The Aston Martin Vanquish has a 5,935cc V12 engine that develops 460hp at 6,500rpm and 400lb ft of torque at 5,000rpm. It drives through a six-speed automated manual gearbox. The Vanquish S upped the power to 520hp at 7,000rpm and torque grew slightly to 425lb ft at 5,800rpm. As a result the S has a 200mph top speed compared to the standard Vanquish's 190mph, and the S covers 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds against the standard car's five seconds flat. The only penalty the S suffers is a marginally higher kerb weight of 1,875kg to the non-S model's 1,835kg.
5.9-litre made 460hp as standard, 520hp in the S
Although based on the DB7's V12, the Vanquish has new inlet manifolds, camshafts, valve gear, crankshaft and exhaust. The S gained new cylinder heads and combustion chambers for improved flow, as well as a different ECU engine map and fuel injectors.
Both engine and gearbox have earned reputations for being hard-wearing and neither should cause many worries so long as any car you look at has been properly serviced. The Works Service manual conversion reinstates the clutch pedal and gear lever. Some owners love it, others prefer the automatic shift, so it's very much down to personal taste which is best. On earlier Vanquish models, the manual conversion was relatively simple as the V8 Vantage-sourced gear lever sprouts from what was previously a cupholder. On 2006-on cars that have an ashtray, the conversion required the opening to be made larger to allow for full movement of the gear stick. In total, the conversion to manual cost £13,250 plus VAT and by mid-2013 90 cars had been converted.
With the standard automatic, the clutch doesn't fully engage till the engine is spinning at 1,300rpm, so town driving can be very hard on the clutch. To minimise this wear, owners are advised to leave a gap in the traffic and then drive forward rather than creeping constantly as they might in a car with a traditional auto 'box.
Engines must be run on at least 97RON fuel
The V12 engine needs regular oil checks and top-ups with 0-W40 oil as the original 0-W30 is reckoned to be too thin. Be careful not to overfill with oil as it will blow the front crankcase seals and cam cover gaskets.
Engines must be run on 97 RON fuel. Leaving the car standing for longer periods can let fuel drain and evaporate from the system and cause a difference in fuel pressure between the two pumps that can trigger a warning light on the dash. Running the car up at least fortnightly should avoid this.
Ignition coils can fail and it's best to replace a whole cylinder bank of coils at once due to the cost of labour of removing engine covers to access them, a job that can cost £1,000. Most cars with troublesome early coil packs should have had them replaced by now with more reliable later units. It is possible to misdiagnose a failed coil when the real culprit is oil trapped in the vacuum lines, which is easily solved by clearing the lines with brake cleaner. Any ticking noise from the engine is most likely a worn cam follower.
A starting problem is most likely to be the electric cable from bulkhead to the starter motor that is too short as standard and fractures from the engine's vibrations. Replacement is a time-consuming job but a longer cable will cure the problem for life.
The lambda sensor can cause an engine warning light on the dash. Check the service record to see if this sensor has been replaced. Fuel and air filters need to be changed as regular service items, with the fuel filter needing to be changed before the recommended 60,000 miles.
PHer's view:
"The sense of theatre when you start the engine with that V12 rumble is addictive and, though I'm probably in a minority, but I like the paddle shift. They are fairly bulletproof for reliability and the investment potential offsets any running costs."
Wayne Briddon