The `Vanquish III` puts a big V12 coupe back at the top of the Aston Martin range. Its new `5.2-litre twin-turbo V12` clears `800 hp`, yet the car is still conceived as a front-engined super GT built to devour huge distances at indecent speed. Everything changes compared with the old Vanquish: chassis, electronics, cabin and outright pace, with a much clearer step up than a simple `DB12` evolution.
It aims for more exclusive territory than an Aston Martin DB12, with its own V12, an electronically controlled rear differential and a much more ambitious chassis. That makes it fascinating, but also more dependent on software calibration, tyre quality and cooling performance. On early cars, any chassis or transmission warning deserves to be taken seriously.