How Barbaric!

Decisively, I push the rectangular key into the engine start slot on the center console. The starter motor whirs. VROOOM! A roar like thunder. The 573ps 6-liter V12, the AM11 unit, has awakened.


The new Vanquish is Aston Martin's new flagship, unveiled last June coinciding with the release of the latest "007" film.

It's the successor to the DBS, but perhaps to emphasize the difference from the main model, the DB9, the name Vanquish, which was given to the model unveiled in 2000 and produced until 2007 as a symbol of the reborn Aston, has been revived. Vanquish means "to conquer" in English.

British Thoroughbreds

The flagship Vanquish features a carbon fiber body skin. The use of carbon allows for more free-form molding, enabling an exterior that is even more athletic than the DB9. The Vanquish exudes a raw intensity, like a fighter just before a match who has successfully shed weight.

Aston Martin is the quintessential British thoroughbred sports car of our time. Whether it's the DB9 or its evolved form, the Vanquish, modern Astons are part of the lineage of handsome modern Britons like David Beckham and David Bowie, I believe.



Sir David was also a polo player, participated in car and motorcycle races, and held a pilot's license.

I'll write this down as I remember it: the late Peter Wheeler, who was the president of TVR, spent his summers racing cars and his winters hunting birds. A few years ago, I experienced bird shooting on his vast estate in northern England. Loading the two-shot shotgun, I waited. Pheasants, flushed by beaters, would fly from the bushes towards the hunters. I pulled the trigger. A roar echoed. The sense of accomplishment when the pheasant fell, spiraling down! There was also a slight sense of guilt. When I picked it up, it was still warm and heavy. The weight of life.



I believe that British gentlemen are constantly indulging in such matters of life and death, victory and defeat. Is this why British cars, even though Germans are now making them, possess that unique British flavor, a certain something that, if put into words, would be dull, but that those who like it will appreciate as distinctly British?

A Gentleman, As He Should Be

Once underway, the new Vanquish, much like the modern Davids, Beckham and Bowie, is soft-spoken and elegant.

Aston's V12 was already ultra-smooth, but the AM11 unit with variable valve timing now offers even thicker low-to-mid-range torque, effortlessly supplying the power characteristic of a naturally aspirated, large-displacement engine.

However, when you press the accelerator pedal deep, the 6-speed automatic downshifts with a powerful jolt, and it accelerates with ferocious intensity, as if a rocket engine has ignited! How ferocious! How barbaric! Roaring like thunder, the Vanquish conquers the road. This is how a British gentleman should be.



The ride is quite firm. At times, it's jarring. The improved VH structure and the carbon fiber outer skin, which enhance body rigidity, likely contribute to this not being bothersome. Firmness is pleasure. It feels good because it's firm. A man must be firm. And this firmness is sustained. Just like David Beckham. Though I don't know him.

Do I look like a man who would care about such things?

The evaluation of the new DB9 will likely depend on whether you drove the Vanquish first that day.

If you drive it first, you'll probably think, "This is enough for me." Understatement is also part of its charm. Relatively speaking, of course.

Incidentally, the new DB9 can be considered a renamed version of the model previously called "Virage."



That Virage was an improved version of the DB9, and since the DB9 first appeared in 2003, nearly 10 years have passed. Time waits for no one. Yet, Aston Martin seems immortal. Indeed, despite facing bankruptcy multiple times, it has been resurrected each time, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Cheers to a thoroughbred sports car embodying the indomitable British spirit! Perhaps a vodka martini? Shaken, not stirred? Did I look like a man who would care about such things? That's what Daniel Craig's Bond said.

Aston Martin Vanquish
Body Size | Length 4,720 x Width 2,067 (incl. mirrors) x Height 1,294 mm
Wheelbase | 2,740 mm
Weight | 1,739 kg
Engine | 5,935 cc V12
Max Output | 573 ps / 6,750 rpm
Max Torque | 620 Nm / 5,500 rpm
Transmission | 6-speed Automatic (Touchtronic 2)
Drivetrain | FR
Suspension Front | Double Wishbone
Suspension Rear | Double Wishbone
Tires Front/Rear | 255/35R20 / 305/30R20
Brakes Front/Rear | Ventilated Carbon Ceramic Discs / Ventilated Carbon Ceramic Discs
0-100km/h Acceleration | 4.1 seconds
Top Speed | 295 km/h
Fuel Tank Capacity | 78 L
Price | 31.49 million yen

Aston Martin DB9
Body Size | Length 4,720 x Width 2,061 (incl. mirrors) x Height 1,282 mm
Wheelbase | 2,740 mm
Weight | 1,785 kg
Engine | 5,935 cc V12
Max Output | 517 ps / 6,500 rpm
Max Torque | 620 Nm / 5,500 rpm
Transmission | 6-speed Automatic (Touchtronic 2)
Drivetrain | FR
Suspension Front | Double Wishbone
Suspension Rear | Double Wishbone
Tires Front/Rear | 245/35R20 / 295/30R20
Brakes Front/Rear | Ventilated Carbon Ceramic Discs / Ventilated Carbon Ceramic Discs
0-100km/h Acceleration | 4.6 seconds
Top Speed | 295 km/h
Fuel Tank Capacity | 78 L
Price | 21.99 million yen