Going Out In Style

Aston’s DB11 might have stolen its thunder, but the gorgeous Vanquish S is still going out with a bang.

- Ben Barry

YOU’D BE FORGIVEN for being a little confused about the Vanquish S. Yes, Aston Martin did replace the DB9 with the completely new DB11 last year. And, yes, the DB11 is just the beginning of that new platform’s bloodline, with a hotter, Vanquish-style ‘super GT’ due to land in 2018. But the Vanquish S is not that car. Instead, it takes Aston’s Vanquish range topper — first launched in 2012, based on the DB9 — and dials it up to, well, 11.

The Vanquish was already a pretty radical interpretation of the DB9 and the VH architecture that underpinned it: there was new carbon-fibre bodywork, performance leapt up, the suspension was sharper… It was a much more thorough reworking than the familiar design let on. We rated it highly.

But while it was a very good GT, the 2012 Vanquish didn’t engage as well as it could when you really turned up the wick. New boss Andy Palmer and new chief engineer Matt Becker realise this; hence the S. Becker hasn’t reinvented the Vanquish: with around 800 annual sales forecast and that 2018 replacement looming, he was never going to get a blank cheque. But he’s made some small changes that add up to a tangible, worthwhile difference.

These can be summed up as: 1) give the performance a greater sense of drama and engagement, 2) move the yaw centre forward and reduce understeer for a more agile, pointier feel, and 3) do this without compromising the existing car’s comfort. At a whisker under £200k (Rs 1.7 crore), it’s a £7k (Rs 6 lakh) premium over the Vanquish it replaces.