Will this be cool enough for the next Bond movie? We can only imagine so - Aston Martin's design language has taken a leap into the future with this muscular new Vanquish that you see here.
Built around what Aston Martin calls the next generation of its advanced VH architecture, the Vanquish takes the place of the DBS at the top of Aston's model hierarchy, effectively reviving the name used by the DBS's predecessor. Vanquish means to defeat or conquer, by the way and that's exactly what this Aston plans to do - both on the automotive catwalk and supercar drag strip.
Its design is a step forward from the cloned Aston styling blueprint that we've been seeing for nearly ten years now with features like the elongated side strakes and 'blade' shaped LED rear lights clearly inspired by the limited edition One-77. A unique new feature that we've never seen on an Aston Martin yet is its downforce-enhancing Aero Duct rear boot lid.
Available either as a two-seater or as a 2+2, the Vanquish is powered by a more potent version of Aston's 6-litre V12 petrol engine, good for 421kW at 6750rpm and 620Nm at 5500rpm. This will reportedly get it from 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds and onto a top speed of 294km/h.
Torsional rigidity is improved by 25 percent and to keep the vehicle's weight in check, every body panel is hewn from carbon fibre. It's also more practical, with its 368 litre boot being 60 percent bigger than that of the DBS. In the words of Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez: “It offers luxurious, continent-crossing capability and pure driving excitement without compromise.”
The Vanquish goes on sale in Europe later this year, with UK prices starting at the equivalent of R2.45-million. Expect to pay even more for it if you call South Africa home.