Thedauntingjoboftranslatingthe
performanceintoa roadcarfallsto
Aston’sweapon’s-gradedevelopment
team:ex-LotusmanMattBecker
andhypercardevelopmentaceChris
Goodwin.Whilethecomplexityofthe
projectbeggarsbelief,theprizeis a big
one:thechancetoprovethatGaydon,
notMaranelloorWoking,is theseat
ofpowerwhenit comestoemerging
hypercartechnologies.
However,thepushisn’tjustfromthe
topendoftheperformancespectrum
withtheVanquishsettotransform.
AccordingtoPalmer,“carslikethis
appealonanemotionallevel”.Here,then,
is thecaryouprobablythoughtyou’d
neversee– a series-productionAston
withtheenginein themiddle.
Fornowthisis theVanquishVision
Concept.Come 2022 it’llhittheroadas
theVanquish.“A£200k(AUD$315,000),
320km/hFerrari 488 andLamborghini
Huracanrival,”saysPalmer.
In developmentandwithmany
aspectsofitsperformancestillfluid,
thenewVanquishwillusea bonded
structurerichin aluminiumand
reinforcedin keystructuralareaswith
high-performancecomposites.The
powertrainwillbeall-new:a performance
hybridmarryingelectrificationwithan
in-houseturbochargedV6mounted
longitudinallybehindthecockpit.Power/
torqueoutputsfortheVanquishand
003 areyettobedisclosed.
Thegoal?“Atruesupercar,”insists
Aston’schieftechnologyofficerMax
Szwaj.“Acarwitha compactpowertrain,
mid-enginedagility,impressiveaero
performanceandlightweight,witha fine
balanceofusabilityandperformance.
It’seasytodesigna trackcar:it onlyhas
onefunction.Thiscarwillbeusable.”
“ThenewV6,that’sallus,”saysPalmer
proudly,addingthatit hasnothing
whatsoevertodowithAston’sGerman
alliesin Affalterbach,AMG.“JustoverRIGHT
Theaggressively
mass-andweight-
optimisedpackage,
shapedindirectlyby
theperformance-
obsessedbrainof
Newey,iscloaked
inbodyworkthat’s
elegantlikeanAston
andaero-efficientlike
a RedBullBELOWRIGHT
Conventionalwing
mirrorswillbe
replacedwithdoor-
mountedcameras➜
d motorofficial f motor_mag^23