Seen on testing on the road, the Aston Martin mule seem to sport the side skirts of the Vantage but looks more aggressive with its vented hood, carbon fiber lip spoiler, rear diffuser, and rear spoiler. It actually features a mix of the V8 and V12 Vantage.

What is under the hood is not clear. It could be a V-12 powerplant which can muscle its way through the cold weather environment. It could also be a V-8 Vantage with more aggressive exteriors.

It could not be a new engine under the hood since it is too soon since the V8 got its beefing up for the 2009 model. It got a steroid boost coming from 4.3L with an output of 380 horsepower to a 4.7L monster with 420 horsepower. The V-12, meanwhile is still staying put with its 510 horsepower output. It will still be a few years before we see Aston Martin bolting a new engine to the Vantage.

The spied Aston Martin Vantage also has a new 19-inch 10 spoke wheels and seat upgrades which makes the car lighter by about 35 pounds. The sound system also goes boom with a Bang & Olufsen 1,000-watt stereo system.

Aston Martin though is not sure if consumers in the United States will be able to experience in real life the difference between the sister V8 Vantage and the big bro V12 Vantage. They might be producing only 1000 units of the car and it might not be cost effective to redesign it to meet the tough crash safety regulations in the U.S.

It is not the end of the story though since Aston Martin is still studying the case. They might give in to a high demand but nothing is for certain yet.

The V12 Vantage is the fastest in the Aston Martin fleet with its power coming from a V12 5.9L that boasts of 510hp. It was originally designed to take a V8 and the V12 engine takes much of the space which should be reserved for crumple zones in case of a crash. Another problem is meeting the pedestrian crash safety requirements. The shell seats made of carbon fiber also does not meet the U.S. standards.

The car is, quite simply, an astonishing feat of automotive engineering. Capable of speeds that would make a cheetah feel a little overwhelmed, the Vantage has fast become one of the iconic cars of this era. Aston Martin has been a symbol of luxury, quality and raw power, and once you’ve invested, sorted the car insurance and the road tax, you’ll be itching to get behind the wheel. There’s nothing quite like driving a Vantage, and that V12 engine really lets you know how powerfully it can move.

The V12 Vantage can zoom from 0 to 100 in a mere 4.2 seconds. It is a fraction of a second quicker than the DBS. It has a whopping top speed of 305km/h that is reached with a manual six speed gearbox. Who would want to miss that? Well, Aston Martin has not decided yet and North American consumers can still hope that V12 Vantage will be available to them.