Aston Martin Vanquish (2012)

The second generation of the Aston Martin Vanquish, a grand touring car, was manufactured and marketed by British carmaker Aston Martin between 2012 and 2018. It succeeded the DBS, resurrected the name of the 2001–2007 model, and was available as both a coupe and a convertible, the latter known as the Volante. It would later itself be succeeded by the DBS Superleggera.

Designed by Marek Reichman, Aston Martin presented a concept car called the Project AM310 at the 2012 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Lombardy, Italy. The production version was presented at a sneak preview at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July; a presentation to a group of guests at the London Film Museum also in July; and an appearance at the Monterey Car Week in August. The Vanquish is based on the DB9's architecture, namely the vertical/horizontal platform. Extensively incorporating aluminium in its construction, the Vanquish was assembled in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England.

Design and technology

The Vanquish, designed by Marek Reichman, is based upon Aston Martin's VH platform. The Vanquish's aluminium structure is thirty per cent stiffer and lighter than that of its predecessor, and its bodywork is made of carbon fibre. The car has 25 percent more torsional rigidity than its predecessor due to the carbon fibre subframe and a large, extruded cross-member. The Vanquish features anti-roll bars and double wishbone suspension supported by coil springs. The aluminium structure of the Vanquish is mostly unchanged from the DBS, DB9 and Rapide, except for a redesigned front-end that is significantly lighter. This allows the engine to be mounted 0.7 in lower than in the DBS.

The Vanquish has been described as both a sports car and a grand tourer. It is a two-door coupe available in both two- and four-seating configurations. The Vanquish has a front-mid mounted engine and a rear-wheel drive configuration. The braking system has ventilated carbon ceramic discs. The Vanquish has a three-stage adjustable adaptive damping system which allows the driver to choose between normal, sport, and track modes. The vehicle incorporates Pirelli P Zero tyres. The United States Environmental Protection Agency reported that the Vanquish has a fuel consumption rating of 15 mpgus. According to The Sunday Times, the car has a emission rating of 298 g/km.

The Vanquish uses a 5.9-litre V12 engine that produces a power output of 573 PS at 6,750 revolutions per minute (rpm) and a torque output of 457 lbft at 5,500 rpm, sufficient to give the car a 0 to 62 mph acceleration of 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 183 mph. The vehicle was initially available exclusively with a six-speed 'Touchtronic' automatic transmission manufactured by ZF Friedrichshafen. In 2014, Aston Martin introduced technical updates to the Vanquish model. The modifications included a new eight-speed automatic transmission, known as 'Touchtronic III', and an upgraded engine that produces 576 PS and 465 lbft of torque, sufficient to give the car a 0 to 62 mph acceleration time of 3.6 seconds and a maximum speed of 201 mph.

The Vanquish's design incorporates a tilt-telescoping steering wheel, bi-xenon headlamps, LED tail-lights, leather and Alcantara, power front seats with memory, and cooling and heating systems. Its connectivity features include Bluetooth, satellite radio and compatibility with USB. Other standard features include a thirteen-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. The cargo space of the Vanquish—the cabin and boot—measures 368 L, which is more than 60 percent larger than that of the DBS.

Variants

Vanquish Volante

Aston Martin presented the Vanquish Volante—the convertible version of the Vanquish—at the 2013 edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and it began deliveries in late 2013. It exclusively has four seats. Its maximum speed remains unchanged, but its 0 to 62 mph acceleration decreased to 4.2 seconds. Weighing 1844 kg, the Vanquish Volante is 105 kg heavier than the coupe and 34 kg heavier than the DBS Volante. The suspension system was adjusted to accommodate the added weight. The convertible top of the Volante, which is made of triple-layer fabric, can open in fourteen seconds. The car has a boot space capacity of 279 L. As with the coupe, its standard three-stage adaptive damping system offers normal, sport, and track modes, which also adjust the electronic stability control and throttle response.

Vanquish S

Aston Martin introduced the Vanquish S, an updated version of the Vanquish, at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2016. Its power output was increased to 603 PS whilst its torque output remained at 465 lbft. Aston Martin improved the response time of the transmission. The Vanquish S can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds and the top speed remains unchanged at 201 mph. The Vanquish S also features a new body kit composed of exposed carbon fibre, diamond-turned alloy wheels and carbon bonnet louvres. The seats can be upholstered in Bridge of Weir Caithness leather. Andy Palmer, the chief executive officer of Aston Martin, stated that the Vanquish S "[took] things a step further, confidently asserting itself within the Aston Martin range and distinguishing itself from the new DB11".

Vanquish Zagato

Aston Martin produced four versions of the Vanquish Zagato, a collaboration between Aston Martin and the coachbuilding company Zagato, comprising such body styles as the coupe, convertible, shooting brake, and "Speedster". Aston Martin introduced a concept version of Vanquish Zagato at the May 2016 edition of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. On June 21, 2016, Aston Martin announced plans to produce a Vanquish Zagato coupe in a limited series of 99 units. The first vehicles were delivered in early 2017.

Aston Martin debuted the convertible version—called the Vanquish Zagato Volante—at the 2016 edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance; deliveries also began in 2017 and 99 units were produced. At the 2017 edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Aston Martin unveiled the Vanquish Zagato Speedster, a roadster version of the car; 28 units were manufactured. In August 2017, Aston Martin announced the final model of the series, the shooting brake, of which 99 were produced. In comparison to the normal Vanquish, the Zagato incorporates a larger grille with integrated fog lamps, a more prominent rear spoiler and circular tail-lights.

alt	A silver sports coupe with black five-spoke wheels
production	2012–2018
model code	AM310
manufacturer	Aston Martin Lagonda Limited
assembly	United Kingdom: Gaydon, Warwickshire
class	Grand tourer
weight	3850 lb
platform	Aston Martin VH
wheelbase	2740 mm
length	4720 mm
width	1905 mm
height	1280 mm
body style	2-door coupe 2-door convertible
engine	5.9 L Aston Martin V12
related	Aston Martin DB9 Aston Martin Rapide
predecessor	Aston Martin DBS
successor	Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
transmission	6-speed ZF 6HP 26 (Touchtronic II) automatic (2012–2014) 8-speed ZF 8HP70 (Touchtronic III) automatic (2014–2018)
sp	uk
designer	Marek Reichman

Aston Martin Vanquish (2012)

History

Design and technology

Variants

Vanquish Volante

Vanquish S

Vanquish Zagato

Reception

Notes, references and sources

Notes

References

Sources

Books

Print magazines

News

Online magazines and websites

Books

Print magazines

News

Online magazines and websites