Autocars: Aston Martin

Showing posts with label Aston Martin. Show all posts

Friday, December 24, 2010

New Aston Martin DBS V12

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Aston Martin Vanquish was created in Newport Pagnell. It was released in 2001 as a Grand Tourer vehicle. The Vanquish is the last of the series for a hand- crafted vehicle. Aston Martin spent forty- nine years making vehicles with skilled workers. To create the sporty vehicle it took a total of forty- eight, eight hour days. It is clear that care was taken in making the vehicle when one examines the bodywork and exquisite interior.

Aston Martin was initially questioned about the engine. Some thought it was the product of Ford. It was felt that the company had combined two Ford Duratec three litre engines. This proved to be incorrect, although there were some parts of that engine that were used. The 5.9 litre V12 engine, 460bhp that made up the Vanquish was definitely created differently from the Duratec.

Problems did plague the first versions of the Vanquish. The primary concerns were of the paddle shift manual gearbox and the handling of the vehicle. There was a comparison to the gearbox on the Ferrari which was extremely flawless when shifting. The performance of the Vanquish under original conditions was fine, but when the car was pushed hard the gearbox failed.

Aston Martin didn't work on the gearbox problem until the Ultimate Edition Vanquish that was produced in 2007. There were a total of forty cars in this line that finally resolved the paddle shift manual gearbox issue. In fact the company was so pleased with the new conventional manual stick shift gearbox they were willing to install them into previous Vanquish models.

While the Vanquish may have had some issues in the early days it was still a very popular vehicle. The dominance of the automobile on the road showcased the familiar Aston Martin trademarks. They began with the extended bonnet, which lead the eye to the unmistakeable front grille and the xenon headlights. The wheel arches protruded boldly and the side strakes completed the Aston Martin design.

NEW ASTON MARTIN DBS

The Vanquish S of 2005 was another effort to reduce disapproval. The S series has 520 horse power. It can reach 240 miles per hour, and go from a resting state to 60mph in 4.7 seconds.

The S series has a "Sports Dynamic Pack" on all models, rather than an extra component. The pack is designed to increase performance of steering, braking, and manoeuvrability.

In 2007 the Aston Martin Vanquish was discontinued and it was replaced with the new DBS model that was based around the more modern and highly acclaimed DB9. In 2010, Aston is rumoured to be releasing a proper Vanquish replacement, however as production has now moved to Gayden in Warwickshire it is unlikely to recreate the hand built construction of the stunning but flawed Vanquish.