Vanquish S--------------------------------------

New S variant given more power, bigger brakes, and a body kit

The fastest production model ever to be built by Aston Martin is making its world debut at the Paris Motor Show on 23 September 2004.

With a maximum speed in excess of 200mph (321km/h) and a 6.0 litre V12 engine developing 520 horsepower, the Vanquish S has been designed to deliver even greater performance, complemented by subtle suspension and steering changes and a number of interior and external style revisions.

"The Vanquish is our flagship model and the standard 460bhp will continue to be built," said Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez. "However, this derivative makes the car even more exceptional. The latest Vanquish S is not only the fastest Aston Martin ever, but it is the best handling too. It is the ultimate high-performance Aston Martin."

The Vanquish S has received subtle but effective changes to complement its elegant muscular body. The famous Aston Martin grille has a new rounded and more open appearance for better cooling, and an aerodynamic splitter improves high-speed stability.

At the rear, a redesigned boot lid featuring a new high mounted stop lamp reduces lift and improves balance and stability, helping to achieve an impressive Cd figure of 0.32.

These differences on the Vanquish S not only improve the appearance but also enhance performance, said AM. All the exterior body panels are constructed from aluminium with each individual panel hand tailored to the central structure to ensure a perfect panel fit.

Revised steering geometry provides a 20 per cent quicker response, allowing the driver to apply a reduced input for required steering response. This enables the driver to be more precise with inputs - especially on winding roads - and more accurate feedback from the chassis.

The Sports Dynamics suspension, steering and braking package is now standard on the Vanquish S. This includes stiffer springs and dampers and shorter steering arms.

The brakes have been upgraded to incorporate larger six piston calipers and larger grooved and ventilated front discs. The rear discs are 2mm wider for improved heat dissipation. The use of floating discs ensures the driver has consistent pedal feel under heavy braking whilst a new brake pedal assembly reduces travel and enhances pedal feel.

Further development of Aston Martin’s low emissions, all alloy, quad-overhead camshaft, 48 valve, 6.0-litre V12 engine has generated an increase in power from 460bhp to 520bhp (388kW) @ 7000rpm and torque is boosted to 425lb ft (577Nm) @ 5800rpm.

Engine enhancements include new cylinder heads with fully machined inlet ports and combustion chambers to improve airflow, revised engine mapping and new fuel injectors.

The overall interior design is a subtle blend of traditional, classic and modern materials with Bridge of Weir leather upholstery matched to contemporary metal interior fittings and finishes. A number of detailed improvements have been made to the interior of the Vanquish S to enhance the overall appeal.

The luxurious but purposeful two seat or optional 2+2 cabin now features supportive all leather trimmed sports seats with many additional and exquisite detail touches which amply demonstrate the truly special nature of this unique hand crafted sports car.

"The Vanquish S V12 is a combination of state-of-the-art aerospace technology and hand craftsmanship," said Dr Bez. "It is the flagship model of a confident and growing company that is proud to display its heritage but is also determined to make the most technologically modern and inspirational sports cars in the world."

Illustrating Aston Martin’s continuing commitment to customer care Vanquish S customers will be eligible for a complimentary Performance Driving Course. This comprehensive one-to-one driving experience can be taken at one of three proving grounds – Millbrook in the UK, Lommel in Belgium, or Romeo, Michigan, in North America.

With the capacity to continue to turn heads, the design of the Vanquish is already established as a modern classic. Since its launch in 2001, the Vanquish has proved to be a huge success for Aston Martin with over 1500 cars built.
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Any idea on price Tony?

Cheers Kevan
See you dow the road - with huge grins on both our faces

 

Price wasn't mentioned at all ..... so , if you need to ask

 

Just spoke to a really nice guy(Mark) at Lancaster Sevenoaks - £174k basic - nice spec £180k - first 3 already sold - maybe some availadility in about 9 months.

Cheers Kevan
See you down the road - with huge grins on both our faces

 

Gorgeous!

 

Agreed! It's interesting how instantly appealing Aston's designs are these days as opposed to Ferrari's latest offerings. This shows the power of a well thought out coherent design.

 

Controversial statement 911Fan - Harsh but reasonably fair.

Cheers Kevan
See you down the road - with huge grins on our faces

 

A 575 GTC handling should eat that for lunch ! And its as beautiful ..!

 

I am really puzzled by the current AM lineup. To recap, first came the Vanquish which was billed as the ultimate AM. Next they introduced the DB9 which has similar performance, about the same interior space, and costs significantly less than the Vanquish. Why do they need both of these cars? What can the Vanquish do that the DB9 can't? Why didn't they stretch the DB9 wheelbase some more to provide useful rear seats (eg 612).

Around the same time that the DB9 was introduced rumors started floating around that the Vanquish would receive a power boost. This seemed like a rational move even if it's a little unfair to the consumer since it is likely these improvements could be incorporated into the DB9 motor at little or no cost. However, AM's decision to offer these improvements as an add-on package, which will no doubt come at an additional charge, seems overly greedy and preserves the puzzling overlap between the DB9 and the standard Vanquish.

Any thoughts?

 

AM thinks Vanquish buyers arent bothered by such trivial things such as performance/price ...

 

Schwing!!!!!!! I heard AM has a Vanquish Volante (Spyder to us Tifosi) in the works.

The 575 better get a haircut soon or the Vanquish will Vanquish its sales LOL

 

Wow! It's the best GT next to the 575. Any more pictures of it? I like the new front lip.

 

Vanquish S Brochure PDF: http://www.astonmartin.com/content/astonmartin/documents/AM_VANQ_BRO_72dpi.pdf

0-60 4.8 sec and a top speed of 321km/hr. For comparison, the DB9, equipped with the slush box, recorded a 0-60 time of 5.0 sec and a top speed of 309 in the Auto Sport Nardo test. The S interior looks nearly identical to the old car, meaning plastic door handle surrounds and Jaguar switch gear. To put it another way, it looks totally inferior to the DB9 interior.

 

The DB9 is a nimbler car than the big bruiser Vanquish.
Re. the 575 it will eat the Aston alive, but Astons were never about being the fastest car on the block, their appeal was always in there low production numbers and hand built quality. Their performance was always adequately excessive
Cheers
Simon

 

I like the brochure but I think this is a better "tag line" for the cover


ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH S
Money Can't buy Happiness but it sure does help.

 

I love it, but I see it as the Ford that couldnt. Whats it have, two Taurus
v-6's molded together?

Aston Martins are nice cars, and I love the Vanquish, I just want to know that im not driving a Ford.

 

good point,i was wondering the same thing..the db9 is too close to a vanquish in looks and performance, but it is true, the superrich wont care, esp if their goal is 500 cars a year....btw, the db 9 car and driver tested had significant quality control issues....two of my friends with late model AMs also have had similar problems... is this a trend? i dont see too many of these or too many owners o this web site to see how well these car hold up

 

Your not, the Chassis was developed and engineered by Lotus. The engine is not 2 duratec v6's either. There are several differences.

 

Thanks, now I have a new respect for AM, beacuse I love Lotus'.

 

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Damn, minimum mods can totally change the look of a car.

 

Still underpowerd and could be faster, Should be low 4's and more power this is there flagship after all. The v12's seem to be incredibly inefficent pumping out only 520hp out of 6.0L. When other engines produce that out of 5.5L v8's.

I love AM but there performance has never been anything extreme I would op for the Maranello over the Vanquish. Just my 0.02 cents though.....

 

Supercharged V8's...

 

Seen a Vanquish in Dundee yesterday,Reg: V12 AMS apparently owned by a lottery winner round our way(£9 Mil and change)

 

While AM's designs are certainly beautiful, they are simpler, less complex, more two-dimensional and straightforward, much like Ferrari's older models. Not simplistic like a Merc, BMW et al, just simpler than the latest Ferraris. This simplicity translates into more photogenic cars.

However, when viewed in the flesh, alongside one another, the differences between the Ferraris et al (except Lambo) are pronounced, especially with the 360.

There is simply so much more in the Ferrari shapes, especially from the 360 forward.

Clearly, this is a product of deep, extremely well-thought out designing and engineering. The two are never apart in Modena.


Forza,

Cavallini