Aston Martin V12 Vanquish S Specs Feature Price Classified Limited Edition Engine Top Speed and Review

The Aston Martin V12 Vanquish played a huge role in returning this classic British carmaker to both financial success and technological sophistication. Of course, any good Aston Martin has to have drop-dead gorgeous styling, and the Vanquish does not disappoint. But on top of classic Aston design cues such as the unique grille shape and low hood line, it added a shot of bravado that included muscular fenders and a wide, squat stance. It is certainly the most masculine of Aston's classic designs.

Although loosely based on the Virage/V8 platform, the now out-of-production Aston Martin V12 Vanquish featured thoroughly modern technology. The main body structure included aluminum sections bonded and riveted around a central carbon-fiber transmission tunnel. Carbon fiber A-pillars, all-aluminum suspension and aluminum body panels served to keep weight down, although the Vanquish still weighed in at a little more than 2 tons.



The powertrain was equally cutting-edge, with a high-performance 6.0-liter V12 engine that first made 460 horsepower, and later 520. Tasked with getting that power to the rear wheels was an automated-clutch, six-speed sequential-shift manual gearbox utilizing F1-style paddle shifters.

The Vanquish showed that Aston Martin was no longer just a quaint British carmaker with its best days behind it. Best of all, it maintained Aston's historical penchant for creating achingly beautiful automobiles -- when it arrived as a 2002 model, the Vanquish rivaled Halle Berry for attention when it appeared in the James Bond film Die Another Day.

Unlike that cinematic stinker, arguably a low point in a storied franchise, the Vanquish established a new, highly successful direction for Aston Martin. Although it gracefully bowed out after the 2006 model year as the company's flagship, the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish is no doubt a classic in the making.

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