The new Aston Martin Vanquish has been unveiled, returning a model name to the British marque’s line-up for a car that will sit above the Vantage, DB9 and four-door Rapide. The new Vanquish, or the AM310 as Aston calls it, is similar in size and shape to the DBS, but it has been given a new look, which is heavily inspired by the One-77 supercar.
Compared to the DBS, the Vanquish features a more aggressive design with a new vented bonnet, large headlamps – which appear to take their cues from those of the Rapide – a smaller grille and an aggressively sculptured front bumper. The One-77 influence is most evident in the side profile of the Vanquish, with a flowing waist line, elongated side strakes, LED rear taillights and a new ‘Aero Duct’ rear spoiler that’s made from carbon fibre.
The car is built on an evolution of the Aston Martin VH platform that is now stiffer and makes greater use of bonded aluminium and carbon-fibre. As such, the body of the new Vanquish is comprised of aluminium, magnesium alloy and the aforementioned carbon fibre. Specific mention goes to the titanium bonnet, aluminium front grille, carbon-fibre splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser.
Beneath the lightweight bodywork lies a significantly upgraded version of Aston’s staple 6.0-litre V12 engine. The hand-assembled V12 features dual variable valve timing, a revised engine block anc cylinder-head, enlarged throttle bodies, a revised ‘big wing’ intake manifold and fully machined combustion chambers. The changes result in 421 kW at 6 750 r/min and 620 Nm of torque at 5 500 r/min, making the new Aston Martin Vanquish the company’s most potent production model yet – overshadowed only by the 559 kW and 750 Nm of the One-77 supercar. The Vanquish has enough power to launch its 1 739 kg from zero to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds before hitting a top speed of 295 km/h.
Other machincal highlights include Aston’s ‘Touchtronic 2′ six-speed paddle-shifted automatic gearbox, a three-stage adjustable suspension, Brembo carbon ceramic brakes (a 6-piston/398 mm combination in front and 4-piston/360 mm combo at the rear), as well as 20-inch wheels fitted with Pirelli P-Zero rubber.
Inside, the Vanquish boasts a new dashboard with bigger buttons and better ergonomics. Practical improvements include a newly designed and more spacious cabin with a boot area 60 percent bigger than that of the DBS (368-litres).
