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Since Lawrence Stroll took over at Aston Martin in 2020, he has revamped the marque’s motorsport efforts in Formula One as well as its road car range. First came the improved Aston Martin DBX707 in 2022; then came the “Super Tourer” DB12, swiftly followed by an all-new take on the Vantage. Now, it’s time for its V12 supercar nameplate, the Vanquish, to return.
“We want it to look alive. We want it to look as though it’s been in the gym for about 24 months,” said Aston’s chief creative officer Marek Reichman at its launch. “It’s like a predatory shark,” he continued before acknowledging that Aston’s latest, fastest flagship has Ferrari’s recently launched 12Cilindri firmly in its sights. Like its rival, the Vanquish goes against the trend for hybrid and electrification, with a newly developed V12 that produces 824bhp – 232bhp more than its predecessor and, crucially, five more horsepower than the 12Cilindri. It covers 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds and can go up to 214 mph, making it the fastest Aston Martin series production car (only the limited-production Valkyrie hypercar does faster).
Channelling the character of previous Vanquish models, such as the 2001 model that starred in Bond film Die Another Day and the 2012 follow-up, the new car is both muscular and aggressive but still beautiful. Aston’s design team cites cars like the DB6, as well as developmental racing cars from the 1960s, as inspiration, something that can be seen in the car’s abrupt “kamm tail” rear end. While there’s no Vanquish badge in sight, two distinctive rear lights distinguish it from the rest of the range, inspired by the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar – a car Aston Martin F1’s latest hire Adrian Newey helped design.
At the front, the Vanquish features Aston’s hallmark grille, designed to suck air in as much as it helps identify it on the road. Two vein-like carbon-fibre vents sit on top of the bonnet, their F1-inspired fluting designed to vent hot air from the engine bay. In the flesh it’s definitely a muscle car, and one that’s hit the steroids particularly hard. Despite being fractionally slower to 60mph than the Ferrari 12Cilindri, the Vanquish’s acceleration is still raw and relentless, helped in part by the twin turbochargers and also Aston’s new “Boost Reserve” device. On the road, it feels like an intravenous injection of power that catches you off guard. It’s devastatingly effective. As Reichman says: “It’s a rogue.”
As a result, driving the Vanquish requires moderation, particularly on the accelerator pedal. In a market flooded with cars that don’t let you put a foot wrong, the Aston keeps you on your toes. It’s not that the Vanquish lacks the same software – the car’s traction system can be dialled up and down depending on how brave you’re feeling – but it allows for a bit of play before it steps in.
When it comes to the main driving modes (GT, Sport and Sport +), Sport is the sweet spot, sharpening up the throttle response, steering and suspension just enough for spirited driving without sacrificing on too much comfort. Sport + is better suited to all-out track driving, while GT is perfect for calmer motorway cruising. There’s also a Wet mode for driving in the damp, and Individual, which lets the driver tailor the settings as they like.
Given the car’s penchant for speed and theatrics, it’s easy to forget that the Vanquish was also created to be a grand tourer – a car designed to cover great distances at pace. While the outside is all muscular show, the inside is comfortable and spacious, as befits one’s expectations of a tourer. Unlike the DB12 that sits just below it in Aston’s range, the Vanquish loses its rear seats, with a carbon-fibre strut brace and luggage space taking their place. “It’s all about the driver controlling car with the Vanquish interior,” says Reichman. “It’s about you sitting with the interior presented to you, so everything is a little bit lower. You’re more in control and more comfortable in your environment.”
Arriving towards the end of the year and starting from £333,000, the Vanquish is squarely in Ferrari space when it comes to both performance and price. Aston says that 65 per cent of the cars already on order have gone through Q, Aston Martin’s customisation service, so expect that starting figure to rise considerably with a few optional extras included.