The V12 Vantage is arguably one of Aston Martin's greatest achievements. The automaker recently celebrated the epic grand tourer's legacy with the largest V12 Vantage gathering ever. And yet the current Vantage is still only available with an AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Thankfully, this won't be the case for much longer.

A few months ago, a modified Aston Martin Vantage prototype lapping the Nurburgring caught our attention, giving us hope that a new V12-powered version is in development. And now we know the juicy specifications.

Rumored to be called the Vantage RS, the new hardcore Vantage will be powered by the same 5.2-liter twin-turbo 12-cylinder engine as the V12 Speedster. Paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, this unit develops 700 hp and 555 lb-ft of torque in the V12 Speedster but will be detuned to 670 hp in the Vantage RS according to a source for The Supercar Blog. This will be a huge upgrade over the last-generation V12 Vantage S, which packed a 6.0-liter V12 rated at 563 hp.

As we've seen in spy shots, the V12 RS will have wider fenders, a vented hood, a larger spoiler, and two center-mounted exhaust tips to set it apart from its V8 sibling.

The Aston Martin Vantage RS will be a rare sight on the road and track. If the publication's source is correct, production of the V12 RS will be limited to just 299 examples when it goes on sale as a 2023 model, so it will be more limited than we thought. Also, expect to pay a premium over the V8-powered Vantage. Whereas the V8 Vantage starts at $139,000, the Vantage RS is expected to cost around £270,000 ($362,683).

Given that it's expected to go on sale for the 2023 model year, we expect the Vantage RS will be revealed next year and coincide with the car's mid-cycle facelift.