Aston Martin Vanquish takes on Ferrari with 824-hp V12 – Autoblog

NEW YORK – Guy Ritchie has a diverting TV series called “The Gentlemen.” This being Guy Ritchie, these “gentlemen” (including one particularly badass woman) are smartly dressed yet volatile British criminals, wielding hidden reserves of power. One is played by Giancarlo Esposito, whose (similar) role as Gus Fring in “Breaking Bad” became a classic of a sturdy fictional trope: The character whose placid, law-abiding surface hides a supremely dangerous man. Gus, appropriately, drove a Volvo V70 wagon.

I thought of “The Gentlemen” when Aston Martin pulled a Union Jack cover off the 2025 Vanquish at its Q showroom on Manhattan’s Park Avenue, during a media preview in July prior to today’s public reveal. Discussing Aston’s growing cast of colorful characters, Design Director Marek Reichman frankly described the front-engine Valour as an unapologetic brute, and the Valiant — which flashes a manual gear linkage like a chromed weapon — as its even-nastier big brother. After serial delays, Aston expects to deliver its first Valhallas to U.S. customers in the fourth quarter; it’s the 998-hp, mid-engine hybrid hypercar that James Bond might walk past and never realize it’s his Aston. 

The Vanquish has another role to play. It must hew to its third-generation family tradition, and keep up appearances as a gentleman’s GT; even as its V12 packs a more-violent punch than either the Valour or Valiant. The Vanquish must also announce itself as the clear flagship among series-production models, moving upmarket to distance itself from its DB12 cousin and other supporting players. That separation seems critical to justify a $429,000 starting price, versus a mere $248,000 for a DB12 coupe. (Aston charged about $418,000 for its parting-shot DBS 770 Ultimate in 2023).  

For what it’s worth, the new Vanquish  delivers reasonably appropriate levels of knee-wobble. This is a beautifully turned-out two-seater, from a properly-007 body to a newly lovely interior that sheds corporate parts-bin exigencies that marred previous Astons. Compared with the old DBS’ bulging, obsolete dash and haphazard controls, this Aston GT finally looks ready for the big leagues. And it’s definitively a “two-plus-zero,” Reichman says, not a two-plus-two. 

Underneath the suave styling and 111-year heritage, this Aston is one tough customer. A brand that politely eschewed public brawls is suddenly running its mouth, proclaiming that every new model will lead its class in horsepower and dynamic performance. The DBX 707 SUV backed up the claim, at least until the pricier Ferrari Purosangue sneaked past it on both counts.

As with Ferrari and its forthcoming, front-engine 12Cilindri GT, the Aston’s V12 itself is an unmistakable middle finger to the prevailing trends of electrification and engine downsizing. Speaking of middle fingers, the Aston’s 824 horses compares with 819 for the Ferrari’s larger, naturally aspirated 6.5-liter. 

Here, barroom bragging rights include a jaw-busting 214-mph top speed, pipping the 770 Ultimate for a new high in a series-production Aston. Getting there demands an all-new, twin-turbo V12 with 738 pound-feet of torque, versus the Ferrari’s 500 turbo-free pound-feet. The 158 horsepower–per-liter is a brand high for specific V12 output.

A hood sizable enough to shelter a Four Seasons balcony pops to reveal the front mid-mounted engine, below a V-shaped shock tower brace. Lateral stiffness rises 75% over the previous DBS. A new cooling system inhales decisively more air through an enormous grille that’s not just there to satisfy a styling trend. It allows for 50% more capacity to dissipate engine heat that engineers say lets the Vanquish reliably deliver full power and torque, even in high ambient temperatures. 

James Owen, Aston’s manager of vehicle engineering, said the V12’s only similarity to its predecessor is the 5.2-liter displacement. Fresh components include the block, connecting rods, head, turbos, fuel injection system, exhaust and intake ports. Versus the previous V12, combustion pressure rises 15%, injector pressure by 10%, with turbos spinning 15% faster. A new exhaust system used the previous Vanquish S as an aural reference for high-character sound. Customers can choose a stainless steel unit, or a titanium version that trims 23 pounds and emits a raspier, higher-frequency note. 

Those 824 horses gallop through a new carbon-fiber propshaft and ZF eight-speed torque converter automatic rear transaxle. 

Aston cites 0-62 mph (100 kph) in 3.3 seconds, and then things get really interesting: 100 mph in 6.2 seconds, and 124 mph (200 kph) in a sizzling 9.0 seconds flat. Aston is proud of its new “Boost Reserve” tech, which can overdrive turbos and store chambered pressure behind the throttle plate, where drivers can summon boost with no lag and no waiting.  

That gusher of power goes entirely to the rear wheels. Old school.

As you’d suspect, and as Owen confirms, that demands a lot of clever tech to keep the Vanquish on the straight-and-narrow. The brand considered but rejected AWD, largely due to weight and balance concerns; the Vanquish parks 51% of its weight over its rear.

So the Vanquish finds Aston mating a V12 to a brainy electronic rear differential for the first time, with a version of the diff from the all-new Vantage. Bilstein DTX intelligent dampers with Skyhook sensor technology make their way from the Vantage, with Aston touting a 500% increase in force-distribution bandwidth.

Damper settings (and other performance parameters) offer three selectable GT, Sport and Sport Plus envelopes through a handsomely knurled console knob that also serves as a Start button. The idea is to keep the Vanquish prairie-flat in corners, with sports-car levels of agility, but without spoiling the ride. A new traction control system offers eight selectable stages for increasing levels of skill and daring, including a full “Off” setting. 

Standard carbon-ceramic brakes haul down this inevitably hefty GT. Pirelli P Zero summer tires meet Aston’s exclusive spec for this car, offered exclusively in a 21-inch size, in a 325/30/21R size at the rear. 

As for design, the Vanquish adopts a more-streamlined silhouette than the DB12, yet it’s also more imposing, detailed and daring. The wheelbase grows 3.1 inches longer, and overall length a skosh longer. The ground-sniffing grille seems a wide as a roadway lane, deeply recessed into the sculpted snout. It’s where traditional elegance and modern aggression meet. Deeply carved doors and a nipped waist are Vanquish signatures, as are elegantly rendered rear windows. Things get wilder out back, but not too crazy. The out-to-there haunches are as sexy as ever, highlighting the slim greenhouse, tumbling roofline and saucy integrated decklid spoiler. At the rear, a dramatic “infill plate” – also known as the “surfboard” in the design studio – hovers off the back, bookended by a curling stack of individual LED taillamps. Aston is using those LED lozenges in several models, efficiently built with a single manufacturing tool; all Aston has to do is rearrange or renumber them for different applications. The carbon-fiber plate, naturally available in other materials, neatly hides the trunk shutline. Its dramatic wings on either side reveal it as a solid sculpture of carbon fiber, not just a veneer. 

The Vanquish shown in New York flashed a spectacular paint called Magneto Bronze, an on-trend mix of plum and bronze, inflected with precisely sprayed mica particles. That was paired with a mocha-flavored “Centenary Tan” interior, including patterned leather seats.

A markedly slimmer, fast-tumbling dashboard makes for airier views, boosted by a tinted glass roof. A tidy driver’s binnacle holds a pair of round digital instruments, with a discreet center screen curling from the console. Physical console switches for driving modes, heated seats and other functions are a welcome touch, with the center screen offering redundant oversight. The console and upper dash are bookended in carbon fiber, a choice that’s again entirely up to owners. Bowers and Wilkins provides the soundtrack to what’s surely a fantasy experience. And there’s no trace of Benz’ COMAND leftovers.

Sprinkle on some options, and buyers are likely looking at a roughly $500,000 Aston. That $429,000 base price, prior to destination charges, is nearly a $100,000 jump over an Aston DBS circa 2023, and about $130,000 beyond a Bentley Continental GT Speed coupe. 

If Aston seems determined to take Ferrari’s front-engine 12Cilindri head on in power and performance, the price is on-par with Ferrari’s as well. Exclusivity is clearly part of that competitive bid, with executives saying Aston plans to build only about 1,000 Vanquishes each year for global consumption. If the performance is as stratospheric as the price, this Vantage could muscle its way to being Britain’s new kingpin.