The traditional American ‘muscle-car’ technique of squeezing a huge V8 into a small (by US standards) car is an established route to increased performance, and so it was with the V12-engined Vantage RS prototype, which combined Aston Martin's largest engine with its most compact model.

Built in just four months by Aston Martin's Special Vehicle Operations department, the first prototype was unveiled by Dr Bez at the official opening of the British manufacturer's new design studio at Gaydon, Warwickshire on 11th December 2007.

Dr Bez promised that a production version would be considered should there be sufficient demand and the result was a deluge of enquiries from enthusiasts eager to get their hands on, what promised to be, Aston's fastest-ever road car.

In early 2008, they confirmed that production of the V12 Vantage would indeed commence in mid-2009 and the new car would be based on the V8 Vantage Coupé, but powered by the company’s familiar 6.0-litre V12 as found in the V12 Van...