Vanquish! Aston’s Flagship Returns

When Aston Martin launched the original Vanquish back in 2001 it was the first stage of a radical reinvention that changed the face of the cars and the company. Now the Vanquish name has been revived for the car you see here, Aston’s new series-production flagship and the replacement for the DBS.

New Vanquish comes at a time of need for Aston. The core V12 model range has faced increasing criticism for its shared platform, derivative design and broadly similar performance. This, the, is Aston’s retort: a new ‘super GT’ that – although it’s built on the same platform – is lighter, faster, more powerful, more efficient and more spacious that the car it replaces.

It’s more striking too, thanks to styling heavily influenced by the One-77 supercar. It’s not a complete departure from previous Gaydon-era models, but it’s a more aggressive, muscular and distinctive shape, with eye-catching features such as the extended side-strakes, sharply sculpted front splitter and rear wing, and new light clusters.

The all-new interior is more spacious-particularly in terms of knee, elbow and shoulder room – and features pioneering switchgear that employs phone-style touchscreen switches with ‘haptic’ feedback through the smooth glass surface. The phone, Garmin satnav and B&O hi-fi systems are controlled through an integrated system operated via one LCD screen. Lavish upholstery includes quilted leather, and the Vanquish will be available in 2+2 or 2+0 configurations.

The new bodywork is entirely carbonfiber, which can be seen in the unpainted splitter and rear diffuser. Carbon is also used in the VH platform for the first time, forming the entire structure aft of the rear bulkhead. Now in its fourth generation, the aluminium structure also incorporates new adhesives and bonding methods. This contributes to a 30 per cent increase in torsional stiffness over the DBS and more effective isolation from road noise.

Weight has been trimmed in a number of areas. The engine is 10kg lighter; the torque tube that connects the V12 and rear transaxle has shed 8kg. The exhaust system has dropped a further 10kg and there have been many other significant reductions in mass around the car. No afficial weight has been announced, but expect the Vanquish to be 70-80kg lighter than the DBS.