2004 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish

Coupe
Chassis number: SCFAC23324B501500

The Aston Martin Vanquish made its debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March of 2001, with deliveries commencing a few months later. The Newport Pagnell factory underwent an extensive multi-million pound refurbishment to accommodate the outgoing Vantage V8 and in preparation for the new Vanquish. Improvements included a new assembly line, paint shop, rolling road and water test facility.

The Vanquish was styled by Ian Callum, the individual who had also styled the DB7. Callum was assisted by Aston Martin's parent company Ford using advanced constructional techniques. The monocoque tub was made of heat-cured bonded aluminum, braced by a central tunnel of carbon fiber to create a lightweight structure of exceptional rigidity. This allowed the chassis engineers to develop a suspension setup that offered superior ride quality and excellent handling. The carbon fiber backbone was stronger and lighter than aluminum and it offered better insulation from transmission and exhaust heat in the cabin.

The suspension was an all-independent setup comprised of double aluminum wishbones, coil springs, mono-tube damper and anti-roll bar front and rear. Braking was handled by four-wheel ventilated steel discs with four-piston calipers. ABS and traction control aided in poor road conditions.

Power was supplied by a 6-liter, 48-valve, V12 engine offering 460 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. For buyers seeking more, Aston Martin offered the 'Stage 2' Vanquish which reduced weight by an additional 18 kgs.

The Vanquish was given an electronic engine management system with 'drive by wire' throttle control that was linked to the six-speed manual gearbox's electro-hydraulic change mechanism, a 'first' for a production car. F1-style paddles were used to operate the gear-change and could be operated in either of two modes - fully manual and computer-controlled automatic - with a 'sport' setting available on both.

The list of standard amenities including an Alpine stereo system, 6 CD changer, air conditioning, electrically adjustable seats, alarm/immobiliser, tire pressure sensing, automatic rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlamp operation, automatic rear-view mirror dipping, and trip computer.

Bodystyles included a two-seater and a 2+2. The two-seater had a shelf where the rear seat space would have been, which could be used to carry golf bags or other luggage. The interior featured an aluminum centre console extending from fascia to transmission tunnel, Connolly leather upholstery, Wilton carpeting and quilted Alcantara headlining emphasized the Aston Martin heritage.

Production continued until 2007, by which time the model had been upgraded as the Vanquish S. In 2004, the original version was superseded by the Vanquish S following the latter's debut at that year's Paris Auto Show. Upgrades were mostly to the engine, which now offered 514 horsepower. The previously optional Sports Dynamic Pack of enhanced steering, suspension and brakes came as standard with the Vanquish S.

This particular Aston Martin Vanquish is powered by a dual overhead cam 12-cylinder engine offering 450 horsepower and mated to a 6-speed manual sequential transmission. It has 68,000 original miles on its odometer.

by Dan Vaughan

Playing a huge role in returning Aston Martin, a classic British carmaker, to both financial success and technological sophistication, the Vanquish surely delivered. Like any proper Aston Martin, the Vanquish not only had drop-dead gorgeous styling, but also a certain spice with muscular fenders and a wide, squat stance. It is considered to be the most masculine of Aston's classic design. Loosely based on the Virage/V8 platform, the V12 Vanquish instead featured thoroughly modern technology.

Founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, Aston Martin was originally called Bamford & Martin when the two had joined forces the previous year to sell cars made by Singer from premises in Callow Street, London. At this location they also serviced GWK and Calthorpe vehicles. Martin raced specials at Aston Hill near Aston Clinton and the two men chose to make their own cars.

The first car dubbed Aston Martin was created by Martin by fitting a four-cylinder Coventry-Simplex engine to the chassis of a 1908 Isotta-Fraschini. Martin and Bamford acquired premises at Henniker Place in Kensington and produced their first car in March 1915. Unfortunately production couldn't begin due to the outbreak of World War I. Martin had joined the Admiralty, and Bamford joined the Royal Army Service Corps. All machinery was sold to the Sopwith Aviation Company.

A grand tourer, the Aston Martin Vanquish was designed by Ian Callum and was manufactured by Aston Martin. Introduced in 2001 the Vanquish was Aston Martin's flagship vehicle. Appearing as the official James Bond car in the movie ‘Die Another Day' the Vanquish rose to worldwide recognition. In 2007 the Vanquish was taken out of production. The Aston Martin DBS V12 temporarily replaced it at the top of Aston's lineup, pending the 2010 replacement.

In the wake of a GT concept car, the Project Vantage concept car let to development of the Vanquish. The Vantage concept was introduced with a V-12 engine at the North American International Auto Show in January of 1998. In 2000 the production model was debuted and the series production began in 2001. It wasn't until 2005 that the car received any major updates when the Vanquish S model debuted at the 2004 Paris Auto Show. The S model came with more power, new wheels and slight styling revisions.

The Vanquish Ultimate Edition was introduced to celebrate the end of the Vanquish production run. Aston Martin announced that the final 40 cars built would have a new ‘Ultimate Black' exterior color, personalized sill plaques and upgraded interior. The Ultimate Edition was the first Vanquish available with a conventional stick-shift manual transmission. In July of 2007 production of the Aston Martin Vanquish was ended and coincided with the company's Newport Pagnell factory after 49 years of operation. The final car was the Vanquish S Ultimate Edition in black.

A high-performance coupe, the Aston Martin V12 was produced from 2002 until 2006. The original model was joined by the more powerful S Variant in 2005, and only the S model was available for the final year of production. The V12 Vanquish main body structure included aluminum sections bonded and riveted around a central carbon-fiber transmission tunnel. To keep the weight down Aston utilized carbon fiber A-pillars, all-aluminum suspension and aluminum body panels. Despite all of this, the Vanquish still weighed in at little more than 2 tons.

Designed at Ford Research in the U.S. was the V12 engine in the Vanquish. The Vanquish's V12 engine shares some of the components and design elements with the 3.0 L Duratec 30 V6. The engine even shares the same bore and stroke dimensions and for this reason many people incorrectly dismiss the V12 as just ‘two Duratecs linked together'. It is correct though that the AM V12 shares components with the ‘Duratec' engine design. The standard Vanquish's 6.0-liter V12 produced 460 hp and 400 lb/ft of torque.

The powertrain of the Vanquish was also quite innovative, with a high-performance 6.0-liter V12 engine that first made 460 hp, and later 520. To get that power to the rear wheels there was an automated-clutch, six-speed sequential-shift manual gearbox that utilized F1-style paddle shifters. The V12 Vanquish also came with 19-inch wheels with performance tires, power seats and a 10-speaker in-dash CD changer audio system. Also standard a navigation system, multi-level heated seats and Bluetooth connectivity on the 2006 V12 Vanquish S, as well as the Sports Dynamic suspension, steering and braking package.

The inside of the V12 was finished quite lushly in the best leather hides and offered a nice variety of color options. The center control stack was revised in 2006 to match the current, newer batch of Aston Martin's. Earlier on the Vanquish had borrowed much of its switchgear from the Ford family parts supply. There was quite a substantial amount of room inside the Vanquish when compared to other exotic sports cars and the Vanquish was available with a choice of 2+2 or strictly two-seat interiors.

Only 300 hand-built V12 Vanquish models were produced each year and each model is fully customizable to the customer's requirements.

by Jessican Donaldson