London, 18 July – Aston Martin announced today at the British International Motor Show that the V8 Vantage which recently competed at the 24-hour endurance race at the Nürburgring will be made available to customers in limited numbers.

The factory prepared Aston Martin V8 Vantage took its place in the company’s history books after finishing 24th overall at the race, among a field of largely motorsport-homologated cars last month.

Now customers will be able to order examples of the same car, which will be built to order at Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters from August.

The V8 Vantage is almost entirely production standard, including the engine and transmission. The only modifications made – for safety and pit-lane efficiency – include a full mandatory safety cage, special fuel tank and fire system, racing seat, and built-in air jacks.

As the Vantage remains production standard, it can still be made road legal, allowing customers to drive from home and race at the track – as did the Vantage which completed the 24-hour endurance race in Germany in June.

Aston Martin Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, said: "By finishing in the top 25 with a standard production Vantage at the Nürburgring, we showed the true capabilities of the car.

"The race marked a real achievement for both the car and the team – and to celebrate this we wanted to make the car available to customers who are motorsport enthusiasts wanting to participate in amateur racing.

"With our dedicated production and engine facilities we have greater flexibility than ever before, allowing us to consider small, special production runs – such as this project.

"One of the virtues of our company is the ability to react to what customers want and, as we demonstrate here, offer the ultimate in personalisation."

Prices will be confirmed in the coming weeks, but are expected to be close to the price of the standard production car, which starts at £82,800 ($113,200).

Aston Martin will introduce a paddle-shift option on the V8 Vantage at the Paris Motor Show next week. According to AutoExpress, the system will be similar to the one offered on the V12 Vanquish. Essentially, the Aston Martin clutch-less systems are automated manual transmissions. They offer both manual gear changing and a fully automatic mode. Aston will also roll out new Recaro seats for the Vantage and DB9, with heavier bolsters, more adjustability, and a memory function.

Aston Martin at the Paris Motor Show today announced its V8 Vantage sports car will get a new automated manual transmission option called Sportshift. Sportshift offers gear changes up to three times faster than the manual transmission already available, with the driving enthusiast able to access precision gearshifts in less than 200 ms. To adapt to all driving conditions, an additional 'Comfort' mode offering a more relaxed gear change is also available, which is selected via a single button on the centre console.

The technology was honed at a range of testing locations including Nardo in Italy and the Nϋrburgring in Germany over 18 months, the company said. Aston Martin Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: "Sportshift offers a truly engaging and rewarding driving experience giving an even greater performance feel. It is the sporting choice which we have developed to perfectly suit the inherent characteristics of the Vantage."

Aston Martin at the Paris Motor Show today announced its V8 Vantage sports car will get a new automated manual transmission option called Sportshift. Sportshift offers gear changes up to three times faster than the manual transmission already available, with the driving enthusiast able to access precision gearshifts in less than 200 ms. To adapt to all driving conditions, an additional 'Comfort' mode offering a more relaxed gear change is also available, which is selected via a single button on the centre console.

The technology was honed at a range of testing locations including Nardo in Italy and the Nϋrburgring in Germany over 18 months, the company said. Aston Martin Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: "Sportshift offers a truly engaging and rewarding driving experience giving an even greater performance feel. It is the sporting choice which we have developed to perfectly suit the inherent characteristics of the Vantage."

Aston Martin will exhibit its new V8 Vantage Roadster at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show, the company announced today. Aston Martin Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: "The V8 Vantage Roadster is a pure sports car, a car that heightens the senses and provides a dynamically thrilling driving experience."

"The Vantage Roadster adds to the unbeatable thrill of open air motoring and by combining engineering excellence, technological innovation and physical perfection, will ensure every journey is one to remember," he said.

The 380 horsepower car will reach 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. Its roof deploys or retracts in just 18 seconds, and at speeds of up to 30 mph.