20 Years of Aston Martin V12 Vanquish

When this sports car project took shape, Aston Martin was up to its neck as a manufacturer. It was true that the company belonged to the large U.S. Ford Group. However, the sales figures for the DB7 didn’t meet the expectations of the group’s management, and the outdated Vantage was no longer a winner. Accordingly, the development of a new second model was important, which should bring as good sales figures as possible. Together with Ford, the decision was made in favor of a new top-of-the-line model instead of an entry-level sports car. The latter was only released a few years later, but that’s another story. The name “Project Vantage” made it clear that this was the long overdue successor to the Vantage.

Project Vantage

At the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit in January 1998, Aston Martin proudly presented the appropriately named concept car. With this vehicle, chief designer Ian Callum created the beginning of what is still part of the family design of modern Aston Martin vehicles. He integrated the familiar, characteristically shaped radiator grille at the front and the side air outlets with chrome struts, first seen on the DB4 GT. To this he added elements such as the clear-glass headlights and the strongly accentuated fenders with powerful lines and a pleasing roofline. His concept car was also intended to be a pure two-seater, as Callum knew the relevant clientele well. Leather, aluminium and carbon fiber dominated the cockpit. Two months after its world premiere, the car was also shown at the Geneva Motor Show.

V12 Vanquish

Internally, Aston Martin subsequently developed the study into a production car under the project name “Bolton” and later as AMV03. Most of the details of Callum’s design were retained on the outside. Only the taillights were given a different design. The interior was modified considerably more. The “V12 Vanquish” sports car was fitted with an analog clock and the buttons for selecting the gear ratios, which are still familiar today, as well as a red start-stop button. There were also aluminium trim panels and finest leather ex works. The standard equipment also included a navigation system (back then without a big display), a parking aid and heated front seats. Customers had the choice of 2+0 or 2+2 seating configurations, the latter offering two small rear seats for children. There were several thousand paint colors to choose from for the body. If desired, customers could have an individual text engraved on the door sill trims.

Drivetrain

Under the long hood was a V12 engine, which had already been available in the DB7 Vantage since March 1999. Officially, Aston Martin always speaks of six liters of displacement, but in fact it has 5,935 cubic centimeters, or 5.9 liters. From this, the V12 Vanquish drew an output of 338 kW/460 hp. The maximum torque was 542 Nm. Power was transmitted to the rear wheels via an automated six-speed manual transmission with an electrohydraulically actuated clutch. Also new was the drive-by-wire system for the accelerator pedal and the aluminium chassis with composite body panels attached to it. Despite a curb weight of 1,835 kilograms, the V12 Vanquish reached 62 mph in five seconds and a topspeed of 190 mph. Behind the 19-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels were 355-millimeter brake discs at the front and 330-millimeter discs at the rear. After the world premiere at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show, the first cars quickly rolled out to waiting customers.

V12 Vanquish S

Aston Martin brought the V12 Vanquish S to the 2004 Paris Motor Show. This further developed variant subsequently replaced the previous model and can be seen as a facelift. From the outside, it is recognizable by a slightly enlarged radiator grille, a front spoiler lip and another spoiler lip on the trunk lid. In this way, the engineers optimized the cooling air supply to the engine on the one hand and lowered lift at high speed on the other. The V12 engine now produced 388 kW/528 hp and 577 Nm of torque. This reduced the acceleration time to 62 mph to 4.8 seconds. The topspeed, meanwhile, rose to 199 mph. The front brake discs grew to 378 millimeters in diameter. At the end of the production period, there was the Ultimate Edition, limited to 50 units. These were individually numbered on the door sills.

Newport Pagnell

Production of the V12 Vanquish took around eight working weeks per car – depending on the special equipment ordered. Most of the work was done by hand at the old plant in Newport Pagnell. In March 2007, Ford sold Aston Martin for 475 million British pounds to Prodrive, a motorsport company headed by David Richards. During the last few Ford years, a completely new plant and headquarters had already been built in Gaydon in the country of Warwickshire, which was put into operation in 2005 with the introduction of the new entry-level sports car, the V8 Vantage. The V12 Vanquish S and the DB7 Vantage continued to roll off the production line in Newport Pagnell until the end. On July 19, 2007, it was a black Ultimate Edition V12 Vanquish S that ended car production at the site, which had been running there since 1954. Large parts of the plant were demolished to make way for a new development. Aston Martin Works, the heritage division, now sits in other parts of the former production halls.

Aston Martin Works

The Aston Martin V12 Vanquish gained particular notoriety through an appearance as a movie vehicle. James Bond 007, probably the world’s most famous secret agent, drove a grey V12 Vanquish in the 20th installment of the film series called “Die Another Day”. Thanks to the Q department, this car could become invisible or extend spikes in the tires at the touch of a button. That’s why it got the movie name “Vanish”. To what extent this film contributed to the sales success of the V12 Vanquish isn’t known. Originally, around 300 cars were to be produced per year, which soon had to be increased to 500 units. In the end, there were 2,589 vehicles. Through Aston Martin Works, current owners can order a conversion kit that turns the automated transmission into a manual. Around 130 examples have already been fitted with this conversion.

Images: Aston Martin, Aston Martin Works