Aston Martin Vanquish returns 

There’s a new Aston Martin Vanquish, and it’s said to be the most potent flagship in Aston Martin’s 111 year history. 

It’s humbly called a ‘technical masterpiece and a true class leader’ which showcases the brand’s ‘exceptional in-house engineering ability’. 

It’s powered by a ‘world-class V12 engine of monumental potency’ and sits in a bespoke chassis surrounded by carbon fibre body work of ‘unmatched presence’. The interior sets ‘new standards of modern luxury’. 

Yes, the Vanquish is a rolling hyperbole.

How much power does the new Aston Martin Vanquish have? 

The Vanquish is powered by a 5.2-litre V12 with a ‘class leading’ 835PS and 1000Nm of torque. Compared with other models that have been powered by this V12, the Vanquish gets a strengthened cylinder block and conrods, redesigned cylinder heads with reprofiled camshafts and new intake and exhaust ports. There’s higher flow fuel injectors and new turbochargers. These feature Boost Reserve which is a tricky management of turbo boost for ‘instances when the driver demands full power, the throttle releases the accumulated boost pressure for immediate response’. 

Is the Vanquish a rear driver?

Yes, it uses a ZF 8-speed auto to send all that power to the rear where you’ll find an electronically-controlled limited slip differential. This is integrated with the stability program for optimal traction and the diff is said to be able to go from fully open to 100 per cent locked in as little as 135 milliseconds. With a final drive ratio of 2.93:1, it is optimised for top speed, said to be able to hit 345 km/h. 

Like the rest of the sports car range, Vanquish sits on the bonded aluminium body with double wishbone front suspension and multilink rear. The Vanquish is 80mm longer in the wheelbase than the DBS and with additional underbody stiffening, it is said to provide 75 per cent increase in lateral stiffness over the DBS 770 Ultimate. 

There’s a stiffer engine cross brace providing greater torsional rigidity between the suspension towers. It rides on Bilstein DTX dampers with a bespoke calibration. These give a greater range of refinement and control across the drive mode settings.

The new front end tray and cross member also stiffen things up, as does a rear suspension tower brace. All up, the stiffening will help improve steering feel, ride comfort and let the dampers work more effectively in Sport and Sport+ mode. 

A proper GT though

Apparently the Vanquish has been designed ‘to deliver crushing capability, a car that feels effortlessly relaxing and secure on long drives with the ability to deliver its best on all road types in GT mode’.

The Vanquish’s balance of ride and handling has ‘been subjected to exceptional scrutiny to deliver a blend of poise and performance’. 

Styled for speed 

Apparently this wears all-new surface language, and ‘by amplifying the front engine proportions, Vanquish expresses a fabulous sense of speed and power’. 

Inside it’s designed purposely as a two seat super GT where the interior is focused on ‘delivering enjoyment to the driver and sharing the visceral experience with just one other’. 

There’s a 10-inch TFT driver display and another for the touchscreen system, though there’s still lots of buttons about for simplicity.