The 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Will Become A V12 Ferrari Fighter

Time to move on from being a grand tourer.

With the highly successful launch of both the V8- and V12-powered DB11 behind it, Aston Martin is moving on to bigger and more powerful things. Autocar reports that next year, following the launch of the redesigned Vantage, a new Vanquish will debut. Unlike the current Vanquish, however, its replacement will forgo its grand touring persona in favor of being a hardcore supercar. Think of it as a Ferrari 812 Superfast competitor. This is all part of Aston Martin’s big plans to take literally everything up a notch. Or several.

The 2018 Vanquish will be powered by the DB11’s twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12, but output will be increased from the current 600 hp. How powerful, exactly? The 812 Superfast has 789 hp thanks to its naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12, so Aston Martin is very likely aiming to match that output. A personality change is important for the Vanquish’s long-term survival, mainly because the new DB11 infringes heavily on its segment territory; going upmarket is the natural and most logical answer. However, the new Vanquish will still utilize much of the DB11’s architecture, although there’ll be heavy modifications.

A recent spy video taken at the Nurburgring was originally thought to be a DB11 S prototype, but further examination reveals it is, in fact, the new Vanquish wearing a DB11 production body. You can tell it’s different from the DB11 based on its improved cornering ability and less body roll. In many ways, Aston Martin is echoing Ferrari’s lineup strategy.

It’s also planning a mid-engined rival to the 488 GTB and the upcoming redesigned Vantage will battle the just revealed Ferrari Portofino. The DB11 will be the grand tourer of the bunch while the new Vanquish will handle the 812 Superfast. Come 2020, the DBX SUV should be good to go, and it’ll take on Ferrari’s own upcoming SUV. Only good things happening here.

New Aston Martin Vanquish Will Fight The Ferrari 812 Superfast Next Year

Aston Martin's boss says the new Vanquish will be "bloody good." It better be if it's competing against the 812 Superfast.

Just this week, Aston Martin made a final farewell to the current-generation Vanquish. The stunning S Ultimate Coupe and Volante, limited to just 175 examples, is likely to be the last model to be powered by a 595-horsepower naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V12. It is of course paving the way for the all-new flagship model, which company boss Andy Palmer has confirmed to Autocar will be revealed and go on sale next year to compete with the Ferrari 812 Superfast.

It marks a different direction for Aston Martin, which previously used the Vanquish to compete with luxury grand-tourers like the Bentley Continental GT rather than performance supercars like the Ferrari 812 Superfast. Development of the new Vanquish is nearing completion according to Palmer, who described the flagship as “bloody good” when discussing the car with Autocar. “The majority of product investment [for Vanquish] is finished,” he added. “What’s left is preparation of manufacturing the car rather than preparation of the car itself. We are making more prototypes to make sure we’ve got production ready to go.” Palmer also confirmed that a convertible Vanquish Volante will follow.

Powering the flagship grand tourer will be a turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 taken from the DB11, but the 600-hp unit will need to be considerably more powerful to compete with the 789-hp Ferrari 812 Superfast. While the new Vanquish will be underpinned by the same platform as the DB11, recent sightings at the Nurburgring showed the car wearing new bodywork featuring a lip spoiler, suggesting that the new Vanquish will produce more downforce than the DB11. The prototype also sits lower and corners with less body roll than the DB11. Before the new Vanquish is revealed next year, Aston Martin is planning to unveil the new Vantage later this month.

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Ferrari Dominates The 2018 Engine Of The Year Awards Yet Again

The 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 in the 488 was named Best of the Best.

There's a lot that goes in to a new car. And there are awards handed out for many of them. But few (if any) components are as essential as the engine. So if you want to know who makes the best of 'em, look no further than the International Engine of the Year awards, which have just named their best for 2018. Top of the list, it may come as little surprise, is the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 in the Ferrari 488, marking the third year running that the same engine has won the top prize.

Not only did the Prancing Horse marque's turbocharged engine win overall once again, but it also took home trophies in both the 3.0-4.0-liter and Performance Engine categories. As if that wasn't enough, the 488's powerplant was also named the Best of the Best engine made in the last 20 years – a special nomination that could only make the victory that much sweeter for Ferrari. And the 6.5-liter V12 from the 812 Superfast took the 4+liter and New Engine categories too, bringing Maranello's total count in the 20-year history of the awards up to 27 – more than any of its rivals, and proof positive that nobody makes engines better than the boys in red.

Elsewhere, Volkswagen's 999cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine won the sub-liter category. The 1.0-1.4-liter award went to PSA's 1.2-liter turbocharged inline-three found in a wide array of Peugeot, Citro?n, DS, and Opel/Vauxhall models. The 1.4-1.8 bracket went to the BMW i8's hybrid triple, and the 1.9-2.0 to the turbo four from the Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman. Audi's 2.5-liter turbo five found in the RS3, TT RS, and RS Q3 took the 2.0-2.5-liter prize, and the 911's turbo boxer six won for 2.5-3.0 liters, while Tesla won in both the Electric and Green categories. The sum total is overwhelming praise for turbocharged engines, which took nine out of the 14 awards given – including the top prize.

Aston Martin’s Ferrari 488 Fighter Will Look A Lot Like The Valkyrie

Aston Martin's upcoming mid-engined supercar will share more design cues with the Valkyrie than the new Vantage.

There's a lot of mystery surrounding Aston Martin’s upcoming mid-engine Ferrari 488 rival, but company CEO Andy Palmer has shared some new tantalizing details. Speaking to Top Gear, Palmer said Aston Martin’s new mid-engine supercar won’t borrow design elements from current models like the new Vantage. Instead, it will look like the extreme Valkyrie hypercar, which is being co-developed with Red Bull. “It looks closer to Valkyrie,” he said.

"The fact I can say ‘it looks’ means I have a pretty good idea of what it’s going to look like – there’s a full-size model in the studio already. How could I describe it? You’ll instantly recognize it as an Aston." "In an Aston today, the A-pillar always intersects the front wheel, where in a mid-engined car everything moves forward.” So you’ve got some challenges to get those classical proportions,” he continued. “And we’re not there fully. But the styling direction owes more to Valkyrie than it does to Vantage.” Aston Martin’s mid-engine model is expected to launch in 2021. While the powertrain remains a mystery, Palmer said it will be “very competitive.”

He also said that while Aston Martin remains committed to the V12, it also has AMG’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 available to use when appropriate. As for the car’s construction, Palmer confirmed last year the car won’t use a full carbon fiber tub because “it is not the optimum solution.” He added that a car like this requires the team “to have an obsession with weight and aerodynamics.” Palmer is currently moving 130 engineers to the new Red Bull campus to allow them to develop the mid-engined supercar alongside the Valkyrie.

After the Porsche 919 Evo obliterated the all-time Nurburgring record, Top Gear asked Palmer if he wanted to challenge the German automaker and unleash the Valkyrie at the Green Hell. “Whether we’re as quick as an unrestricted LMP1 car, let’s see,” he said. “The car is mighty quick, for sure. We do all of our development – all of our ‘enthusiastic driver performance’ – at the Nürburgring, so it’s kind of a testing home for us.” Red Bull’s team principle Christian Horner, on the other hand, thinks the Valkyrie AMR Pro could beat the Porsche 919 Evo’s time. "I’m not sure a Formula 1 car could actually do it, but I think that the Valkyrie — certainly the track version of the Valkyrie — could be a contender," he said.

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