The Vanquish has a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 pumping out 824 horsepower.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
At the star-studded unveiling of Aston Martin’s new Vanquish in Venice earlier this year, the company’s executive chairman Lawrence Stroll took a clear shot at Ferrari. “Why are we here in Venice?” Stroll asked rhetorically. “We want to beat the locals. There is this red team – I forgot their name,” Variety reported.
To that end, the all-new 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish – a beautiful two-seat sports car that effectively replaces the DBS 770 as the brand’s front-engine flagship – would appear to be an obvious rival to the red team’s new 12Cilindri, at least on paper. The Italian car costs $554,439, while the British one starts at $514,800. The former has a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 making 819 horsepower, while the latter has a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 pumping out 824 horsepower. Both cars also buck the trend toward eco-efficiency, offering the world’s 0.1 per centres a rare taste of fiery 12-cylinder gas-burning power.
Stroll, the Canadian billionaire behind Aston’s latest turnaround attempt, is eager to compete with Ferrari and it’s not hard to see why. If he can bring his company’s valuation up from its current US$1.16-billion to something even marginally closer to Ferrari’s US$85.9-billion market capitalization, Stroll could potentially net quite a nice profit for himself and other investors.
With the arrival of the new Vanquish, every car in Aston Martin’s core lineup – from the Vantage sports car, to the DB12 grand tourer to the DBX707 SUV – has now been overhauled or replaced under Stroll. The 2025 Vanquish, however, is arguably the most ambitious car of that bunch, apart from the $4-million Formula 1-inspired Valkyrie.
The rear haunch sticks out a long way from the door.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
“We got to revisit and redesign the whole platform,” James Owen, Aston’s senior manager of vehicle engineering operations, said of the Vanquish. “[The platform] is bespoke specifically for Vanquish,” he added. Where the previous flagship, the DBS, was more like a hot-rodded version of its lesser DB11 sibling, the new Vanquish is markedly different from the DB12. For one thing, the DB12 only has eight cylinders while the Vanquish has 12. Its chassis is also elongated (stretched between the A-pillar and front wheel) giving the car much more exotic proportions. More Ferrari-like proportions? Absolutely.
Seen at the golden hour under a setting Sardinian sun, the Vanquish is undeniably beautiful. Where the Ferrari is like a hunter-killer robot from a sci-fi future, the Aston is a sculpture carved in metal, an automotive Adonis.
Inside you’ll find a cabin covered in buttery stitched leather from the roof on down. It’s more luxurious than the 12Cilindri, yet more old-school in its button-heavy layout and not as high-tech.
Dropping into the driver’s seat feels easier than on previous V12 Astons, likely thanks to the longer platform. Out the front window, the long hood disappears out of view as it curves down toward the road.
The Vanquish interior is more luxurious than the Ferrari 12Cilindri, yet more old-school in its button-heavy layout.Courtesy of manufacturer
On highways and twisting two-lanes, the Vanquish feels very much like the big, ballistically fast grand-tourer it is. The cabin is set so far back that when you turn the steering wheel it’s like you’re watching from afar as the front wheels dive into a corner. A new electronic limited-slip differential makes it all too easy to put power down to the rear wheels and build shocking speed between corners. The steering itself is precise and provides decent feedback, although it’s a far cry from the freakishly nimble 12Cilindri; that car has the benefit of rear-wheel steering, whereas the Vanquish doesn’t. On the other hand, the Vanquish is the calmer of the two and probably better suited to long journeys. (Not that it matters, but a sprint to 100 kilometres an hour takes 3.3 seconds.) Be warned, though, the Aston is prone to scraping its long and expensive carbon fibre front splitter on the road when faced with a speed bump or sudden incline.
The other big difference between the two cars is the engine. Aston’s 5.2-litre V12 uses turbochargers, unlike the Ferrari’s 6.5-litre mill. Turbochargers typically add heaps of power and torque, but mute an engine’s sound and limit how high it can rev. In the Aston’s case, the engine sounds as throaty and thunderous as you’d hope. The engineers tried to make the engine feel more linear in its power delivery by limiting torque at lower revs in certain driving modes, too. (In other modes, however, the full 738 lb-ft of torque is available from 2,500 to 5,000 rpms.) Still, there’s no mistaking this V12 for anything other than a turbocharged sledgehammer. It hits harder at lower revs than the Ferrari, but the Italian engine revs higher and feels altogether more exotic. Pick your favourite flavour of gas-guzzling hedonism.
More remarkable, though, this overhauled V12 engine – together with the elongated and stiffened chassis developed for the Vanquish – represents a huge investment by Aston Martin in its products.
The Vanquish's 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 engine.Courtesy of manufacturer
“In this day and age, delivering and developing a brand new V12 engine is slightly against the grain and quite challenging,” Owen said. Every major component on the engine is new or redesigned. Not only does it make more power than the DBS, it meets tougher emissions standards too. It’s all the more impressive when you consider Aston has said it will limit Vanquish production to just 1,000 cars per year.
But this fight Stroll is trying to stoke between Aston and Ferrari is a bit of fantasy.
Aston is by far the underdog. Ferrari has more money and manpower, as well as a larger technological foundation to build upon. Its stock has been trending up over the last five years whereas Aston’s has been down or flat. The 12Cilindri is a technical tour-de-force; but if all your friends already have one on order, then the Vanquish is a devilishly charming alternative.
It’s going to take more than one new model generation under Stroll’s leadership for the British cars to truly compete with Ferrari. Plenty of Aston fans hope Stroll and other investors stick with the company long enough to make that happen. In its 111-year history, it has never turned a reliable profit. Maybe this time will be different.
The chassis is elongated giving the car more exotic proportions, similar to the Ferrari.Courtesy of manufacturer
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
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