SHOULD I EVER become a super villain, I won’t tell anybody, but there will be signs. The first of which will be an elegant, mean, V12, grand tourer supercar, parked in full show, in the centre of my lair. The Aston Martin Vanquish appears like it’s been made for this exact purpose, and more. Not only is it a carbon fibre-shrouded weapon of mass seduction, but the most powerful production-series Aston Martin yet. It may also be the most beautiful, luxuriously detailed and menacing car to hit our shores this year.
To put it lightly, Aston Martin has been on one lately, going from strength to strength since Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll took over the company in 2020. Emboldened with investment money, F1 competitiveness and an ambition to sit atop the luxury sportscar food chain, today’s Aston is not the same company it was five years ago. First came an internal reset, followed by a new generation of cars and iconic nameplates, like DBX, DB12 and Vantage, all of which have been brought forward in spectacular fashion.
Now, it’s Vanquish’s turn – the halo in the Aston Martin stable and a nameplate made iconic in 2001, but one we’ve not seen arrive new since 2008. As the brand’s flagship ‘super tourer’, it arrives in both a coupe and convertible (Vanquish Volante) to echo the British marque’s new era – confident, considered, superbly engineered and unapologetically ambitious. And the cherry on top? A savage, hand-built V12 sitting under its long carbon-fibre bonnet.
Where the Vantage appears lithe and sportscar-like, the Vanquish is pure, unadulterated British muscle car – and it performs as one: torque-y, speedy, tailhappy and hungry for road. It’s powered by a potent new 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12, which has been reengineered from the mighty DBS Superleggera, and boasts an output of 614kW of power and 1000Nm of torque. Vanquish can launch 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds through to a top speed of 345km/h with brain-melting ease. It’s a big piece of kit, too, so those numbers are no small feat.
On paper, Vanquish is extreme, and plenty of technical wizardry has gone into refining the heart of this machine across almost every key component. The result? Sharp driving feel, rapid acceleration, smooth GT ride, extremely playful dynamics and a new sonorous call. The Vanquish’s V12 sounds incredible and, curiously, less bass-y than the Superleggera and more supercaresque than ever. One notable invention is what Aston calls “Boost Reserve”, the technology behind the V12’s responsiveness, which reduces turbo lag and gives it an added rush by accumulating boost pressure in the background (under partial throttle), for it to unleash when you stamp your right foot to the floor with an intense whoosh.
Being a grand tourer, it is, of course, also expertly engineered for long-drive comfort and capability, which it accomplishes with luxe aplomb. For those out there considering one of the 1000 Vanquishes made each year, with that eye-watering $737,000 price tag (and that’s before on-road costs, so expect this to be a near-million-dollar car), who might be seeking some soft enabling from us, just know that the Vanquish has enough of a Jekyll-and-Hyde split personality to offer some kind of two-in-two value justification.
Aston Martin says it chose to continue its 25-year dynasty of glorious V12 flagships due to customer desire. Granted, Ferrari, too, had this insight, and brought its delightful new V12, the 12 Cilindri, to our shores this year to compete directly with Vanquish. I haven’t driven the Ferrari on the open road so can’t compare the dynamics, but I’d argue that, at least in looks, the two express very different characters: the Ferrari, more futuristic and sporty; the Vanquish, more classically beautiful and darkly menacing. To revive the metaphor from earlier, I like to imagine the 12 Cilindrii as a superhero’s car – something Superman himself might drive; but the Vanquish, well, this is for those born to grow horns.
Within his vision for the new Vanquish, Aston Martin’s executive vice president and chief creative officer, Marek Reichman, talks of designing “beyond the expected, rational and thoughtful.” Granted, there is an element of expectation – and the telltale signs of it being a modern Aston Martin are found in its elegant side strake, flush door handles, classic shape and dramatic (albeit freshly designed and enlarged) grille – but this new language takes it into major high-drama territory. There’s a new light signature (including the marque’s wordmark superbly etched into the headlamps), new front bumper and a spectacular panoramic glass roof, with added UV protection against the Aussie sun.
Everything about Vanquish says speed, so naturally, Aston’s motorsport references can be found all over, delicately handled with taste rather than via sporty add-ons or clichés. The teardrop body, long front-end proportions, strong rear haunches, F1-inspired thermo-louvres that sit atop its bonnet and, my favourite touch, the chopped Kamm Tail, are all details that are not only functional but nod to Aston’s current F1 cars as well as the Project Cars it developed for Le Mans during the ‘60s.
Curiously, the rear tail also bears a ‘shield’, where you’ll find the Aston Martin wordmark. Designed to look like it’s floating, this element can be optioned in various finishes of carbon fibres or body colour. “Our team demonstrated bravery and curiosity in their quest to deliver unexpected design ideas throughout,” says Reichman. “There is great passion in creating pure excitement, and this new Vanquish is a culmination of fearless creativity and human ingenuity. We have combined next-level, ultraluxury performance with British-cool sportscar styling to deliver a crowning Aston Martin V12 flagship for the ages.”
Inside the Vanquish is where Aston Martin is performing at the level of haute couture – a long way from the clunky, Mercedes-Benzadapted interiors of its cars past. Ours was kitted with woven metallic carbon materials that sparkled like fine jewellery under sunlight, highlighting the well-crafted, sporty and luxurious lines of the cockpit, along with knurled alloys, weighty dials, sumptuous leather and a restrained use of metals and shapes.
Pleasingly, Aston hasn’t surrendered to the screen wars, either. As seen across its latest models, the marque’s in-housedeveloped infotainment system appears via dual 10.25-inch displays for passenger and driver and still features many tactile buttons, a design choice we’ve previously noted in these pages as a recurring marker of luxury, as mass-market brands move towards full-digital screen controls. On top of that, there’s a stellar 15-speaker system from Bowers & Wilkins – for those rare times when you might want a song other than the glorious V12.
Of course, if all of this isn’t to your taste, Aston Martin recently launched a state-ofthe-art configurator, and there’s always the option to call on Q by Aston Martin, the marque’s bespoke division of craftspeople, who can personalise the car from the small details to full-scale components and design.
As a hyper-luxurious halo car, Aston Martin has delivered on all fronts, resulting in a truly special, flagship super tourer that sets a new benchmark for luxury and outstanding performance. While it comes with a hefty price tag, the finer details show the British marque means high-end business, and we can all hope that this signals success in the 112-year-old British icon’s future.
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