Is 2019 Aston Martin Vanquish Really Worth $300,000?
Top Speed of 201 miles per hour. Walther PPK not included. The Vanquish has a 60 degree dual overhead cam twelve cylinder engine displacing six liters. It sure sounds fancy, but it's not. This engine started out in life as what was essentially two mid-2000's Ford Taurus V6's placed end to end. Aston has since managed to squeeze 568 horses out of this Cosworth co-developed mill for 2015; up from 400 when first launched. Through the years Aston has made improvements to the engine, but try as it might this engine's plebeian roots have always been nipping at its heels. Two family sedan V6's doth not a super car engine make. 300,000. Instead what they have done is removed weight from the Vanquish and its VH platform in the form of more carbon fiber and advanced material. Aston has also added a Touchtronic III transmission that actually complies when you instruct it to shift via flappy paddle, instead of waiting until after tea is served like the old one. The new transmission is actually a ZF 8 speed slushbox. Since inception the Vanquish has been a never-ending cycle of improvement and special edition models. There has never been any real landmark change within the car, only slow and steady evolution. What might not suck: AMG-Mercedes is going to start supplying engines to Aston. Those Germans can make on hell of a fine motor when they want to, great beer as well. Hopefully the new AMG sourced power plant will be like the V12 used in the Pagani Zonda, equal length headers and all. With a new engine also comes the possibility of a new platform.
After the Second World War, the company lay in ruins. Its factories had been destroyed or dismantled and a three-year ban on any production activities was imposed by the Allies in response to the production of aircraft engines and rockets by BMW during the War. The first post war model, the V8 equipped 501 luxury sedan produced in 1951 was a poor production choice for a country that was also devastated by the war. Demand was low and the 501 did not even com e close to meeting BMW's expectations. It was a totally different approach that started to bring BMW back on its feet. In 1955, the Isetta 250 was launched and participated very successfully in the mini-car era of the 1950's. It was built under license from the Italian manufacturer Iso and used a motorcycle engine and a single door at the front. The engine was a single cylinder 245cc unit producing 12 horsepower at 5800 rpm and a top speed of 53 mph (85 km/h).
During its 7 year production run a total of 161,728 Isettas were built. A couple of years later, with BMW still having no secure financial foothold, one of the most memorable models in its history was introduced. Launched in 1956, the BMW 507 quickly became famous. The light-alloy 2-door bodyshell with a retractable soft top, designed by Alberecht Graf Foertz, has remained timeless as evidenced by the newly introduced Z8, which draws unmistakable clues and its overall shape from it. The next step in BMW's evolution and the predecessor to the cars we know today was launched in 1962. The 1500, which had been developed during the crisis of the '50s, was another of BMW's saviors. In 1990 BMW re-entered the aircraft engine manufacturing business after forming BMW Rolls-Royce GmbH jointly with Rolls Royce. After heavy losses, the company was finally sold in 2000, with Rover being split up from Land Rover which was purchased by Ford. Today, the Z3, Z8 and all of the 3, 5, 7 and Motorsport series models continue the BMW tradition of building excellent automobiles with a special emphasis on performance, style and technological advancements. 1992 was another year-to-be-remembered for BMW when it, for the first time, outsold Mercedes in Europe. Hopefully in the future the rivalry between these and other makes will persist and companies such as BMW will continue to build great cars.
That emotional response by your wife is what these vehicles are all about, right? What would be worse than spending six-figures on a car and not have it excite you? Anyway, enjoy the anticipation, and post pix when it arrives! Thanks. Congrats on the ST! If this car were just for me, Id buy a turbo ST over a cayenne! Have you thought about getting a lower spec turbo coupe? It will have some of the features you've spec'd built in and when you sell it later, you won't get hurt as badly. I'm spec'ing one as well. Bravo for going with LO. I like the lightweight package, but losing the third position in the back seat is a non-starter for me. Love the pepita seat inserts. If the sport sells anything like the Cayanne, cost of ownership will be lower than ST when you sell in future. Thanks. I have considered it, but my wife is pretty fixated on lava Orange with pepita.
I built a lower spec turbo and she wasnt into it. Unfortunately she values the looks and package over the power of the turbo. 30k that she just isnt going to use the extra power. Ill play again with the configuration tonight and see if I can build a turbo that could make her happy. Just a thought. I wish I could get the pepita, but can't. I think the Lava is strong. Tell her the cost of ownership is lower on the turbo come trade in (even if it's 3-4 years later). Both are better than ST, which has brutal depreciation (and I love the ST - had a turbo one). You鈥檙e asking for comments, so here they are. I think this build is insane because your options are almost 60% of the base price. You鈥檙e taking a basic Cayenne Coupe and pricing it just shy of a lightly optioned Cayenne Turbo Coupe. Agree. I keep playing with this and its really pissing me off. Why cant they do an S trim on this car? Anyway, Im probably going to option this out to a turbo or higher trim level on principality.