Aston Vanquish spied
High-performance V12 version of luxury GT is under development
Hardcore GT is on its way
Aston Martin is developing the most hardcore incarnation of its Vanquish yet. The rear-driven model will be launched in 2018, after the upcoming new V8 Vantage, with a higher performance focus than its grand tourer forebears. Much of this boost will come from a turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 engine, which will be ramped up to produce considerably more than the V12 DB11’S 600bhp. This is intended to shift the next Vanquish away from traditional luxury rivals such as the Bentley Continental GT (itself soon to be replaced) and towards sharper performance offerings such as the Ferrari 812 Superfast.
Aston Martin engineers started off using a DB11 mule to test the next Vanquish’s underpinnings. Since the beginning of October, though, their tests at the Nürburgring have included the fitment of new bodywork.
As shown by these pictures, the front lights are more curved and softer in their design than those of the DB11. But the front bumper features openings, hinting at the car’s added pace. At the rear of the mule, sleek tail-lights are hidden by covers.
A lip spoiler has also been fitted, suggesting that the final car’s bodywork will generate significantly more downforce than the DB11 can offer. The car also sits on 10-spoke wheels, which look larger than the 20in ones fitted to the DB11, ahead of big diameter vented discs with six-piston calipers.
The Vanquish will use its own version of the DB11’S structure, which will also underpin the next Vantage. Due to its harder focus, the Vanquish’s underpinnings will be the most aggressive of the trio, as illustrated by the spotted development car, which clearly sits lower and corners with less bodyroll than the DB11.
CEO Andy Palmer has emphasised the progress made with the new structure, telling Autocar that the cars Aston Martin is spawning will help the brand shed “perceptions of old technology, old platforms and the question of whether we can survive as an independent manufacturer”.