Aston Martin has again reinforced the new direction the company is taking by unveiling a spectacular concept car that is destined to become the most significant model in the company's 89-year history. Previously codenamed AM305, the Aston Martin AMV8 Vantage is the basis for a smaller third Aston Martin model, due to be launched in 2005, and will sit alongside the DB7 and the flagship Vanquish. The AMV8 Vantage will be hand-assembled at Aston Martin's state-of-the-art production facility at Gaydon, in the United Kingdom, which is currently under construction. The name Vantage – which will also be adopted for the production version - was chosen due its long historic links with Aston Martin. This time it's a specific model name rather than denoting a high performance version. The AMV8 Vantage is a tailored two-seater sports car that retains a front mid-engine/rear-wheel drive layout. Its design work was undertaken by Henrik Fisker, Aston Martin's Design Director, and his key objective was to produce a thoroughly modern Aston Martin. Another aim was to ensure that the interior layout and equipment were unique to Aston Martin and could be easily carried over into the production car. There are also a number of traditional Aston Martin design cues which have been incorporated into the AMV8 Vantage's styling such as the front grille shape and the typical side strakes found on all Aston Martin models.
