What's the news?
Aston Martin has revealed its replacement for the DBS and in doing so revives a name not seen since Pierce Brosnan played 007. The new Vanquish was previewed earlier this month by the Project AM310 Concept displayed at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy, but this is the finished article that will effectively sit at the top of Aston's range after the limited edition V12 Zagato.
Exterior
Inspiration for the two-door coupé has clearly been taken from the Aston Martin One-77 supercar with the high waistline, side strakes and LED rear lights clearly mimicking the limited edition, but the Vanquish also has a style of its own right with amplified details like the bonnet vents, side strakes and a sculpted roof - while a new 'Aero Duct' on the rear boot lid not only adds to the Vanquish's aesthetics, but also counteracts lift at the rear end when travelling at high speed. The exterior is constructed entirely of carbon fibre, the car weighs 1,739 kg and its torsional rigidity has been increased by 25 per cent.
A near-continuous ring of exposed carbon fibre features at the base of the car in the form of a carbon fibre splitter, light-catching carbon fibre side skirts and imposing carbon fibre rear diffuser.
Interior
Much like the exterior the design of the Vanquish's interior has drawn inspiration from the One-77 with the Driver Information Module (DIM) being a refined version of that used in the supercar - featuring new detailing and improved ergonomics. The centre stack has also descended from that of the limited edition Aston and retains the trademark glass starter module and gear mode selection buttons, while all-new capacitive glass buttons with illumination and haptic feedback (a technology commonly seen in touch-screen mobile phones, but never in a production luxury car), have been introduced for the rest of the centre stack's switchgear.
Compared to the car it replaces the Vanquish has more interior space with leg- and shoulder room up by 37- and 25mm respectively. Interior trim is available in a wide range of materials including Bridge of Weir Luxmil Leather, Semi-Aniline Leather and Alcantara.
Mechanicals
The new Vanquish is underpinned by the next generation of Aston's venerable VH architecture that currently forms the basis of everything from the DB9 to the Rapide. The bonded aluminium and carbon fibre platform houses a significantly upgraded version of the company's 6.0-litre V12 engine, producing 573hp and 620Nm of torque - figures only bettered in the Aston line-up by the One-77 supercar.
Mated to a rear mounted Touchtronic 2 six-speed automatic gearbox, the new car can hit 100km/h from standstill in 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 295km/h, placing it firmly into supercar territory.
Anything else?
The Aston Martin Vanquish will be offered as a two-seater as standard with rear seats available as an option. First deliveries of the new sports car are expected to begin late in 2012.