Vanquish name for Aston Martin's new V12 flagship

Aston Martin will revive the Vanquish name for its new flagship V12 model. Although there is still no official confirmation from the manufacturer, a Vanquish nameplate is featured on the rear of a production-ready car that was spied during the Diamond Jubilee weekend.

Aston Martin has remained tight-lipped about the official identity of its DBS replacement – codenamed AM310 – since Autocar exclusively broke the news of the existence last month, but reviving the Vanquish name was always believed to be the favoured option.

Among the potential names discarded by Aston Martin were DBS-R, Vignale and even Bulldog, which was last used on a William Towns-designed mid-engined concept in the 1980s.

Not only is the new Vanquish positioned to recreate some of the muscle car magic of the original – which was built between 2001 and 2007 – but it is also designed to lead Aston Martin’s centenary celebrations next year.

The model will usher in a host of styling and technical changes that will then filter down through the rest of Aston Martin’s range.

The biggest change over the current DBS is believed to be in the materials used for the construction of the chassis and the bodywork. Aston Martin is known to be considering using much more carbonfibre in its production cars.

That follows the lead of the One-77 hypercar, and so do elements of the new Vanquish’s styling, particularly on the side and rear.

The familiar Aston side vents run almost to the door handles in reference to the deeply sculpted doors of the One-77, and the new rear light design is also inspired by the £1.2m machine.

Aston’s existing V12 engine will propel the new Vanquish, with a power figure of more than 550bhp expected.

The Vanquish was displayed in AM310 concept form at the Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance last month. The final car will be unveiled at the Pebble Beach event in California in August, before it goes on sale next year.