Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
With the Vanquish S Ultimate, Aston Martin bids farewell to the naturally aspirated 5.9-liter V12 introduced at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show by the DB7. The Ultimate also marks the imminent death of the VH architecture, which will be over and done with once the Rapide is phased off and the RapidE enters the scene.
The “Second Century” platform introduced by the DB11 is the building block for most future Aston Martin models, including the soon-to-be-revealed V8 Vantage and next year’s Vanquish. Regarding the latter, chief executive officer Andy Palmer confirmed to Autocar that the next-generation Vanquish is coming. Curiously, it’ll be a different animal from the current Vanquish.
To the point, Palmer made it clear the all-new Vanquish has been “developed to compete with the Ferrari 812 Superfast.” While the present-generation model is more of a luxury-oriented grand tourer with sporty credentials, the all-new Vanquish looks beyond the Continental GT in terms of segment rivals. The focus on performance is a breath of fresh air for Aston Martin, which never matched Ferrari from a dynamic standpoint in recent memory.
Palmer also confirmed the Vanquish Volante for release soon after the coupe will premiere. Speaking to the British publication, the head honcho described the 2019 Vanquish as “bloody good,” confirming that most of the “product investment is finished.” As things stand now, Aston Martin is steadily preparing for manufacturing the vehicle at the brand’s plant in Gaydon.
Essentially a hardcore interpretation of the DB11, the 2019 Aston Martin Vanquish features superior aerodynamics, better suspension, and a more powerful 5.2-liter V12. The twin-turbo engine, codenamed AE31, has been proven to 820 brake horsepower according to powertrain engineer Brian Fitzsimons. It remains to be seen how potent the AE31 in the all-new Vanquish is, especially when confronted with rivals as the 812 Superfast.
The most powerful front-engined Ferrari in production today relies on a 6.5-liter V12 (F140 GA) that develops a LaFerrari-matching 789 horsepower and 530 pound-feet (718 Nm) of torque. The biggest problem Aston Martin faces with the next-generation Vanquish isn’t the tuning of the engine, but curb weight. At 1,525 kilograms (3362 pounds; dry), the 812 Superfast is a lot lighter than the V12-powered DB11. The DB11 V8 is pretty heavy in its own right, so good luck to Aston Martin with finding ways of dropping weight.
To the point, Palmer made it clear the all-new Vanquish has been “developed to compete with the Ferrari 812 Superfast.” While the present-generation model is more of a luxury-oriented grand tourer with sporty credentials, the all-new Vanquish looks beyond the Continental GT in terms of segment rivals. The focus on performance is a breath of fresh air for Aston Martin, which never matched Ferrari from a dynamic standpoint in recent memory.
Palmer also confirmed the Vanquish Volante for release soon after the coupe will premiere. Speaking to the British publication, the head honcho described the 2019 Vanquish as “bloody good,” confirming that most of the “product investment is finished.” As things stand now, Aston Martin is steadily preparing for manufacturing the vehicle at the brand’s plant in Gaydon.
Essentially a hardcore interpretation of the DB11, the 2019 Aston Martin Vanquish features superior aerodynamics, better suspension, and a more powerful 5.2-liter V12. The twin-turbo engine, codenamed AE31, has been proven to 820 brake horsepower according to powertrain engineer Brian Fitzsimons. It remains to be seen how potent the AE31 in the all-new Vanquish is, especially when confronted with rivals as the 812 Superfast.
The most powerful front-engined Ferrari in production today relies on a 6.5-liter V12 (F140 GA) that develops a LaFerrari-matching 789 horsepower and 530 pound-feet (718 Nm) of torque. The biggest problem Aston Martin faces with the next-generation Vanquish isn’t the tuning of the engine, but curb weight. At 1,525 kilograms (3362 pounds; dry), the 812 Superfast is a lot lighter than the V12-powered DB11. The DB11 V8 is pretty heavy in its own right, so good luck to Aston Martin with finding ways of dropping weight.
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