9781422285169

Aston Martin Vanquish

The Vanquish was based on two concept cars: the Zagato Roadster and the Bertone Jet 2. all 40 cars would have an exterior colour of ‘Ultimate Black’ along with other individual touches. Unlike previous models the Ultimate Edition was offered with a manual gearbox following much criticism in the motoring press in particular by Jeremy Clarkson. In the Vanquish’s early development Cosworth Technologies had initially been involved in the manufacture of its engine but they had no direct involvement in its design. Ford Research in the USA in fact eventually designed the V12 engine. One of the most technically complex cars that has been built to date the Vanquish continues to be seen on roads across the world with its value somewhere between £40- £50,000 in the used car market for some of the earlier editions.

The Vanquish was Aston Martin’s pride and joy when launched in 2001 and right up to when production ceased. Designed by Ian Callum it became very widely known following its choice as the Bond car in Die Another Day driven by Pierce Brosnan as Bond and has more recently appeared in the Twilight film franchise. It became the must have prestige sports model with its aspirational good looks and brand association. Following its launch in 2001 the S model was introduced with changes including an increase in power

from 460 to 520bhp. Other notable changes included the addition of the Vanquish S badge appearing on the boot lid as well as a variation in the nose shape, wheels and brake lights. Sportier features from a 2004 option package were also added. The model ceased production in 2007, which sadly also saw the closure of the Aston Martin factory in Newport Pagnell and was replaced by the DBS. With the decision to end the production of the Vanquish came the celebratory Vanquish S Ultimate Edition. The key feature of this model was that

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