Aston Martin Reveals New V12 Engine, Brand New Vanquish First to Get It

The British carmaker presently lists a total of eight models in its lineup, but that includes hypercars, limited editions, and the Formula 1 car. All of them, regardless of their purpose for being, are powered by internal combustion engines.

Aston Martin does plan to roll out an electric vehicle, and it will eventually have to, as there's no way around this, but that time is not upon us yet. Making clever use of new ICE tech and hybridization, the company seems to have pushed the launch of its first true EV until at least 2026.

That gives the company plenty of time to taunt us some more with what we'll miss out on once EVs completely take over. Like, say, a brand new V12.

Later this year Aston is expected to launch a new version of the mighty Vanquish. Ok, the carmaker didn't outright say that, but when presenting the engine it ended all the chatter with a cryptic phrase that is, well, not that cryptic: "All will be vanquished."

The new Vanquish will be the flagship model in an already impressive lineup. It will be a car that will not only continue the carmaker's tradition with V12 combustion engines but should usher in a new era of V12-powered exclusive and limited-availability Aston Martin models.

Now, we all know how Aston has been making V12s for ages now, but this new era couldn't have relied on some existing tech, now could it? So enter a new breed of V12, the likes of which we historically expect to come to light once a generation.

The engine that will first go into the new Vanquish is not completely new, as in it was not engineered from scratch, but it does come into this world a complete redesign of existing technologies that have continuously evolved over the past 25 years.

The new powerplant is described, no more no less, as a "technical masterpiece and a true leader in its class." Not all details about it and its first application have been released, but we did get enough bits of info to paint a pretty clear picture of what to expect.

Aston says work on the V12 focused first and foremost on refining the combustion process, and that, of course, translates into fitting new and better parts into the design. The cylinder block and connecting rods, for instance, are stronger than they used to be, the cylinder heads have been redesigned and now feature reprofiled camshafts, and the engine was gifted with new intake and exhaust ports.

Aston Martin also repositioned the spark plugs and installed new injectors with a higher flow rate. To top all of these changes off, new turbochargers (there will be two of them), with higher speed and reduced inertia, have also been prescribed.

All of the above nips and tucks translate into impressive performance levels. The carmaker revealed them, and talks about 824 horsepower and a nice, round torque level of 1,000 Nm.

We're told each of these new V12 engines to be made will be handcrafted, and only so many of them will be produced each year, in "strictly limited numbers."

As for the Vanquish that will first get it, details are scarce at this point. Aston Martin promises to reveal more about it later this year.

The nameplate has been present in the carmaker's stables since 2001. The original Vanquish was introduced as a grand tourer meant to succeed the Vantage. Ever since that time the model took its place at the top of Aston's offering.

The original run of the model ran for just six years, from 2001 to 2006, but the nameplate was revived for six more years in 2012. During the first period on the market several special versions of it were made, including the Ultimate Edition, Zagato Roadster, and Bertone Jet. The second time around the family grew to include the Project AM310 Concept and Volante, among others.

It remains to be seen for how long the Vanquish will stick around this time or how successful it will be, but if we are to judge by what's happening in the larger industry with electrification and all, our bet is the model will likely be a winner.

Until we can learn more about the car you can enjoy a quick look at its heart in the short video below. It may not be all that revealing, but it's more than enough to get our blood pumping.