Copper Bullet: Aston Martin Debuts New Vanquish

By Marcus Slater - June 20, 2012

Aston Martin has taken the lessons learned from the DBS and the One-77 to build the body of the new Vanquish. Like the One-77, the car makes extensive use of carbon fiber. Hollow cast aluminum was substituted for the solid stuff as well, dropping about 130lb from the weight of the DBS. With 50/50 weight distribution it’s not all hanging over the front axle either. it’s also more rigid than the DBS, meaning it’ll be an even better handling car. Of course, grip is nothing without power.

5.9 liters of V12 fury are tucked beneath the bonnet of the Vanquish. It’s a modified version of the motor in the DBS which spits out 565hp and 457 lb-ft of torque at a leisurely 5,500rpm. We’d imagine a modern v12 would put out more power than that, but it’s still a 50hp improvement over the DBS. 0-60 is dispatched in 4.1 seconds and will hit the limit at 183mph. That’s fast, but honestly we expected more.

No doubt it’s performance is amazing, but we’ll wager the thing that’ll really turn heads is the look. Simply put it’s gorgeous. It retains the traditional Aston shape, but with much more aggression. I think it’s the carbon fiber running boards give it more of a sporting look. Honestly though the copper paint isn’t that flattering. Dip the whole thing in British racing green and it’ll be perfect.

It seems like Aston is focusing on perfecting the driving experience of their flagship instead of actively improving it. While this is a strategy that works for cars like the Cayman and FR-S, we generally expect a flagship to be the “ultimate.” At $280,000 it should be the ultimate, or at least approach it. We can understand keeping the design the same too; Porsche has been doing it for 50years. But in a world of 660hp Mustangs and AWD hybrid Ferraris, it’s getting harder and harder to stand out. Will the new Vanquish stand the test of time? We’ll see.