SPY PICS: 2017 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Aston Martin is embarking on a new product offensive that will unfold in the next few years, which the company hopes will elevate its status to rival Ferrari, but it's not ready to show it's fancy new cars just yet.

Instead, what you see here is a wide-body mule that hides the next Aston Martin Vantage, which will make use of AMG's new 375kW twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 after Mercedes-Benz took a five percent share in the company and formed a technical partnership in December 2013. That deal will see Aston gain AMG engines and possibly even platforms in the longterm.

Aston Martin could also adopt AMG's 6.0-litre V12, though whether it's turbocharged or not remains to be seen.

One of the key ingredients of the British brand's rejuvenation will be the deployment of an all-new platform to replace the outdated VH architecture underpinning the current range of Astons. Expected to make its production debut in the next Vantage in 2017, after its design is revealed in 2016, the new platform will then be the basis for the DB9 in 2018 and the Vanquish in 2019.

It will bring not only improved ride, handling and chassis balance, but a much-needed technology update which will allow the new models to compete on a level playing field with cutting-edge luxury sports cars.

There is talk the updated platform will be able to accommodate more styles and will be flexible enough to deliver two different wheelbases and track widths. That said, it's far from certain that the Rapide will be replaced when Aston begins switching to its new chassis architecture, while the oft-mooted SUV remains another question mark.

In April 2014, Aston Martin's chief financial officer, Hanno Kirner, said the company would embark on its most important product offensive yet, based on the new investor-funded $180 million platform.

"We are engineering a completely new architecture and technologies to ensure that our next-generation of sports cars is at the forefront of design, performance and technology.

"The strategic partnership with Daimler AG will bring with it cutting edge electrical and electronic expertise, and the shared development of world-class bespoke V8 powertrains," observed Kirner.