Now Aston Martin has entered the hypercar market with the Valhalla and Valkyrie, you could be forgiven for thinking the British company has turned its attention away from big grand tourers – but a new version of the Vanquish suggests otherwise. Ready to be positioned as Aston Martin’s flagship GT model, this new car, likely to mark a return of the Vanquish S nameplate for the first time since 2018, has been caught testing at the Nürburgring, prior to a full reveal likely to be later this year. The Vanquish S comes at a busy time for Aston Martin. Alongside the aforementioned mid-engined hypercars, a more potent DB12 S has launched, while there’s also a hot-rod Vantage testing that could bring back the AMR badge. Looking to exert its dominance over Aston Martin’s other front-engined cars, the Vanquish S should pack some performance upgrades. The standard Vanquish comes with a 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine, producing 823bhp and 1,000Nm of torque – a significant increase on the 715bhp and torque of up to 900Nm found in its DBS Superleggera predecessor. It’s also 5bhp and 322Nm more than you’d find in the Aston’s closest rival, the V12-engined Ferrari 12Cilindri – although it’s worth pointing out the latter doesn’t rely on turbocharging for its monstrous power. Judging by previous Vanquish S models, we should expect a marginal power bump for the new car. The current Vanquish introduced a new ‘Boost Mode’ for the turbos’ respective boost pressures to deliver more power under part-throttle. The fact that the cylinder block also received additional reinforcements to handle more power compared to the old DBS is a good sign for power junkies, too. We adored the latest Aston Martin Vanquish when we first drove it in the UK last year, not just because of its immense power, but its driveability, too. With tuning that edges more towards a sports car than a GT, the Vanquish is surprisingly agile in bends thanks to its double-wishbone suspension up front and multi-link set-up at the rear, managing to hide its 1,774kg weight effectively. Considering Aston Martin already uses an extensive amount of carbon fibre in the Vanquish’s body along with an aluminium-bonded structure underneath, it’s difficult to see how much weight could be shaved off for a sportier S model. What’s clearer are the exterior changes on the prototype model we spotted. The front-end changes are minimal, with a new lower lip splitter complemented by 21-inch forged wheels covering the Vanquish’s standard-fit carbon-ceramic brakes. However, it’s the rear that really grabs our attention, because at first glance the quad-tip exhausts are all present and accounted for – but if you look at the boot, there’s a mesh hiding what looks like two additional (or more likely, replacement) exhaust tips. The positioning is odd, because it means these two exhausts would run straight through the boot space. Elsewhere, there’s an extended lip spoiler and the rear diffuser has been removed too. All will become clear in the next few months as Aston gets ready to reveal this hotter iteration of its flagship GT. One thing is certain, though – and that is it will command a healthy increase over the current Vanquish’s £334,000 price tag. Whetted your appetite for some British luxury? Check out our selection of used Aston Martins available on the Auto Express Buy a Car service from the elegant DB9 to the rambunctious V12 Vantage...
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