Revenant Automotive reveals new look for Aston Martin Vantage
British design company Revenant Automotive brings a subtler look to the controversially styled Vantage
While there are plenty of ‘tuners’ doing dubious modifications to performance and luxury cars, British carbonfibre supplier and manufacturer Revenant Automotive has done something a little different. Rather than designing extra, Revenant has gone the other way by designing a new nose for the Aston Martin Vantage that’s instead a more subtle take on the standard design.
The Vantage’s controversial ‘hunter’ front grille has been a topic of disagreement since launch, to the point where even Aston Martin itself now offers a second slatted grille option, but if neither appeals, Revenant’s new option might.
Designed around a much smaller opening in a shape not dissimilar to that found on the previous-generation V8 Vantage, the slimmer grille is paired with a separate lower opening and splitter that artfully bleeds into the factory side skirt.
Revenant has also designed a new rear bumper, although not fitted to the car in these images, that is again a more subtle look compared to Aston’s standard unit, with a more substantial horizontal design theme and motorsport-inspired diffuser.
Both front and rear bumpers are constructed from carbon and can be further personalised with various nose-cone colours and diffuser finishes; it will even mask off sections of the bumpers leaving the weave exposed under a clear lacquer.
Manufacturing bumpers from carbon is a notoriously expensive exercise per unit when in full production, but in low volumes is more cost effective than traditional polyurethane. This capability of designing bespoke elements with a big investment beforehand is part of the reason coachbuilding has seen a renaissance in recent years.
Whether Revenant Automotive has done a better job than Aston Martin’s in-house design is a talking point, rather than the design itself.