Back in April, what looked to be a hotted-up Aston Martin DB11—with a gnarly V-12 growl and aggressive track demeanor—was spotted testing at the Nurburgring. We speculated that it could be a DB11 S prototype that would sit atop the Aston range, but as recent reports tell, it seems to actually have been a wolf in sheep's clothing in the form of an all-new Vanquish supercar.
According to Autocar, the marque has been testing the next iteration of the model under the skin of the existing DB11, and it could be Aston's answer to the Italian competition.
Reports claim that it will borrow the 5.2L twin-turbo V-12 from the DB11, but power output should be pumped up considerably from the current 600 horsepower version. The AMG-sourced unit could help catapult the Vanquish into new territory for the brand, competing with manufacturers like Ferrari at their own game of front engined V-12 super tourers. The Maranello brand's new 812 Superfast model could be a target for the British marque, so expect a significant bump in performance from the Vanquish.
Aston reportedly intends on utilizing this gap in power to help distinguish the Vanquish from the DB11. They will ride on the same basic platform, along with the upcoming V-8 Vantage, and the Vanquish's underpinnings will be the most hardcore of the three. The aforementioned Nurburgring spy shots showed the model's improved handling as it cornered flat and obviously more stable through the bends, along with a stronger ability to come on power out of the turns.
The Vanquish will continue Aston Martin's pursuit to compete more directly with other exotic manufacturers, along with a mid-engined supercar that will likely go up against the Ferrari 488 GTB and McLaren 720S in the next few years. This new surge accompanies the brand's push for electrification as each of its models will be available as a hybrid or EV by the mid-2020s.
This new Vanquish will slot below the Valkyrie hypercar in the Aston range. No release date has been mentioned by the manufacturer as the model is still mid-development, but expect it to be revealed sooner rather than later with CEO Andy Palmer pushing for advancement in the brand's newfound age of profitability.