The review: Aston Martin’s Vanquish may just be the most accomplished car the British marque has ever built
by Noelle Faulkner
Photography by Jin Cheng Wong
As we know all too well from the beautiful machines featured on the pages here in Boulevard Magazine, some cars turn heads, while others snap necks and make people stop in their tracks. The Aston Martin Vanquish is every inch the latter: a carbon fibre-clad, V12-powered weapon of mass seduction—and a barely contained menace of a machine that is as beautiful as it is fierce. Dormant since 2008, its myth has been extended into the modern era as Aston Martin’s new halo ‘super tourer’—not for nostalgia’s sake, but as a rebellious act of V12 muscle-car defiance in today’s wider auto landscape.
Available in both a coupe and convertible (the Vanquish Volante), with only 1,000 made per year, this super tourer is now the most powerful production car Aston Martin has ever made, in speed, craftsmanship, engineering and prowess.
“After dark, the LED Light Blade tail-lights fracture into seven individual blades: a devastatingly cool exercise in function-meets-form. Quiet luxury, this is not.”
The reworked 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12—re-engineered from the mighty DBS Superleggera—produces 614kW and 1,000Nm of torque, and is not subtle about its intentions. It is sharp, torque-y, rev-hungry and tail-happy, covering 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds and racing to a top speed of 345 km/h. It’s a lot of car.
One of the more clever engineering tricks at play is what Aston calls ‘Boost Reserve’. A new way to eliminate turbo lag, the V12 builds turbo pressure under partial throttle so that when you do stamp your right foot down, the response is an immediate and visceral detonation of power. Then, there is the sound: more supercar-esque than anything that has worn this badge previously, with more top-end howl than deep bass, and zero apologies, continuing the 25-year legacy of Aston Martin’s V12 flagships with pride.
The Aston Martin Vanquish boasts a commanding 5.2L twin-turbo V12 engine and sleek, sculptural body. Shot in Rose Bay, Sydney.
Carbon fibre from top to tail, with a forward-leaning, teardrop silhouette and a long bonnet that gives it a predatory stance, the Vanquish is Aston Martin’s executive vice president and chief creative officer, Marek Reichman, at his most dramatic. F1-inspired thermo-louvres crown the bonnet, a Kamm Tail elegantly brings up the rear, an enlarged grille (wider and more commanding than the DBS it succeeds) adds menace, and for the first time on any Aston Martin V12, flush electronically deploying door handles and a panoramic glass roof complete the sleek, sculptural body. After dark, the LED Light Blade tail-lights—borrowed from the Valkyrie, no less—fracture into seven individual blades: a devastatingly cool exercise in function-meets-form. Quiet luxury, this is not.
Where the British luxury marque once leaned on adapted (and admittedly, outdated) Mercedes-Benz interior tech, this is all now in-house—and we are grateful, because the result is stellar. The strict two-seat cockpit is handsome and focused, and our tester came dressed in woven metallic carbon that caught the light like fine jewellery, with sumptuous leather, knurled alloy details and weighty tactile dials that are deeply satisfying to use. The in-house developed dual 10.25-inch infotainment screens handle everything without the cabin feeling too tech-centric, and physical controls for the essentials remain—which at this price point is becoming less of a compromise and more of a luxury philosophy.
And for those who want to go further, Q by Aston Martin’s bespoke division of craftspeople stands ready to personalise everything from fine details to full-scale components.
As a hyper-luxurious halo car, the Vanquish is Aston Martin firing on all cylinders—literally and figuratively. A truly special flagship super tourer that sets a new benchmark for luxury and performance, and makes a compelling case for the future of the British luxury marque which, after 112 years, clearly has no intention of evolving quietly.
Go further with the Aston Martin Vanquish.
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