Every gearhead will agree that the Vanquish is one of the most impressive nameplates from Aston Martins. Conceived and constructed when Aston Martin belonged to Ford Motor Company, the Vanquish was brought in to replace the Aston Martin Virage. The luxury grand tourer, debuting as the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, was first shown at the Geneva motor show in 2001. At the 2004 Paris Motor Show, a mildly revised version named the V12 Vanquish S was unveiled with a 60 hp bump in power output.
Although there are many things to love about the one-time flagship car, there are many facts that people still don't know about it. It impresses with a powerful engine, a carbon fiber, aluminum chassis, and popularity borne out of its appearance in a James Bond movie. Read on for ten forgotten facts about the iconic Aston Martin V12 Vanquish.
10 Designed by Ian Callum
Ian Callum started his career in 1979 at Ford Motor Company before leaving the corporate world in 1990 for TWR Design. Responsible for designing several cars, he is most famously known for the Aston Martin DB7, which he codesigned with Keith Helfet in 1993.
The Aston Martin V12 Vanquish was modeled after the 1998 "Project Vantage" concept car designed wholly by Callum and built by Ford Motor Company. With a design that inspired performance and exceptional handling, the V12 Vanquish was designed as a grand tourer with the heart of a supercar.
9 Aston Martin's Performance Benchmark
The V12 Vanquish debuted as Aston Martin's flagship car for the period, a role it played to perfection, thanks to innovative design and quality craftsmanship. Designed to set performance standards that other cars aspire to, it delivered impressive figures on the tarmac.
Powered by a massive 460 hp 5.9-liter V12 mill, it made 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and had a top speed of 190 mph. An upgrade in 2004 bumped the power output to 520 hp, maximum torque to 425 lb-ft, and the top speed to a hair raising 200 mph.
8 Made For The Movies
The minis from the Italian Job are undoubtedly one of the most incredible movie cars, followed by the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger and Thunderball. Thanks to the appearance of a specially modified version in Die Another Day in 2002, the V12 Vanquish can also be considered an iconic movie car.
Driven by Pierce Brosnan in the Bond movie, it is equipped with gadgets like missiles, machine guns, tire spikes, and an invisibility function. Apart from the movie, it also featured in video games like Need For Speed and James Bond 007.
7 Built By Hand
While other car manufacturers rely on a production line for assembling their vehicles, Aston Martin chose to do it by hand. Although this method is neither very efficient nor cost-effective, it added a personal touch to every V12 Vanquish ever made.
Factory workers did it all by hand, from the aluminum body panels to the stitching on the seats and other upholstery. Despite its wide reception and high demand, manufacturing remained time-consuming and limited, and in the end, no two vehicles were the same.
6 Rode On Aluminum Composite Chassis
Touted by the company as the most technically sophisticated Aston Martin, the V12 Vanquish, besides its beautiful looks, carried something outstanding underneath. Beams of extruded aluminum, interlocked and bonded together, were used to make the main frame and the chassis floor.
Bonded to this, and serving as a transmission tunnel, was a carbon fiber backbone that Aston Martin partnered with Lotus to develop. The result was an extremely stiff and powerful setup that was ready to handle whatever the powerful V12 sent its way.
5 Its Famous V12 Is Made From Two Ford V6s
Under the hand-formed bonnet of the V12 Vanquish lies a 5.9-liter V12 powerplant that successfully served Aston Martin for seventeen years. This competent engine is practically two 3-liter Ford Duratec V6 engines hitched together by a combined team of American and British engineers.
The V6 itself was developed by Ford and Cosworth from a detuned 2.5-liter Mazda KLZE engine(the KLDE), making a paltry 164 hp. Interesting how an engine with a humble beginning could evolve into the monster that powered the legendary DBR9 to two victories at LeMans.
4 Built Under Ford's Ownership
A surprising fact about the Vanquish is that it was built by Ford. The period from 1991 to 2007 saw the birth of legendary Aston Martin nameplates like the V8 Vantage, V12 Vanquish, DB7, and DB9. Back then, Aston Martin was owned by Ford Motor Company, and the best of American and British technology was freely crossbred.
The ownership resulted in the development of Aston Martin's first V12 engine from Ford V6s and some Ford-derived features in Aston Martin interiors. Collaborating with Dilip Chhabria of DC Design, Ford built the Project Vantage concept car as its future vision.
3 Exciting Special Editions
To mark the end of the V12 Vanquish's production run, Audi made fifty units with a new color and trim combination and dubbed them Vanquish S Ultimate Edition. A one-off, right-hand drive two-seater (the Vanquish Zagato Roadster) was shown as a prototype at the International Geneva Motor Show in 2004.
Also, at the Geneva Salon in 2004, a silver Vanquish Bertone Jet 2, a two-door shooting wagon, was displayed. In 2019, Ian Callum Design unveiled the Vanquish 25, a restoration of the first-generation V12 Vanquish with the engine tuned to produce 580 hp.''
2 Swan Doors
The V12 Vanquish sported doors that open outward like ordinary doors, but unlike regular doors, they go slightly upwards as well. Designed to prevent the doors from scraping the curb, these Swan doors are common on high-performance and concept cars.
With the Swan door, functionality meets aesthetics since a car with both doors open resembles a beautiful swan with open wings. Aston Martin also used this pretty cool design on most of its cars, including the DB series, Vanquish, Vantage, One-77, CC100, and the Virage.
1 The End Of An Era
July 19, 2007, the day that production of the V12 Vanquish ended, was a historic day for Aston Martin. Coincidentally, the Newport Pagnell facility, where Aston Martin had been building cars for 49 years, was also closed that day. Between 2001 and 2007, a total of 1492 V12 Vanquish and 1086 V12 Vanquish S rolled off the Newport Pagnell factory floor.
What a day it must have been for the British automaker - the end of an icon and the move to a new headquarters.