Aston Martin's next-generation GT flagship will bring back the storied Vanquish name and use a thunderous new V12 engine with far more power than that of the outgoing DBS.

 Aston Martin's next-generation GT flagship will bring back the storied Vanquish name and use a thunderous new V12 engine with far more power than that of the outgoing DBS.

As it edges closer to an unveiling in the coming months, the new Vanquish has been confirmed to pack 824bhp and 738 lb-ft of torque, which are substantial increases of 109bhp and 74 lb-ft over the standard DBS. 

Those figures are significantly higher even than the run-out Ultimate edition of the DBS and will make the Vanquish one of the most powerful production Astons yet, outpunched by only the one-off Victor and the Valkyrie hypercar.

Those figures are significantly higher even than the run-out Ultimate edition of the DBS and will make the Vanquish one of the most powerful production Astons yet, outpunched by only the one-off Victor and the Valkyrie hypercar.

The increase in potency comes courtesy of an extensive redevelopment program for Aston's twin-turbocharged V12, the roaring soundtrack of which the company has previewed in a short video (below). 

The rear end features a larger diffuser to improve aerodynamic performance, and the twin-exit exhaust set-up has been replaced with four tailpipes, nodding to the extra cylinders.

The power increase will no doubt be matched by a comprehensive chassis overhaul, building on the set-up deployed on the fearsome DBS 770 Ultimate, with uprated dampers and a boost in rigidity at both ends helping to improve cornering performance and giving the supercar a broader scope of ability on track. 

Although it shares its basic bodywork and no doubt some of its platform with the DB12, the Vanquish will be “completely different” to both that GT and the new Vantage, Aston Martin chief creative officer Marek Reichman told Autocar previously.

Crucial to Aston Martin’s desire to cement its status as a maker of top-drawer sports cars as well as more luxury cars will be ensuring that each of its front-engined models has its own distinct character and capabilities. 

“Rather than having products with two levels of power output and performance – and that includes dynamics and braking and all the other aspects of what makes a proper performance car – we now have to bring these power levels that give our cars the edge,” said strategy and product boss Alex Long. 

Long also emphasized that V12 engines are “synonymous” with Aston Martin. “People still love the twelves,” he said. “As much as the electrification revolution continues, [a V12 engine has] a different use case, and it’s still very much a huge emotional connection for our customers.” 

Aston is expected to confirm the Vanquish this summer, possibly at the Monterey Car Week in August where, in previous years, it has revealed the Valhalla supercar, DBR22 speedster and Valkyrie Spider.