Due to fuel economy and emission regulations, V12 engines are – without a shadow of a doubt – living on borrowed time. According to Aston Martin Lagonda's former chief executive officer Tobias Moers, the AE31 twin-turbo V12 will be retired in the period between 2026 and 2027. This, in turn, means that Aston Martin Lagonda will employ said engine in the successor of the DBS Superleggera.
Now controlled by executive chairman Lawrence Stroll and ex-Ferrari chief exec Amedeo Felisa, the British automaker is currently testing the new grand tourer. Believed to be dubbed Vanquish rather than DBS Superleggera Take Two: V12 Boogaloo, the car is gifted with a ginormous radiator grille and vents in the hood for better induction and cooling.
Pictured in Germany, the camouflaged prototype appears to sport a noticeably different rear end from the DBS Superleggera. We can also notice a slightly different side window line and roofline, along with sticky rubber wrapped around double-spoke alloys. The headlights appear to be similar to the DB12, which features 6 and 22 millimeters more track fore and aft compared to the DB11 on which it's based.
The DBS Superleggera features 265/35 R21 and 305/30 R21 rubber as opposed to 275/35 R21 and 315/30 R21 for the DB12. It's hard to tell the dimensions of this prototype's tires from the provided spy pics, but nevertheless, it goes without saying that Aston Martin Lagonda engineered this fellow to accommodate wider tires front and rear.
The 2025 Aston Martin Vantage goes one step further with AML-coded Michelin Sport S 5 tires measuring 325/30 R21 out back. Speaking of which, the revised Vantage and its larger sibling both feature touchscreen infotainment. A tremendous upgrade from the Mercedes-Benz COMAND system of their predecessor, with said touchscreen system also in the offing for the facelifted DBX.
Photo: Baldauf
Back in May 2023, during the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit, big kahuna Lawrence Stroll made it clear that Aston Martin Lagonda would debut eight models in the span of 24 months. Don't get your hopes up for a revival of the Lagonda brand, though. The 2025 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera/Vanquish is one of those eight models, and chances are that Lawrence Stroll also referred to a high-riding battery electric vehicle.
When it comes to internal combustion, the most powerful road-going Aston Martin of the bunch is – of course – the Valkyrie. For the time being, DBS 770 Ultimate ranks second. But in the second half of 2024, the DBS Superleggera/Vanquish will take its place. With the DBS 770 Ultimate rated at 770 ps (760 hp), the newcomer should crank out in the ballpark of 800 ps (789 hp). But is that enough?
Truth be told, not quite. On May 2, the Prancing Horse of Maranello will reveal the F167 as the replacement for the 812 Superfast. Hearsay suggests 850 metric ponies (838 horsepower) as opposed to 800 ps (789 hp) for the free-breathing V12 of the 812 Superfast, meaning that Aston Martin has to squeeze a bit more from its twin-turbo V12 mill.
As well as the pictured coupe, a rag-top version of the 2025 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera/Vanquish should be in the offing.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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