The First Gen Aston Martin V12 Vanquish Is A Rediscovered Diamond In The Rough | The Classic Super Car - Flamboyance GT


Following the success of the iconic DB7 which saved Aston Martin from bankruptcy,  the V12 Vanquish was launched. The car obviously gained fame starring with James Bond in Die Another Day, but mysteriously "vanquished" itself into secrecy. Why? The launch of the DB9 was met with the Vanquish being overshadowed. Suddenly, the public beheld a new car that looked more modern and had smoother lines, had a much better and elegant interior and a transmission without a short temper all for a much cheaper price!  Till to this day, the very fact that Aston Martin allows their "baby" V12 grand tourer to dominate its own flagship baffles everyone. The interesting thing is that this same thing happened with the DB11 and the second gen Vanquish.

Built at the Newport Pagnell assembly line, Aston Martin's halo car utilized the V12 in the DB7, created by gluing together two V6s from the Ford Mondeo using a little bit of Elmer's and gaffer tape. This same V12 went on to appear in many other Astons, from the DB9 to the Vantage, just in different tunes and for different purposes. For the Vanquish, the power was increased to 450 Hp and 520 Hp in the Vanquish S version, as compared to the DB7. The standard Vanquish did 190 Mph while the S variant "Vanquished" the 200 mile an hour barrier, touching 205 miles an hour flat out. Both the cars had the 6 speed Magneti Marelli electrohydraulic sequential manual transmission, actuated by paddle shifters. But Aston Martin Works offered to replace it with a stick shift, for some of the customers disliked and criticized the sequential system. But what we have to remember is that it was a very early system and the few road cars which had it at that time were some Ferraris, while Lamborghini came out with the E- Gear system later on that year.

Now, let's get back to business. The reason why this GT deserves appreciation which it was deprived of is simple. It is so full of character and defines the word, "exotic". The curvaceous body is stunningly designed and hand made. The V12 Vanquish has a lot more road prescence than a DB9 can ever dream to have. The Vanquish's interior can look even more exotic than the DB9's in the right spec and colour. Some people criticized the Vanquish for having Ford and maybe Volvo switchgear, but this ensures reliability and ease of fixing if it ever goes wrong at a cheap price. In the right trim, the Vanquish can absolutely "Vanquish" its competitors. Treat the transmission with respect and it will serve you well, and will last. Many owners felt it was unreliable, but it is only "unreliable" if you don't know how to behave with a very primitive electrohydraulic system. When the driver's door is opened, you can actually hear the Magneti Marelli unit pressurize itself. Now that's what I call, character.

The V12 Vanquish is an aggressive 200 mile an hour beast while still being able to comfortably blast through continents, maintaining exotic looks and character. Now that's what I call, a true GT.

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