Aston Martin unleashes 295km/h Vanquish

ICONIC British car-maker Aston Martin has revealed the next generation of its flagship Vanquish sports car ahead of a scheduled Australian debut in late 2012, when it will arrive with a $473,340 price tag.

The Vanquish has a top speed of 295 km/h and can race from 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds, a tenth quicker than the old model that sold in Australia between 2003 and 2007 and was around $110,000 more expensive.

Aston Martin marketing and communications manager for Asia Pacific, Marcel Fabris, told GoAuto the new Vanquish will become the company’s new hero car, “sitting at the pinnacle of our production car range”.

He confirmed that customers are now able to place orders with their local Aston Martin dealer, with first deliveries commencing in late 2012. The new Vanquish maintains Aston Martin’s signature style, albeit updated to reflect the future design direction of the company.

Sleeker than the model it replaces, the Vanquish takes its cues from the muscular One-77 supercar as well as the slightly more sedate DB9 and Rapide.

Although it maintains the familiar Aston Martin shape, the Vanquish adds new touches such as an integrated spoiler, or in Aston-speak, an “Aero Duct” on the boot lid, which the company says is designed to “counteract lift at the car’s rear end when traveling at speed.”

Built on the latest version of Aston Martin’s VH (vertical horizontal) architecture, the Vanquish makes use of materials such as bonded aluminum and carbon-fibre components, improving overall rigidity by 25% over the outgoing model while reducing weight.

Hand-built in Cologne, Germany, the naturally-aspirated 6.0-litre V12 engine – mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox – is carried over from the previous model but has been significantly tweaked to maximize performance, resulting in a leap in peak power from 380kW to 421kW.

These performance figures will make the Vanquish the most powerful production Aston Martin available, not including the strictly-limited – and now sold-out – One-77 supercar.

Aston Martin CEO, Ulrich Bez said that the new Vanquish tips its hat to the much-loved original.

“Bearing the same name as the iconic original Vanquish that did so much to cement Aston Martin’s reputation as a maker of great GT cars in the modern era, I believe the car unveiled today once again puts this great British brand at the top of its class,” he said.

Dr Bez said that the release of the Vanquish is a precursor to upcoming birthday celebrations for the brand.

“The Aston Martin range is stronger now than at any time in our 99-year history. The new Vanquish represents the perfect way to signal the beginning of our centenary celebrations next year,” he said.

Continuing its relationship with the One-77, elements of the supercar’s interior can be found in the Vanquish, with the two vehicles sharing the same instrument panel, centre stack and infotainment system, with Aston Martin claiming that the user interface is one of the most advanced in-car systems available.

Aston has improved the ergonomics of the new car and storage space has also increased in the Vanquish with 140% more space than in the DBS, including three litres for each door bin.

The Vanquish will be available in two-seater or 2+2 seating configurations and will have increased leg and shoulder room.