2013 Aston Martin Vanquish revealed (video)
New flagship supercar from the illustrious marque
By Shahzad Sheikh
This is the car that will replace the DBS as the range-topper in the Aston Martin range of sports cars. Typically gorgeous, the Vanquish certainly doesn’t let the side down in terms of looks, with a voluptuous new, mostly carbonfibre body.
It gets a ‘significantly revised’ 6.0-litre V12 with 565bhp at 6750rpm and 457lb ft of torque at 5500rpm, giving it a 0-100kph time of 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 295kph. It drives the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic with paddleshifts.
The car sits on the latest, fourth generation of Aston’s VH aluminium platform first seen in 2001. The body is 25% stiffer and obviously lighter too. And of course it’s absolutely beautiful with even more a curvaceous coke-bottle waistline, muscular nose, with a wider, slimmer grille that seems to sit higher, an illusion no-doubt created by that jutting stiff-upper-lip style front spoiler.
There’s a remarkably number of surface changes on the side that pinch the flanks just behind the doors with jewel-like side vents accentuating the visual flair, and at the back it’s very One-77 with the boomerang LED light blades and integrated spoiler.
At the beginning of the last decade, Aston interior’s were heralded as amongst the amongst the most desirable places to be, but they have been looking a little dated lately, the Vanquish keeps the overall style, including the Emotion Chip thingy (read: key) but vastly improves the detailed presentation of the solid, swooping dashboard.
There’s said to be more room inside too with a 60% larger boot and it will be available both as a 2+2 or a two-seater only. Deliveries of the new Vanquish will be towards the end of the year and the European price has been revealed as around $299k (AED1.1m).
Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: “Today’s Vanquish is the ultimate expression of Aston Martin design ethos, engineering innovation and technical ability. It offers luxurious, continent-crossing capability and pure driving excitement without compromise.
“Bearing the same name as the iconic original Vanquish that did so much to cement Aston Martin’s reputation as a maker of great GT cars in the modern era, I believe the car unveiled today once again puts this great British brand at the top of its class.
“The new Vanquish mixes beautiful design with impressive technology such as the superb new infotainment system. This is the latest incarnation of everything we know, informed and developed from One-77. It is the ultimate Super Grand Tourer – confident and assured – and is the newest representation of Power, Beauty and Soul.”
