Aston Martin

The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 was unleashed on the racing world two years ago, but has already won hearts and trophies: wins in the GT4 class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the Spa 24 hours and the Dubai 24 Hours, as well as the European GT4 Cup to name just four. The Anglo firm has made subtle changes to the 2011 model, with a little help from German firm Bosch and with lessons learned from its own Vantage V12 road car.

The 4.7-liter V8 has been remapped to produce more horsepower and torque, and the body gets aero cues from its V12 sibling, providing greater downforce and improved aerodynamics: a new splitter up front and diffuser out back, plus a larger integrated decklid spoiler. Keeping it all planted will be an optional ABS and traction control system developed by Bosch.

There have been 80 of the current GT4 built and sold to privateer racers, and if the wins keep coming you can expect even more of the 2011 model to find well heeled homes. No word on pricing yet, but the previous GT4 started at about 120,000, which means that you can expect to pay more for this one.