is, in effect, two of the twin-turbo systems that were originally developed for the Ford V6 found in the Noble M12. Twin intercoolers are then fitted in the generous space between the existing water radiator and the front of the V12, with air being fed to them through a larger opening below the familiar Aston grille. The big problem is not getting the air in but getting the resultant hot air out
of the engine bay, so the revised carbonfibre bonnet features an additional number of new vents.
In fact, horsepower has been pegged back to 700bhp to keep under-bonnet temperatures under control - ES says that over 800bhp is possible. Peak torque is a matching 700lb ft and, according to ES, there is no need to make modifications to the standard transmission because it was always designed to handle considerably more power than the original Vanquish was launched with. There are also revised brake kits and new damper/spring kits available on the options list if your wallet is fat enough - but bear in mind that the engine conversion alone costs £36,660.
And if you want to spend even more, ES Motorsport can shed around 200kg from the Vanquish's kerb weight by replacing various body parts, and the standard seats, with bespoke carbonfibre items, just as it did with the 550LM. Final weight should be around 1600kg, further boosting the car's awesome performance.