At the official opening of Aston Martin’s new dedicated design centre in Britain, there was a surprise unveiling of a new 600 hp performance concept car, dubbed the V12 Vantage RS.

It is said to be fully functional. Weighing in at 1603 kg, the car has a race-derived V12 producing 600 hp. Peak power is achieved at 6250 rpm, and peak torque of 690 Nm is at 5000 rpm. With a power-to-weight ratio of over 375 hp per ton, the V12 Vantage RS concept is the fastest-accelerating road car ever built by the company, capable of reaching 100 kph from rest in 4 seconds and 160 kph in 8.5 seconds.

Ignoring the ugly paintjob, the exterior gets new carbon-fibre pieces for the hood and trunk lid, as well as a number of hood louvers. A carbon-fibre chin spoiler is at the front, and out back there is a retractable spoiler. The interior has also been slathered entirely in grippy suede, including the racing-style seats. The car will enter production if enough rich people show an interest in it.

After years of getting their behinds kicked by toys as cheap as the Corvette, Aston Martin is finally raising the stakes. Too bad the cheaper Nissan GT-R is already a better car than this concept.