I've finally bought a Vanquish - no, not that one...
Discussion
Over a week ago, I did a thing. For me, it was impulsive: ie. it took less than five year to decide. A Vanquish S now joins my V12 Vantage AMR. And what a combination this is proving to be.
I’ve always loved the first iteration of Aston Martin’s V12 Vanquish lineage. It was a personal thing. Back in the early 2000s, I was contracting for a games company, who sent me to various car companies to draw things, including TVR, Marcos, Eagle E-Types, and Newport Pagnell. Aston Martin had just launched its new model. But I was there to draw the DB5.
I spent 2 days being distracted in Aston Martin’s service building (now Aston Martin Works) with a tape measure, camera, pen and paper scribbling down the curves of the DB5. All around me, cars were starting up, and wafting by. I could have probably done my work in a day if it wasn’t for those cars.
At the end of the second day, a sales lady very kindly suggested I may want to have a ride in their new car. For a fresh faced boy who had never been in cars more exciting than a Cavalier, I naturally jumped at the chance.
Off we shot. And I really mean “shot”. I just remember very vividly glancing wide eyed at the speedo down the local dual carriage way. I will not repeat the reading, but I was smitten from that moment on.
Experiences like this cement your sentiment to a brand. I never dreamed I’d own an Aston Martin, but here I am today staring at the mesmerising haunches of Ian Callum’s magnum opus. Back in 2006 it was painted in, what I uncouthly call “resale grey”, it’s a few metres of monochrome outside and in. Meteorite Grey metallic paintwork meets Obsidian black leather. And yet I couldn’t care less for the lack of colour. This is a car you buy based on condition and history, not chasing an illusive specification.
Being on my second SportShift VH era Vantage, the ‘box found within the V12 Vanquish didn’t phase me. In fact, it was an attractor. I’ve owned a V8 Vantage manual, but it’s the SportShift that lights my fire. It’s such an engaging box. All the merits of manual ‘stick interaction coupled with the tactile trigger of a the paddles.
Yes. I had watched Clarkson in period playing the clown on TV with this model. And I’d read enough about these cars to know the ‘box is always said to be the weak link. But I’d also learnt to ignore crowd opinion, and instead judge things for myself. 200+ miles later, I am amazed how good the “ASM” SportShift in this example is. Smooth, quick and an utter joy. It slides into first, approaching roundabouts and junctions like butter. It instantly responds to requests, both going up and down the box. I may have already be tuned to lifting on shifts, but that should not be alien to any manual ‘box pilot.
Heading back a month on time, the thought of a V12 Vanquish arose following a great trip out with friends to a local coffee + cars venue. There, a lovely silhouette of a V12 Vanquish was parked prominently in a car sales barn. One friend lamented how much he wanted one. So back at home, I did a quick search for him. I found LF06 OKX in Auto Trader. It looked good. Damn, it looked very good, plus it was purported to have excellent history. So I passed details of the advert on, and suggested it may be a good one.
A day later, I messaged my friend again and asked cheekily if he wouldn’t mind if I looked to buy it. I don’t really know what it was. Perhaps the history. Even though it was being sold privately, it had been bought by the previous owner from HWM a year before. I know HWM well, especially Paul and Guy. It’s where I’d bought my yellow V12 Vantage.
A quick enquiry later, Paul kindly confirmed it was a good one and had been properly prepped before its sale the year previous. That’s really all I needed to know. But I did my due diligence and asked around further, including with the owner, Tim Cottingham of AMHT and my good friend, Steve Waddingham, Aston Martin’s historian.
The previous owner went out of his way. He was also very open and trusting. A full service was arranged at Aston Martin Hatfield (due to its location near the seller) along with a fresh MOT, where I could also see it up on the ramp before buying.
Alastair, the service manager of Hatfield couldn’t have been more helpful. The seller and I spent the best part of 2 hours there, inspecting, arranging the admin and chatting. I really appreciate Alastair’s help.
And so I drove off with another 12 cylinders. This example has been used very sparingly annually for the past 10 years, so my fear was that it would be a “grumpy” car due to this. But it’s now munched flowing and stationary motorway miles, A roads, B roads and smaller with amazing energy. It’s a brilliant example, and I have struck Vanquish gold.
Over the coming months, I intend to write up my thoughts on how the original V12 Vanquish compares to my V12 Vantage AMR with the 12 years between them. I feel it’s a direction not too many have taken. They are such different cars on all levels, and yet there is naturally DNA shared between them. I relish this voyage of discovery.
I’ve always loved the first iteration of Aston Martin’s V12 Vanquish lineage. It was a personal thing. Back in the early 2000s, I was contracting for a games company, who sent me to various car companies to draw things, including TVR, Marcos, Eagle E-Types, and Newport Pagnell. Aston Martin had just launched its new model. But I was there to draw the DB5.
I spent 2 days being distracted in Aston Martin’s service building (now Aston Martin Works) with a tape measure, camera, pen and paper scribbling down the curves of the DB5. All around me, cars were starting up, and wafting by. I could have probably done my work in a day if it wasn’t for those cars.
At the end of the second day, a sales lady very kindly suggested I may want to have a ride in their new car. For a fresh faced boy who had never been in cars more exciting than a Cavalier, I naturally jumped at the chance.
Off we shot. And I really mean “shot”. I just remember very vividly glancing wide eyed at the speedo down the local dual carriage way. I will not repeat the reading, but I was smitten from that moment on.
Experiences like this cement your sentiment to a brand. I never dreamed I’d own an Aston Martin, but here I am today staring at the mesmerising haunches of Ian Callum’s magnum opus. Back in 2006 it was painted in, what I uncouthly call “resale grey”, it’s a few metres of monochrome outside and in. Meteorite Grey metallic paintwork meets Obsidian black leather. And yet I couldn’t care less for the lack of colour. This is a car you buy based on condition and history, not chasing an illusive specification.
Being on my second SportShift VH era Vantage, the ‘box found within the V12 Vanquish didn’t phase me. In fact, it was an attractor. I’ve owned a V8 Vantage manual, but it’s the SportShift that lights my fire. It’s such an engaging box. All the merits of manual ‘stick interaction coupled with the tactile trigger of a the paddles.
Yes. I had watched Clarkson in period playing the clown on TV with this model. And I’d read enough about these cars to know the ‘box is always said to be the weak link. But I’d also learnt to ignore crowd opinion, and instead judge things for myself. 200+ miles later, I am amazed how good the “ASM” SportShift in this example is. Smooth, quick and an utter joy. It slides into first, approaching roundabouts and junctions like butter. It instantly responds to requests, both going up and down the box. I may have already be tuned to lifting on shifts, but that should not be alien to any manual ‘box pilot.
Heading back a month on time, the thought of a V12 Vanquish arose following a great trip out with friends to a local coffee + cars venue. There, a lovely silhouette of a V12 Vanquish was parked prominently in a car sales barn. One friend lamented how much he wanted one. So back at home, I did a quick search for him. I found LF06 OKX in Auto Trader. It looked good. Damn, it looked very good, plus it was purported to have excellent history. So I passed details of the advert on, and suggested it may be a good one.
A day later, I messaged my friend again and asked cheekily if he wouldn’t mind if I looked to buy it. I don’t really know what it was. Perhaps the history. Even though it was being sold privately, it had been bought by the previous owner from HWM a year before. I know HWM well, especially Paul and Guy. It’s where I’d bought my yellow V12 Vantage.
A quick enquiry later, Paul kindly confirmed it was a good one and had been properly prepped before its sale the year previous. That’s really all I needed to know. But I did my due diligence and asked around further, including with the owner, Tim Cottingham of AMHT and my good friend, Steve Waddingham, Aston Martin’s historian.
The previous owner went out of his way. He was also very open and trusting. A full service was arranged at Aston Martin Hatfield (due to its location near the seller) along with a fresh MOT, where I could also see it up on the ramp before buying.
Alastair, the service manager of Hatfield couldn’t have been more helpful. The seller and I spent the best part of 2 hours there, inspecting, arranging the admin and chatting. I really appreciate Alastair’s help.
And so I drove off with another 12 cylinders. This example has been used very sparingly annually for the past 10 years, so my fear was that it would be a “grumpy” car due to this. But it’s now munched flowing and stationary motorway miles, A roads, B roads and smaller with amazing energy. It’s a brilliant example, and I have struck Vanquish gold.
Over the coming months, I intend to write up my thoughts on how the original V12 Vanquish compares to my V12 Vantage AMR with the 12 years between them. I feel it’s a direction not too many have taken. They are such different cars on all levels, and yet there is naturally DNA shared between them. I relish this voyage of discovery.
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