Another Aston Martin prototype has been spotted at the Nurburgring undergoing testing, this time a V12 version of the handsome Vantage coupe. Dubbed the Aston Martin V12 RS, the car was first shown as a concept to commemorate the opening of Aston Martin’s new Gaydon design center and then was confirmed for production by CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez during last month’s Geneva Motor Show.

These latest spy shots show what appears to be a regular V8 Vantage, but the tell tale sign of a big rear-diffuser reveals the massive power underneath the prototype’s bonnet. The concept car had the 6.0L V12 from the stunning DBS shoehorned into its engine bay, and the Vantage’s relatively small size and weight meant the 600hp concept car was the fastest road-going Aston Martin ever, with a 0-60mph time of just 4 seconds.

Unfortunately, the production version of the V12 Vantage will likely have a downgraded version of the DBS engine, ‘only’ putting out around 550hp, although this is still more than the 512hp of its DBS big brother.

While production of the Rapide is taking place at Magna Steyr’s facility in Austria, for now it seems as though the V12 Vantage will be produced at Gaydon alongside the regular V8 model. The first cars should hit showrooms within the next year.

Aston Martin Vantage RS spy shots

Aston Martin Vantage RS