New Aston Martin Vanquish aims to be the king of the GTs

Aston Martin on Monday revealed its new flagship Vanquish halo car.

Slotting in above the DB12, the British marque says the range-topping model is a "continent-crushing GT with the precision, exploitability and immersive entertaining driving experience of a supercar".

Limited to 1,000 units a year to ensure exclusivity, the Vanquish is powered by a heavily updated version of the carmaker's revered V12 engine. Force-fed by two turbochargers, it has a displacement of 5.2l and features a strengthened cylinder block and conrods, re-engineered cylinder heads with reprofiled camshafts, plus new intake and exhaust ports.

Finished off with repositioned spark plugs and higher flowrate fuel injectors, Aston Martin said the unit is good for 614kW and 1,000Nm of torque.

Drivability has been enhanced with a special Boost Reserve function that automatically increases turbo boost pressure above what would normally be required for any given part throttle position. Aston Martin said this is done during partial throttle demands by balancing the throttle flap position, and the intelligent wastegate in the turbo to match what the driver expects.

Power is delivered direct to the rear axle via an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox and an electronic rear limited slip differential (e-diff). The latter is integrated into the electronic stability programme, providing a direct link to the car’s dynamic behaviour and allowing wheel slip to be managed across the rear axle to optimise traction in all conditions.

Unlike a conventional mechanical limited slip differential, the e-diff can transition from fully open to 100% locked in 135 milliseconds. Combined with the latest ESP technology, this significantly improves dynamic capability, providing greater agility in low- and medium-speed cornering, while offering greater control in oversteer and high-speed lane change conditions. It is integral to the dynamic character of Vanquish, "shortening" the car in tighter corners by giving it more rotational response to steering inputs, while also providing assured stability and composure through faster, more sweeping curves.

Straight-line performance is immense, with Aston Martin claiming the Vanquish will blast its way from 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds and top out at a maximum speed of 345km/h. 

As with its DB12 and Vantage siblings, the Vanquish benefits from an ultra-rigid, bonded and extruded aluminium monocoque chassis with double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension. Enhanced to deliver notably more focused and engaging dynamics, Aston Martin said the fitment of additional underbody stiffening components provide a 75% increase in lateral stiffness over its previous V12-powered flagship, the DBS 770 Ultimate.

Riding on a set of lightweight 21” forged alloy wheels shod with sticky Pirelli P Zero tyres, the new Vanquish further benefits from Bilstein DTX intelligent adaptive dampers, larger diameter anti-roll bars, stiffer suspension bushes and a steering system fitted with a non-isolated steering column, a feature the carmaker said gives enhanced dynamic feel by providing an uncorrupted connection between driver, steering wheel and body structure.

Aston Martin has recalibrated the electronic power assistance steering to give drivers plenty of on-centre feel, which it said is relaxed yet confidence inspiring. There's also an advanced six-axis electronic stability control with four modes (On, Track, Off, Wet) and the debut of something called Corner Braking 2.0: a predictive optimiser that works with the car's integrated brake slip control and integrated vehicle control modules to maintain stability while trail-braking into a corner, thus allowing the driver to hold a tighter line

As the marque's flagship sports car, the new Vanquish is equipped with a carbon ceramic brake package as standard. Comprising 410mm discs on the front axle and 360mm rotors on the rear, the race-bred system offers increased stopping performance, reduced brake fade at temperatures up to 800°C and a significant reduction in unsprung weight (27kg less compared to cast iron brakes), which benefits ride quality and dynamic handling.

Brake cooling is achieved via dedicated cooling ducts, which are fed air from an intake in the front bumper and send the mass airflow directly to the brakes without interruption.

As seen in the latest DB12 and Vantage models, the Vanquish interior is home to Aston Martin's in-house developed infotainment system accessible via a centrally mounted 10.25-inch touchscreen. Supporting wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, it sits in front of an overhauled centre console offering an essential selection of analogue switchgear designed to give the driver and passenger intuitive access to functions such as temperature adjustment, fan blower speed, seat heating/ventilation and volume control. 

A 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster is standard as are 16-way adjustable sports plus seats, Alcantara and semi-aniline leather upholstery and a 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

As on all Aston Martin models, Vanquish customers can explore endless bespoke and customisation possibilities via the Q by Aston Martin personalisation service.

Priced at around the £333,000 mark (about R7.8m), order books for the new Aston Martin Vanquish are open with first deliveries expected to commence in the fourth quarter.