Pour one out for the forthcoming Aston Martin Vanquish, at least as it was presented in concept form. A company spokesperson confirmed to us that Aston Martin is “moving away” from the Vanquish and its mid-engine V6 design, which was expected to debut as a Ferrari 296 GTB fighter amid a slathering of new Aston Martin offerings in the next two years.
Does this mean the Vanquish is well and truly dead? We emphasize mid-engine V6 design here, as Aston Martin used that specific language in its statement to Motor1. Car and Driver received a similar response regarding the Vanquish, suggesting a metaphorical door at the company’s Gaydon headquarters could be cracked open. Furthermore, Aston Martin shied away from using the word “canceled,” though we learned long ago that automakers in general prefer to avoid such finalities. In any case, the concept as we knew it isn’t happening. At least, not anytime soon.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of the Vanquish’s demise. Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll said in May the company would focus on other near-term ambitions such as the DB12, which debuted later that month. There’s also the Valhalla, which is slated to begin on-road testing before the end of 2023. You can also expect more special-edition DBX variants, especially since it’s selling like gangbusters for the brand. The first Aston Martin EV is scheduled for 2025.
Originally debuting as a concept in 2019, the new Vanquish was envisioned as a volume supercar using a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine developed in-house. In March 2022, that was amended to an AMG-sourced 4.0-liter V8 in the name of cost savings. That was the last we heard on the Vanquish until now.
Frankly, we’d be gobsmacked if the Vanquish moniker didn’t return at some point. But we know one thing for sure: It won’t be a mid-engine V6 supercar launching in the next two years.
