My FM Log: Racing Shoebill

A wrong Pennzoil Skyline GT-R JGTC machine and an outdated Aston Martin Vantage GTE popped up on Forza Motorsport's Update 11 as prize cars for completing the time-limited featured tours. Having won these cars, let's get to know about these two outdated racing machines.

First up is the #23 Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R that I won from Update 11's Open Class Tour until the September 11, 2024 deadline.

The #23 Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R was based on the R33 Skyline GT-R and competed in the 1998 All Japan GT Championship (JGTC). This was the last year of racing for the R33 before it was replaced by its R34-based successor. 

The R33-based JGTC racer was driven by Erik Comas and Masami Kageyama, and featured an increased engine displacement from 2658cc to 2708cc, resulting in a regulated power output of 500PS. In the 1998 season, Comas took home the Driver's trophy.

Next up is the #97 AMR Vantage GTE that I won from the Road to Race Tour until the September 25, 2024 deadline.

Aston Martin unveiled its racing version of the new Vantage, the Vantage AMR, after launching the second-generation Vantage. 

The Aston Martin Racing squad run by Prodrive sealed a 1-2 in the GTE Pro championship with four wins between the two factory cars entered in the 2019-20 season. 

Aston Martin continued to support its privateer teams even though its factory effort was scaled back. In 2022, Aston Martin returned to the top spot in GTE racing.

In 2023, the final season for the Vantage AMR, no team managed to win a race with the turbocharged machine. However, ORT by TF secured second place at Le Mans and third in Spa, while the season closer in Bahrain saw a rostrum round-up, with D'Station finishing second and Northwest AMR third in Bahrain.

Let's give these two outdated racing machines, the #23 Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R and the #97 AMR Vantage GTE, a chance to redeem themselves around Road Atlanta, which was recently added to this update. Roll the tapes and enjoy the show!

These two outdated racing machines, the #23 Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R and the #97 AMR Vantage GTE, sure know how to perform in their natural habitat. 

Enjoy your new rides!

Aston Martin Vantage (2025MY Minor Change)

Currently in its second generation, the Aston Martin Vantage received a big minor change for the 2025 model year and this will be the most powerful Vantage in existence.

2025 Aston Martin Vantage

The new Aston Martin Vantage is a total prizefighter. I'm not being hyperbolic, it's just the truth. Priced at 165,000 Pounds with no end in sight for added costs, the Vantage is the most powerful iteration in the car's history. I can't help but feel sorry for those envious souls who end up with an old pre-facelifted model.

2025 Aston Martin Vantage

2025 Aston Martin Vantage interior

Beginning with the exterior, the new Vantage retains the sidelines and the rear from the previous model but on the front, it sports a DB12-styled nose. Although flashy compared to the pre-facelifted model, the new face makes a huge statement for the Vantage. The interior is all-new and it came from its DB12 big brother as well. It even packs new sports seats for your driving pleasure. If Fernando Alonso approves this new version, so do you.

The 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine sourced from Mercedes-AMG has been given a massive power bump. It now produces 656bhp. Mated to an 8-speed AT, it does 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 205mph. Finally, a V8-powered Vantage that smashes the 200mph barrier. Not bad for a GT car with Supercar performance.

Aside from the heavily improved performance that made the new Vantage a must-drive for the privileged, the chassis saw a major improvement with the added bracing, the adaptive Bilstein DTX dampers, a centralized advanced vehicle dynamics control system, and an eight-stage TCS. With improved dynamics, it's becoming a proper track weapon that is still usable on public roads.

With its heavily improved performance, DB12-inspired design and interior, and improved dynamics, the Vantage's big minor change is a work of art that is too awesome to be ignored. If some idiots lend you the keys to the old Aston Martin V12 Vantage or the old Vantage AMR, tell them to go eff themselves. This is the Vantage to go for. Nothing more, nothing less. This is the car the Forza people should take note. Trust me. This is the best Vantage ever made and I would have one over the Porsche 911 or the Ferrari Roma.

Photo: Aston Martin

Aston Martin Vantage Roadster

The current-generation Aston Martin Vantage goes open-top with the new Roadster and it promises to deliver the same driving thrills as experienced in the hardtop but with the roof opened as well as a different face no one saw it coming. Let's investigate.

Priced at almost 130 grand, the Vantage Roadster is the open-top version of Aston's baby sportscar that gives the Porsche 911 a run for its money and while it features the same bits and bobs as seen in the hardtop, the Roadster is a different experience because of the face. Why? Because the Vantage Roadster can be offered with the "vane" grille in honor of the Vantage nameplate's 7-decade tenure and you can have one in the coupe too if you like just to give the impression of the Bond car from Spectre. 

To be honest, that new grille shows what the new Vantage is truly made for rather than the Vulcan-inspired "hunter" grille that is already cool but fuzzy.

Like the coupe, the Vantage Roadster is powered by the AMG-derived 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine mated to an 8-speed AT that produces 510PS of power and 685Nm of torque. Because it's heavier than the coupe, the Roadster can go from 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and onwards to 190mph. That's surprisingly slower than today's Ferrari Portofino but when compared to a 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, it's anybody's guess.

Despite being heavier than its hardtop equivalent, the Vantage Roadster is still a blast to drive on the road and on the track. It still comes with Dynamic Torque Vectoring and an Electronic Rear Differential, making life more thrilling and enjoyable for any speedo boy trying to take advantage of it.

With the Roadster variant added, you now have two different Vantage points to choose from.

Photo: Aston Martin

Forza Horizon 4: Beautiful won't be tamed

Deep behind the shadows lies a new age sportscar that blends its captivating beauty with near-vicious performance that can't be cornered even a pack of wolves can't contain its primal elegance inside and out.



For the pursuit of beautiful, Aston Martin given us the all-new Vantage for us to play with in Forza Horizon 4 as a DLC car. Those who got their hands on the latest British masterpiece will be able to showcase the Vantage's character as a sportscar that blends its captivating beauty with near-vicious performance on the road.





Before taking a spin with this new car, let's talk more about the new Vantage.  For over a hundred years, Aston Martin has a wide reputation for making the most beautiful grand tourers on the road and on the track and this new generation Vantage is one of them. The new Vantage's exterior design draws inspiration from the one-off Bond car from SPECTRE and the track-only Vulcan, which stays true to Aston Martin's pursuit of beautiful, and the interior follows form and functionality fit for a grand tourer of this size. Under the hood, the Vantage is powered by a Mercedes-AMG-derived 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine, producing 503HP of power and 685Nm of torque. With its 8-speed AT, which propels it to a 0-60mph time of less than four seconds and onwards to 195mph.

Aside from the V8 engine, the new Vantage is lighter than the old V8 Vantage because of its aluminum bodywork and to make it more active in the dynamics department, it features Dynamic Stability Control and Dynamic Torque Vectoring, resulting it into a no-nonsense sportscar that feels great to drive wherever you may be.



It maybe a baby Aston but it feels so grown-up to drive on the open roads of Britain and because being an Aston Martin, they're not really made to race but while this is not essentially a balls-out sportscar, the primal performance the new Vantage delivers is like a white wolf howling in a middle of the moonlight. Now there's your Determination Symphony playing out for you but to see if the Vantage has the symphony of a pure Aston Martin, it's time to turn words into action by taking the new Vantage a wild ride at Edinburgh but first...







Looks like this car got caught in a middle of a spell-conjuring in the dead of night but no matter because the beautiful baby Aston just got even more beautiful and that witchcraft really suits its character rather well. Anyway, after it went through some spellbinding sessions, our little witch hunter's prepared to show the Edinburgh crowd that "beautiful won't be tamed."



The beauty of the witch and the skill of a hunter, two traits the new Vantage really possess and at the end of the day, she smiled in front of me, wishing that she wants me to have another go.



The new Vantage really shows that "beautiful won't be tamed" because of its design and performance that bewitches drivers easily and the more time they spent driving the new Vantage, the more likelihood that this could be the best Aston Martin ever made. It's mad to say that the baby Aston is the best but the temptation of driving the new Vantage all day long, that's what makes this car special in every way. The elegance, the performance, the dynamics, the Vantage is too beautiful to ignore and that is the bottom line.

Aston Martin New Vantage

Back in the fall of 2015, moviegoers went to the movies to watch the recent 007 film, SPECTRE, to witness Daniel Craig driving a one-off Aston Martin made for that film. That Bond car in question, as it turned out, is a preview of the next baby Aston and now, here we are, the Bond car from 007: SPECTRE film comes to life as the all-new Aston Martin Vantage.

2019 Aston Martin Vantage

2019 Aston Martin Vantage

Of all the people should know, the all-new Aston Martin Vantage really is all-new from the ground up and one look of this new Vantage will make everyone jealous to drive one someday, including me. Jealousy aside, the new Vantage promises to be one of the most attractive GT cars ever built because the design is like a Bond car with the Vulcan front on it for better cooling and on the inside, this is different than we hoped for because it's a tad too ordinary just like the DB11's and because of the Anglo-German quagmire we're facing with, you'll see some Mercedes bits and bobs on it including the sat-nav. Although the interior is somewhat average to look at, there's no need to worry about it because the exterior just overshadows it from every point of view.

Anglo-German quagmire aside, the Vantage is powered by a 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine, the same one used on the utterly wonderful Mercedes-AMG GT sports car, producing 503HP of power and 685Nm of torque. Unlike the Mercedes-AMG GT, the Vantage sports an 8-speed AT, which propels it to a 0-60mph time of fewer than four seconds and onwards to 195mph. Although as close as the AMG GT, here's something that the AMG GT couldn't have; a 7-speed manual gearbox, making the Vantage a more enjoyable GT car to drive in case the AMG GT is not your kind of car for the weekend drive and what a car it is. We can expect to live the Bond car moment with this one if you know what I mean.

There's a quick saying that all good Astons are made for the comfortable driving mind rather than attacking it on the racetrack but thanks to its short dimensions that make it shorter than the Porsche 911, its aluminum bodywork, and its crafty dynamics, the Vantage really feels like it works at both road and track, meaning this car is all serious work and serious play, like a lone wolf performer broadening horizons in a gothic getup for a concert with her mates. Couple that with numerous features such as the Dynamic Stability Control and Dynamic Torque Vectoring and the result is a no-nonsense sportscar that feels great to drive wherever you may be and that's just the cherry on the top of the strawberry shortcake.

The price of the new Vantage begins at £120,900, which is too much for a car like this and although I have a fair say that while the Vantage disappoints in price and interior, its exterior design, performance, and dynamics are something to wish for in the hopes to demand every producer to step away from their all-oldies nonsense and make them sample the power of the new Vantage, wherever they're sitting at. That's jealousy for you and because the new Vantage is a rather impressive baby Aston that is redefined for today's drivers, we are growing desperate to get our hands on this new one. Come on, boys, we're waiting.

Photo: Aston Martin.