At the Paris Salon, September 2004, the long awaited 'super' Vanquish was first shown to an expectant public. Some may have said that the image of the Vanquish may have suffered slightly in the shadow of the universally acclaimed DB9. So the Vanquish S as AM would like it known has certainly moved the Vanquish forward. The exterior changes are quite subtle; a splitter at the front to improve aerodynamic stability, a more rounded and open grille for better cooling and a redesigned boot lid to give better downforce. The drag co-efficient has thus been improved slightly from 0.33 to 0.32.

Not so subtle is that claim that AM are making for the Vanquish S - a top speed in excess of 200mph, which will make this the fastest road going Aston Martin ever. To achieve the magical 200, the V12 engine, still displacing 5.9 litres (AM love to call it 6 litres) has been enhanced with new cylinder heads with fully machined inlet ports and combustion chambers to improve airflow, revised engine mapping and new fuel injectors. The result of the reworking has moved the output to 520 bhp (from 460) with a very useful 425 lb ft of tourque (up from 400). AM are calling the Vanquish S, the ultimate Aston Martin. I myself have been hankering after a Vantage Le Mans and I can feel my eye starting to waver.
The suspension, brakes and steering are the same as has already been seen on the Sport Dynamic Package announced a little under a year ago. You may think that the wheels are the same as the 2001MY Vanquish - not so - if you count the spokes, you will see that the S wheel has 11, one less than the standard Vanquish.

AM claim the 0-60mph dash can be achieved in 4.8 seconds - which is 0.3 seconds slower than they initially claimed for the standard car. This is confirmed as the final drive ratio has been raised from 3.69:1 to 4.30:1, needed to achieve the headline 200mph top speed.

The Vanquish S interior has some differences from the original car. The central etched glass and backlit starter button is straight from the DB9. The centre console is now covered in leather instead of being painted.
As with the standard car, the S can be ordered as either a 2 seater with luggage space or a 2+2.

Delivery of the first Vanquish S appears to have occurred very shortly after the Paris salon announcement. This customer car that I photographed at Donnington Park was spotted in very early October. The price at launch for the S is only slightly more than the original car - up from £163,000 to £174,000.

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This is a great AM resource

 

Gorgeous!!

 

The front end is so beautifully done, it's an angel on wheels.

 

Bman just go buy you one already. You keep torturing me with these pics. AArgh.

 

hehehe

 

dude, i love that car. got the James bond 1:18 model (compete w/ hidden machine guns, secret rockets and ejector seat) right next to my 1999 GT vert and Shelby 427 Cobra roadster. what i wouldnt do for a winning lotto ticket...