Shortly after showing its Project AM310 concept at last month’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Aston Martin released details and photos of the expected production version – AM310 Vanquish. The new Aston Martin’s Vanquish goes on sale in Europe late this year and in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2013 as a 2014 model for a cool $279,995 to start.
2014 Aston Martin AM310 Vanquish borrows heavily from the spectacular One-77 coupe and revives the name of that car’s predecessor, the 2002-07 V12 Vanquish. The new car looks more muscular and aggressive than the DBS, and is marginally longer, taller and wider, but has more interior and luggage space. The overall shape, proportions, and basic dimensions are the same, but the new car wears “bulgier” fenders and more heavily sculpted bodysides than the DBS, plus elongated side strakes and LED rear light blades a la One-77.
Maybe, the biggest change is that carbon fiber makes up 99 percent of the AM310 Vanquish’s body panels and it’s used to construct the chassis, with the exception of part of the front structure. The new AM310 Vanquish reportedly weighs about 3700 pounds, about 50 pounds lighter than the One-77. The outgoing DBS weighs 3836 pounds.
The 2014 Vanquish comes standard as a two-place coupe, with optional 2+2 seating. Beside new “+2” rear seat, other changes about car interior are: One-77-style center console with two rotary knobs for the standard automatic-climate-control system and four smartphone-like glass touchscreens, all to replace the DBS’ welter of slim mechanical switches. Other interior amenities include full-grain leather upholstery, an imitation-suede headliner, heated power front seats, a Garmin navigation system with a 6.5-inch pop-up LCD screen, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, and a 1,000-watt, 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system.
Aston Martin’s new Vanquish features an upgraded and more potent version of the company’s 6.0-liter V12 engine mated to a Touchtronic six-speed automatic gearbox. The V12 now makes 563 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque, enabling 0-60 acceleration in less than 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 183 mph. Twenty-inch wheels remain standard but wear marginally wider tires: Pirelli P Zero tires, 255/35ZR20 front and 305/30ZR20 rear. Brakes are large 4-wheel carbon-ceramic discs. Also, the 2014 Vanquish will be among the first Aston Martins to offer electronic launch control.
Aston Martin marks its 100th anniversary next year, making the new Vanquish a kind of early birthday present.
