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V12 Vanquish (2001–2005) The Aston Martin V12 Vanquish was styled by
Ian Callum and drew inspiration from the
DB4 GT Zagato, projecting a more aggressive presence than Callum's
DB7 Vantage. The production car closely resembled the
Project Vantage Concept which debuted with a
V12 engine at the
North American International Auto Show in January 1998. Underneath, the V12 Vanquish car featured a unique and bespoke bonded aluminium composite chassis with a carbon fibre backbone developed in partnership with
Lotus, It is controlled by a
drive-by-wire throttle and driven by a 6-speed
automated manual transmission. The Vanquish model debuted with drilled and ventilated disc brakes with four-piston calipers,
ABS, with
electronic brake distribution. The interior featured full instrumentation, advanced electronics, and a choice of leather upholstery with metallic details – the latter was an intentional move away from the wood trim seen in the DB7. As Aston Martin's flagship car for the era, the V12 Vanquish was designed to deliver new performance benchmarks for the company. It featured an acceleration time from of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of . The first-generation V12 Vanquish was generally well received by the motoring press. Road tests included praise for its powertrain, chassis, engineering, and design. The V12 Vanquish was described as "The ultimate Grand Tourer" by
Road & Track magazine.
Car and Driver described the V12 Vanquish as "worthy of the marque's heritage and a serious alternative to the top Ferrari." The V12 Vanquish series would become the last all-new model to be made in Aston Martin's Newport Pagnell facility. While the traditional craft techniques had evolved somewhat from those used to make the previous generation of cars, primarily in the panel shaping, there was still a great deal of work done by hand in assembly and finishing as each car was very time-consuming to manufacture. Its appearance in the 2002
James Bond film
Die Another Day earned the V12 Vanquish the number three spot on the list of Best Film Cars Ever, behind the
Minis from
The Italian Job, and the
DB5 from
Goldfinger and
Thunderball. In the movie, James Bond receives this car from Q for his mission to Iceland to see Gustav Graves' presentation of Icarus after being reinstated by M and would eventually use the car once more to chase Zao and rescue Jinx. The vehicle is equipped with a variety of gadgets which include machine guns and missiles on the grille, tire spikes for snow use, an ejector seat that enables the car to go back up, target seeking shotguns, as well as a cloaking device rendering the car invisible. The V12 Vanquish is the only Aston Martin car loaded with gadgets in the
Pierce Brosnan James Bond era as the franchise's deal with
BMW expired following
The World Is Not Enough. It is also the last gadget loaded modern day Aston Martin car to appear in the James Bond franchise until the
Aston Martin DB10 which appeared in
Spectre, though it was not loaded with many gadgets. The
first two Bond films that starred
Daniel Craig had an
Aston Martin DBS which was not loaded with gadgets, though the one that appeared in
Casino Royale had a compartment that carried Bond's
Walther P99 and a defibrillator. The V12 Vanquish also appears in video games namely
Project Gotham Racing,
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2,
James Bond 007: Nightfire, and
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing. In its appearance in
Nightfire, the car is equipped with missiles, a smokescreen device, and could also transform into a submarine equipped with torpedoes. The V12 Vanquish was recognized, along with the
DB4 GT Zagato, as one of the ten most beautiful cars of all time. The V12 Vanquish also appears in the 2003
The Italian Job remake where it is driven by the film's main antagonist Steve Frazelli, portrayed by actor
Edward Norton.
V12 Vanquish S (2004–2007) The
Aston Martin V12 Vanquish S debuted at the
2004 Paris Motor Show, with a number of subtle styling revisions. The engine displacement remained at , but power output increased from to . Torque also increased from to . Visual changes included new wheels, a slightly different nose shape, a new raised boot lid with a larger integrated spoiler incorporating the third high-level brake light (in the rear window on the original Vanquish), a Vanquish S badge on the boot lid (the original Vanquish had no rear model designation), and the addition of a small front splitter. One result of these changes was a reduction in the drag coefficient from to . The V12 Vanquish S front and rear track measured and , respectively. A change in gear ratio enabled the car to reach a top speed of , and accelerate from in 4.2 seconds. The V12 Vanquish S also incorporated the features of the optional Sports Dynamic Package (available for the Vanquish for the 2004 model year), which included stiffer suspension, revised steering, and larger brakes – front discs with six-piston calipers and rear discs with four-piston calipers. The V12 Vanquish S was sold for the 2005 model year alongside the original Vanquish, and 2006 onward as a stand-alone model. The 2007 model year V12 Vanquish was not sold in the United States.
Special editions and one-offs Vanquish S Ultimate Edition The end of the Vanquish's production run was celebrated with the
Vanquish S Ultimate Edition. Aston Martin announced that the last 50 cars built would have a new 'Ultimate Black' exterior colour, upgraded interior, and personalised sill plaques.
Vanquish Zagato Roadster The
Vanquish Zagato Roadster is a one-off model, based on the V12 Vanquish, and restyled by
Zagato as a two-seat, open-top roadster. It was initially shown at the 2004
International Geneva Motor Show as a prototype. It was then displayed by Zagato at the 2004
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where an American collector acquired the prototype. The car had to be flown back to Italy as it was only on temporary import papers before being properly imported to the US by a Massachusetts Aston Martin dealer as a "show and display" car. The car was offered at a
Bonhams auction in
Carmel in August 2015 at the Quail Lodge and Golf Club with an estimated price of US$700,000–850,000. The car had been driven 13,000 miles. The car's VIN is SCFAC13391B50PP19. File:2004 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Roadster Prototype.jpg|Front right view File:2004 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Roadster Prototype - 48637934647.jpg|Back right view File:2001 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Roadster.jpg|Front left view
Vanquish Bertone Jet 2 The
Vanquish Bertone Jet 2 is a 2-door
shooting brake shown by
Bertone also at the
2004 International Geneva Motor Show. The car gets its name from the 1960
Aston Martin DB4 GT Jet also built by Bertone. The car was originally shown in silver in 2004 and in gold in 2013 again at the
International Geneva Motor Show at the reveal of the
Aston Martin Rapide Bertone Jet 2+2. It was designed by Giuliano Biasio at Bertone. File:Bertone Jet 2 Seite.JPG File:Bertone18 (41916796842).jpg File:Bertone20 (40154331620).jpg File:Geneva MotorShow 2013 - Aston Martin Jet2 Bertone rear.jpg File:Geneva MotorShow 2013 - Aston Martin Jet2 Bertone trunk.jpg
Vanquish 25 by Ian Callum Design In September 2019, Ian Callum Design (the company started by Ian Callum, the designer of the first generation Vanquish) publicly revealed the
Vanquish 25. It is a restoration package for the first generation Vanquish to "make the Vanquish the Grand Tourer for the 2020s". Only 25 cars will be made by British company R-Reforged. The 5.9-litre V12 has been tuned to now make an advertised , a increase over the Vanquish S. The car can be had with the original six-speed, single-clutch Speedshift automated manual, a six-speed GM-sourced torque converter automatic, or a six-speed manual conversion already offered by Aston Martin Works.
Technical specifications End of production The production of the V12 Vanquish ended on 19 July 2007, coinciding with the closing of the company's
Newport Pagnell factory after 49 years of operation. Despite ongoing enthusiasm for the original V12 Vanquish and V12 Vanquish S, the hand made nature of their construction limited production to levels commensurate with earlier cars assembled at Newport Pagnell. == Second generation (2012–2018)==