Aston Martin marks the 87th Geneva international Motor Show with a great new model, a stunning enhancement and an indelible appellation. The first one is the global debut of the most powerful and dynamic iteration of Aston Martin’s Super GT – the new Vanquish S.
Heading for the changing rooms in 2018, the Vanquish should soon be resorting to the architecture designed for the Aston Martin DB11. For now, the Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante sticks to the existing platform with chassis updates like 10% better spring rates and re-tuned Bilstein dampers that provide a better balance between compression and rebound damping. The difference between Normal and Sport suspension settings is now more prominent.
The naturally aspirated 6.0 litre V12 engine now produces 600 hp at 7,000 rpm rather than the standard model’s 6,650 rpm. The hydraulically assisted steering rack hasn’t yet gone the DB11’s electrically assisted route. The Volante will likely hit 100 km/h a few tenths of a second slower that The Vantage S Coupe clocks 100 kmph in 3.5 seconds and the Volante should do it in a fraction less. Top speed too should just fall shy of 320 km/h. The Vanquish S is expected to cost just shy of a million dirhams.
Before we come to the big news of a new V, let’s quickly discover heavenly vistas inside an Aston Martin with the enhanced Q settings. The ‘Q by Aston Martin – Collection’ at Geneva announces a new era of tailor-made sports cars giving customers total freedom of choices. Isn’t the sight below one of the best you’ve come across inside a car?
Now, for the European show debut of the hypercar being co-developed by Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies and the world premiere of its new name. It will be called the Aston Martin Valkyrie, adding a new V to the series of Vantage, Vanquish, Virage and Vulcan… and even the brand’s chosen name to describe much of its convertibles – Volante.
It is a tradition started back in 1951 with Vantage, selected for its ability to distinguish high performance variants of the then current model, the DB2. Boasting 125bhp versus 105bhp for the standard engine, the Vantage represented a significant increase in performance and desirability. The Vantage badge appeared for the first time on the side of the DB5 and was reserved for the most powerful variants till 2005, when Vantage itself became a model line.
The AM-RB 001 codenamed car as a concept
For Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman, Valkyrie perfectly captures the drama of what is not only the ultimate Aston Martin, but the ultimate expression of hypercar design, engineering and performance: “Aston Martin model names have deep meaning… The connotations of power and honour, of being chosen by the Gods are so evocative, and so pertinent to a car that only a fortunate few will ever experience.”
In Norse mythology, a Valkyrie is a divine female figure that has the power to decide who will survive in a battle, and who will perish. The choice of who will own the Aston Martin Valkyrie will be determined by a stupendous sum between 2 and 3 million pounds (between 9 and 13.5 million dirhams) with deliveries beginning in 2019.
