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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, was intended to add significant distance between the two
distinct models. The
exterior changes were really 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 quoted drag co-efficient was thus
improved slightly from 0.33 to 0.32.
Not so subtle was the claim that AM made for the Vanquish S - a top speed in
excess of 200mph, which would 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) was enhanced with new
cylinder heads featuring 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 (up from 460) with a very useful 425
lb ft of torque (up from 400). AM called 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 wander.
The suspension, brakes and steering were exactly the same as has
already previewed on the Sport Dynamic Package announced a little under a year
previously.
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 car.
AM claimed the 0-60mph dash could be achieved in 4.8 seconds - which is 0.3
seconds slower than they initially claimed for the standard car. This is
to be expected by the change in the final drive ratio, raised from 3.69:1 to 4.30:1, needed
to achieve the headline 200mph top speed.
To the right is perhaps the first Aston to
receive the 'love it or loathe it'' Morning Frost paint finish, a car
specified and driven by Dr Bez and photographed in 2006 at the Newport
Pagnell factory parked beneath the famous 'three storey' building formally used
to build the V8 engine.
As with the
standard car, the S can be ordered as either a 2 seater (2+0) with luggage space
or a 2+2.
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Delivery of the
first Vanquish S appeared to have occurred very shortly after the Paris salon
announcement as I saw my first 'S' in early October 2004. The price at launch for the S was only
slightly more than the original car - up from £163,000 to £174,000. |
