2022 Aston Martin V12 Vantage revealed
You don’t need to be a British spy to buy one of these 700hp Astons. But you do need £265,000.
Tissues at the ready Aston Martin fans, because the company has revealed what could very well be its last ever Vantage powered by a V12 engine. Using essentially the same 12-cylinder engine as the glorious DB11 and DBS models, the V12 Vantage will be limited to a production volume of just 333, with each priced from £265,000. Oh, and before you get counting the pennies, know that every example has already been allocated to a buyer. So the curtain isn’t just beginning to close on V12 Vantage power. It’s already shut.
But what a way to bow out, eh? Aston Martin was once famed for its V-shaped, 12-cylinder engine, and while now most of its models use a Mercedes-AMG-supplied (but Aston Martin finished) V8 engine for efficiency reasons, to many fans, the bigger option remains the most authentically Aston one. Certainly, in a decade when petrol engines are slowly being phased out as electric replacements enter the pipeline (see our Audi R8 video for a significant example of that), cars like this V12 Vantage feel enormously special.
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No doubt that specialness is exactly why Aston Martin has bothered producing the model, because with production capped to just 333 examples, it’s not exactly going to be a long-term driver of sales. What it is though, is a celebration of this closing chapter of automotive history, with a 700-horsepower headline figure there to really shout about it. If you’re wondering, this Aston Martin can sprint from zero to 60mph in just 3.4 seconds, and onto a top speed of 200mph, if you’ve a runway long enough to reach it. Rapid.
If you’re lucky enough to a) be able to afford one, and b) have already bagged yours, you’ll know that Aston Martin has also applied mechanical upgrades to the rest of the Vantage base. The suspension is stiffer to give the car more athletic responses through the bends, while the eight-gear automatic gearbox has been altered so it’s more in tune with the big V12 engine. Throw in some weight-saving features and a kit of aerodynamic upgrades to the bodywork, and you have yourself a very exciting new addition to the driveway indeed.
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While there’s every chance that this Vantage model will be the last to use a V12 engine, it won’t necessarily be the last Aston Martin to use this 5.2-litre powerplant. Despite the rise of electrification and the inevitability that one day, Aston’s road cars will one day have to switch away from petrol power, the company believes there are a few years of V12 fun yet. No doubt much of that has to do with the appetite for such cars; all 333 examples of the V12 Vantage have sold already, after all.
Didn’t make the cut? Handily, cinch has a fair selection of well-endowed sports cars to keep you entertained. If you’re not won over by the V10-powered Audi R8 of our recent video, may we divert your attention to the line-up of 5.0-litre-plus cars?
From Ford Mustang to Lexus LC500 to Range Rover Sport SVR, there’s no shortage of cubic capacity in our showroom…
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