Here’s Why The Aston Martin Vanquish V12 Is So Dang Important

Continuing to build on the success of their new models, such as the Vantage and the DBX, Aston Martin will bring back the iconic Vanquish nameplate for a third production run, boasting an all-new design that aims to blend elegance with aggression. While the Vanquish return in and of itself is enough to draw attention, there’s one key element of the car that makes it such a vital entry into the supercar segment.

By 2024, almost every segment had been influenced by electrification, which is by no means a bad thing. Electrified powertrains have allowed brands to unlock more performance, but there’s nothing quite like a combustion-only engine’s feel and raw response. This is why the new Vanquish could have a massive impact on the market, with Aston Martin deciding to keep the V-12 under the supercar’s hood. Here’s why the new Vanquish is one of the important releases this year and what it signals for the industry as a whole.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Aston Martin and other authoritative sources.

Keeping The V-12 Under The Hood Of The Returning Vanquish

Throughout British automotive history, very few supercar nameplates have the same reputation as the Vanquish. Debuting back in 2001, the first V12 Vanquish was in production from 2001 to 2007, setting the iconic brand on the road leading to where it is now. At the start of the 2000s, Aston Martin had already introduced the world to their first production car fitted with a V-12 in the form of the ’99 DB7 Vantage, but what the Vanquish was able to deliver proved that Aston was at the very top of the performance car segment.

Producing up to 460 horsepower, the 2001 Vanquish’s output may not seem like much compared to today’s standards. But when it was released, it was a great deal of power for what was designed to be the ultimate supercar/grand tourer crossover. The first generation model ran until 2007, after which the Vanquish went on a short hiatus until its triumphant return in 2012.

The Vanquish was discontinued in 2018, which has been the last model year for the luxury supercar ever since. However, Aston Martin has brought back the Vanquish once more and has thankfully retained the most important part of the car’s DNA: the V-12 engine. Now that the standard for performance has reached an all-time high in 2024, Aston Martin had their work cut out for them to keep the Vanquish competing at the top of the segment, which is exactly what they’ve delivered.

Set to be released as a 2025 model year car, the all-new Aston Martin Vanquish is fitted with a twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12, capable of producing a thunderous 824 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, making it the most powerful non-hybrid Aston Martin ever built. The British automaker has also said that the supercar will go from 0 to 62 MPH in 3.2 seconds, with a top speed of 214 MPH.

2025 Aston Martin Vanquish Performance Specifications

Deciding Not To Go Down The Electrified Route

Electrification has made its mark on just about every segment in the industry, with supercars being no different. Some manufacturers have gone down the full EV route in order to prove the technology’s potential, whereas cars like the Lamborghini Revuelto and Ferrari SF90 have adopted hybrid technologies. However, Aston Martin has decided to shy away from electrification, instead relying on the old faithful combustion engine to keep the iconic nameplate up to the standard. This puts the new Vanquish in direct competition with the Ferrari 12Cillindri, which also runs on a V-12 alone.

Looking at the power output of the Ferrari 12Cillindri, you get a larger 6.5-liter V-12, which delivers 819 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. This puts the Ferrari behind the Aston Martin when it comes to outright power, but it can still reach a top speed of 211 MPH and reach 60 MPH in a faster 2.9 seconds. When the Vanquish eventually hits the road, the rivalry between these two should be nothing short of spectacular.

While it may fall short of the two mentioned hybrid supercars, many enthusiasts in the industry love nothing more than a raw combustion-only engine under the hood, especially when it can produce upwards of 800 horsepower. Aston Martin’s recent form has cemented their place as one of the best performance manufacturers in the modern automotive scene. Thus, it’s unlikely that, despite not being electrified in any way, the Vanquish will feel outdated compared to the prancing horses and raging bulls.

The Updated Outlook For Aston Martin’s Future

The 2025 Vanquish isn’t the only new Aston Martin performance car that has also turned its back on electrification; the redesigned Vantage sports car also doesn’t come with any batteries. Like many other manufacturers, Aston Martin has recently back-peddled on their EV plans, with executive chairman Lawrence Stroll saying the brand’s first electric car scheduled for 2025 has been pushed back to 2027, when talking to Autocar. The plan to go fully electric by 2030 has also been pushed back.

Aston Martin has been continuously gaining traction among customers, with Stroll crediting the recent entry into Formula One for assisting the British brand to reach new heights. If the upcoming combustion-only Vanquish becomes a success alongside the Vantage, the DB11, and the DBX, it could prompt Aston Martin to continue to develop ICE engines over electric powertrains, similar to Mercedes-Benz.

Demand Set To Be Strong For The New Aston Martin

As Aston Martin continues to develop under its new ownership, the popularity mentioned previously has instilled the belief that the returning Vanquish will be one of the most popular supercars on the road. There won’t be a huge amount of examples produced, but it will considerably outweigh the production numbers of some of the most competitive models in the segment.

1,000 Examples Set To Be Produced

Aston Martin has announced that 1,000 examples will be produced each year, almost double the production numbers for other supercars today. This is double the Lamborghini Revuelto’s limit of 499 examples, but it doesn’t manage to match the 12Cillindri’s numbers. Overall, Ferrari is set to produce around 2,000 examples of the 12Cillindri per year, with many expecting Ferrari to give what could be the last V-12 of its kind a proper send-off. Ferrari is still committed to producing V-12s for as long as they possibly can, however.

As for Aston Martin, after Lawrence Stroll announced that the brand will continue to sell internal combustion powered cars well into the 2030s, the massive V-12 under the hood of the new Vanquish is also a sign that naturally-aspirated, all-powerful engines are what the market still wants. Emission regulations continue to become stricter, however, particularly with the newly-elected Labour Party Government pledging to bring back the plan to phase out all new ICE-powered cars by 2030.

A Price Tag To Match The Vanquish Nameplate

While a production run of 1,000 examples per year is more than some of its competitors, the new Vanquish will still come with an ultra-exclusive price tag, which is to be somewhat expected for a brand like Aston Martin. Alongside being champions of speed, the British brand also has a strong reputation for luxury, which has been bolstered in recent years under its new ownership, as well as cutting-edge technology throughout the cabin.

The new Aston Martin Vanquish will start at around $430,000, making it the most expensive production car in the brand’s lineup by some margin. This puts the British supercar incredibly close to the Ferrari 12Cillindri, which comes in at a price of approximately $435,000.

How The Vanquish Can Influence The Supercar Segment Moving Forward

While deliveries of the new Vanquish won’t be made until Q4 of this year, the impact that it has already made has all the potential to further influence its key competitors to keep combustion engines at the heart of their cars. As soon as the Vanquish broke cover, the V-12 under the hood instantly became the main talking point in an industry full of electrification, which undoubtedly caught the attention of its competitors.

A similar situation occurred with the Ferrari 12Cillindri, with the concept of a naturally aspirated V-12 becoming rarer by the year. Now that two of the key entries into the supercar segment will enter the next few years without any electrical assistance, their success is sure to be closely watched by the rest of the high-performance scene, especially with so many brands going back on their EV plans as sales continue to decline.