These are the first pictures of the 600bhp Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS concept – the company’s fastest ever car. The Aston Martin Vantage RS is based on the baby V8 Vantage but gets a tuned V12 engine from the DBS – with power upped from 510bhp to 600bhp.

This means the fastest accelerating Aston Martin ever rockets from 0-62mph (100kph) in four seconds and can cover 0-100mph in 8.5 seconds.

Aston Martin hasn’t revealed a top speed but it should be in excess of 200mph.

It’s 220bhp more powerful and 30kg lighter than a standard Vantage and boasts a power-to-weight ratio of more than 375bhp per ton – just ten less than the 211mph Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.

On the outside, Aston Martin has fitted a deployable spoiler which rises automatically at high speed to increase downforce while the front bumper gets cooling ducts for the car’s ceramic disc brakes.

The Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS was unveiled by Aston chief Dr Ulrich Bez at the company’s new design centre in the Midlands.

Dr Bez commented that if feedback was good Aston Martin “would seriously consider a low volume production run in the near future with a price reflecting the exclusivity of the car.”

But while it is based on the entry-level Aston Martin, it’s likely the V12 Vantage RS will supersede the DBS as the luxury car maker’s most expensive model with a price in excess of £165,000.

If built, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS will sit alongside the V8 Vantage, DB9 and DBS in the Gaydon-based car maker’s range.

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