The Aston Martin Vanquish, from its original debut in 2001, up until the latest special offering in late 2020, the Callum Vanquish 25 (designed by the famous Ian Callum), has been a stalwart of British automotive excellence, class, and style.
Instant appeal, unparalleled status, and striking aesthetics are all mandatory when it comes to high-price supercars. What sets the Vanquish apart, however, is that it can tick those boxes while maintaining a gentle sense of humility. It's the supercar that appeals to everyone who is prosperous and successful, not just car enthusiasts.
This is certainly no easy feat, but that's exactly what the design for the Vanquish offers.
Introduced in 2001 as a successor to the famous Aston Martin Vantage, the Vanquish was the new flagship model for the Aston Martin brand and immediately caught the attention and awe of onlookers from the moment it was unveiled at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show.
Its original concept form at the motor show was initially named 'Project Vantage', but this was changed to 'V12 Vanquish' before the car was released to the public and production began. The name change gave the Vanquish its own identity, cementing its place as a different beast from the Vantage that it was brought in to replace.
The Aston Martin Vanquish Was Instantly Iconic
For the non-car-enthusiast member of the general public, the unveiling of the Vanquish may have flown slightly under the radar in 2001. That is, however, until the release of the James Bond film Die Another Day. Pierce Brosnan's James Bond drove a modified version of the Vanquish in the film, giving it an explosive, action-packed on-screen debut. This was more effective than any TV or radio advert ever could be at the time, where social media was still in its developmental infancy. This immortalized the V12 Vanquish in film-car history and confirmed its place on the wish-lists of millions of viewers of the film and car-enthusiasts alike.
The headline features of the V12 Vanquish, which gathered the most attention upon its unveiling and eventual release, were its V12 engine (the most powerful of any Aston Martin at the time), carbon fiber integration into the structure to improve performance and reduce excess weight, as well as various other previously-unseen technologies in an Aston Martin.
Masterful Aesthetics with Performance to Match
The V12 produced a solid 460 HP, along with 400 lb-ft of torque. This was more than enough for the average business person to feel like they were behind the wheel of a supercar, but also still enough power to not bore the supercar enthusiasts of the time by any means. The original Vanquish could storm to 60 MPH in under 5 seconds and had a top speed of 190 MPH.
In 2004, the V12 Vanquish model received a slight update, the V12 Vanquish S. This update offered slight performance improvements and ride modifications that tuned the handling more for track driving, a slight diversion from the all-round luxury appeal of the standard Vanquish.
Despite the V12 and obvious supercar appeal, the Vanquish was still technically a grand-tourer. Its range and fuel consumption were not especially exceptional, averaging about 265 miles on a full tank. This is understandable, however, given the engine size and performance characteristics of the car.
The Second Generation Vanquish and the Monstrous Vanquish S
Dropping the 'V12' monicker, the second generation Vanquish received a substantially different introduction to the model it replaced. Instead of the Geneva Motor Show, the new Vanquish was revealed to the general public for the first time at a classic and vintage car event in Italy, the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, held on the shores of the famous Lake Como.
The initial introduction of the second generation Vanquish was, like its predecessor, in the form of a differently-named concept. The first unveiling had a name tag that was perplexing to the general public, the Project AM310 Concept. This was quickly changed when it was announced by Aston Martin that the concept car would be brought into mainstream mass production as the new Aston Martin Vanquish. The new Vanquish offered performance and technological advancements over the previous model, with 565 HP, 457 lb-ft of torque, and a 0-60 MPH time of 4.1 seconds.
The second-generation Vanquish was given similar treatment to its first-generation counterpart, with the introduction of an S model and other special editions. The 2016 Vanquish S offered a brand-new aerodynamics package to streamline its exterior, as well as an improved 595 HP engine. This was later accompanied by a convertible version, the Vanquish S Violante, introduced in 2017.
In terms of sheer class and general appeal, it's near impossible to go past the Vanquish. With rumors of a new Vanquish model circulating around a possible 2024 release, the future is certainly exciting for this iconic range of cars. Finding a Vanquish for yourself is not at all impossible these days, although we'd advise against trying to recreate some of the scenes from James Bond's Die Another Day if you do manage to get your hands on one. Action scenes aside, the Vanquish truly is a fantastic car and a piece of history that will forever be remembered fondly.