The `V12 Vanquish S` closes the Newport Pagnell chapter with a version that is finally more coherent than the first Vanquish. It is more powerful, better finished and helped by a shorter final drive, so it feels less heavy in its reactions while keeping the massive presence of a hand-built grand tourer. Against a Porsche 911, it does not chase surgical agility; it offers a blend of mechanical nobility and contained violence that sums up old-school Aston Martin very well.
The `5.9 V12` rises to `520 hp` through revised cylinder heads, recalibrated engine management, new injectors and new spark plugs. The electrohydraulic `ASM/SSM` gearbox remains the defining character point, working far better once understood than in creeping city traffic. Many cars also received an Aston Martin Works manual conversion, often a sensible change if its history is perfectly documented.
