Aston Martin has just lately confirmed that not solely will they proceed to have a V12 engine as a part of their powertrain lineup however that their strongest manufacturing V12 ever is within the pipeline, prone to make its debut later this yr. The advertising tagline “The V12 to Vanquish all of them” hints on the new Vanquish being the primary mannequin to make use of this new powertrain. The presence of V12s in Aston Martin’s historical past goes again a good distance, with a number of legendary Aston Martin fashions sporting one over the a long time. Let’s have a look again at Aston’s V12-powered fashions all through the years.
13 Vanquish / Vanquish S
With a brand new Vanquish on the horizon, we needed to begin the checklist with the unique V12 Vanquish, which first made its debut as an idea automotive dubbed the “Mission Vantage Idea” on the North American Worldwide Auto Present in 1998. The manufacturing automotive appeared three years later, in 2001. The primary V12 Vanquish was powered by the AM03, a naturally aspirated, 5.9-liter V12 engine paired with a six-speed automated handbook transmission. The Vanquish S was launched on the 2004 Paris Motor Present with some delicate styling updates and a rise in marketed energy from 460 hp to 520 hp.
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The second era of the Vanquish, produced between 2012 and 2018, was powered by the AM28 5.9-liter V12, which produced 565 hp. This era additionally had a Vanquish S within the lineup, which was solely in manufacturing for 2 years (2017-2018); its engine, the AM29, had a slight improve in energy over its predecessor (595 hp).
12 DB7 V12 Vantage
The V12 Vanquish could have turn out to be the stuff of legends, nevertheless it was not the primary Aston to be powered by a V12. That title goes to the DB7 V12 Vantage, which made its debut in 1999, a full two years earlier than the V12 Vanquish appeared in the marketplace. The DB7 V12 Vantage was powered by the 5.9-liter AM2 engine, which produced 420 hp. Whereas the unique DB7 mannequin was powered by a 3.2-liter inline-six engine and arrived in the marketplace in 1994, the V12-powered model didn’t seem till 5 years later, nevertheless it was profitable sufficient to kill off the inline-six model, which ended manufacturing in mid-1999.
11 DB9 / DBS V12
Produced between 2004 and 2016 as a successor to the DB7, the DB9 grand tourer got here in each coupe and convertible physique kinds (the latter being dubbed the “Volante”). The DB9 was first launched on the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Present, with the Volante making its debut on the present’s following version a yr later. The DB9’s 5.9-liter V12 produces 450 hp. The DBS relies on the DB9 and was first revealed in 2007 on the Pebble Seaside Concours d’Magnificence; it’s also powered by a 5.9-liter V12, with a better energy output than that of the DB9 (510 hp).
10 DBS Superleggera
Regardless of having the identical identify and the identical variety of cylinders, the DBS Superleggera isn’t associated to the DB9-derived DBS. The engine discovered within the Superleggera is a 5.2-liter twin-turbocharged V12, which produces 715 hp. Its identify is a reference to Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, an Italian coachbuilder who helped Aston develop a few of their light-weight grand tourers within the Nineteen Sixties and 70s. In 2023, Aston Martin revealed a “770 Final” version (with an influence output of 770 hp, therefore the identify) as a send-off to the DBS, which is being discontinued; nonetheless, its alternative has already been noticed, so in the event you’re a DBS fan, preserve your eyes peeled.
9 DB11
A alternative for the DB9, the DB11 grand tourer made its debut on the 2016 Geneva Motor Present and was produced between 2016 and 2023. The DB11 was the primary turbocharged series-production Aston Martin, powered by the AE31 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12. The engine had an influence output of 600 hp and was paired with an eight-speed computerized transmission. Two years after the primary DB11 V12 arrived, an upgraded model, the DB11 AMR, made its debut with a better energy output (630 hp), faster gear modifications, and a firmer rear suspension. The DB11’s alternative, the DB12, will arrive in the marketplace in 2023 however doesn’t function a V12-powered variant in its lineup.
8 Vantage/Speedster
Two generations of Vantage included a V12 of their lineup. Within the mannequin’s first era, the V12 Vantage (powered by the 510-hp, 2.9-liter V12 from the DBS) appeared 4 years after its V8 counterpart and stayed in manufacturing a yr after the latter had made its exit from the market. Whereas the second-generation Vantage started manufacturing in 2018, its V12 model took one other 4 years to make an look, lastly making its debut in March 2022. Manufacturing was restricted to 333 items; energy got here from the AE31 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12, with an influence output of 690 hp. The brand new V12 Vantage was preceded by an much more limited-run (88 items) variant known as the V12 Speedster, launched in 2020 and powered by the identical engine.
7 One-77 / Victor
The One-77 is a limited-production flagship sports activities automotive revealed on the 2009 Geneva Motor Present, with a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and a 750-hp 7.3-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine; Aston Martin claimed, on the time the One-77 was constructed, this was essentially the most highly effective manufacturing naturally aspirated engine on this planet. Earlier than manufacturing started, 11 prototypes had been inbuilt whole; the whereabouts of 10 of them are nonetheless unsure, however one managed to rack up over 25,000 miles throughout testing and was ultimately transformed to manufacturing spec and made road-legal, making it the one road-legal One-77 in existence (a transfer that many One-77 house owners weren’t particularly pleased with). In 2020, the Victor, a coach-built mannequin primarily based on the One-77, was revealed at Hampton Courts Concours, with a barely greater energy output (836 hp).
6 Valour
The Victor, in flip, was the inspiration for one more V12-powered restricted version automotive known as the Valour, which sported a 5.2-liter V12 primarily based on that discovered within the DBS. This engine produces 702 hp and is paired with a custom-designed six-speed handbook gearbox for the last word hands-on driving expertise. The Valour was revealed on the 2023 Goodwood Pageant of Velocity as a celebration of the corporate’s one hundred and tenth anniversary and a celebration of its V12 engine; solely 110 items had been constructed, every custom-made in line with the proprietor’s needs because of Aston Martin’s Q bespoke division.
5 Virage
The short-lived V12 Virage was launched on the 2011 Geneva Motor Present, reviving a historic nameplate first utilized in 1989. The trendy Virage was powered by the AM11 5.9-liter V12 engine, the identical one used on the DB9, producing 490 hp and paired with a six-speed paddle-shift computerized transmission. A convertible model, the Virage Volante, was additionally accessible; nonetheless, the brand new Virage solely lasted one mannequin yr, with fewer than 1,000 items produced, because it was too just like different fashions within the model’s lineup.
4 Rapide
The Rapide is an government sedan, produced from 2010 to 2020. Growth work on the Rapide first began in 2005, with a prototype model being displayed on the North American Auto Present the next yr; the manufacturing model made its debut on the 2009 Worldwide Motor Present Germany. Whereas the Rapide was initially produced at a manufacturing facility in Austria, because of Aston Martin’s collaboration with native producer Magna Steyr, manufacturing moved to Aston’s personal facility within the UK when the partnership resulted in 2012. The primary model of the Rapide was powered by a 5.9-liter V12 producing 470 hp; the mannequin acquired a number of revisions over its lifetime, with the 550-hp Rapide S arriving in 2013, a 553-hp up to date model of the S in 2014, and eventually the 580-hp Rapide AMR in 2018.
3 Zagato
The V12 Zagato was designed as a part of a collaboration between Aston Martin and Italian coachbuilding firm Zagato, to have a good time the fiftieth anniversary of the 2 corporations’ partnership, which started with the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato in 1960. The V12 Zagato was launched to the world on the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy in 2011; whereas the “Corsa” (race) model made its debut in 2011, the “Stradale” (street) model appeared a yr later. The Zagato relies on the V12 Vantage and powered by the identical engine, the AM11 5.9-liter V12, producing 510 hp and paired with a six-speed handbook transmission.
2 Valkyrie
The Valkyrie hybrid hypercar first debuted as an idea in 2016; additional idea variations adopted in 2017 and 2019, earlier than manufacturing started in 2021. Solely 150 items had been constructed. The Valkyrie is powered by a hybrid system that attracts inspiration from the expertise present in Components 1 automobiles. A 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12, the results of a collaboration between Aston Martin and legendary British automotive engineering agency Cosworth, produces round 1,000 hp by itself, making it essentially the most highly effective naturally aspirated engine fitted to a manufacturing street automotive. That is supplemented by a bespoke electrical motor which produces an extra 160 hp, bringing the Valkyrie’s whole output to 1,160 hp.
1 Vulcan
The Vulcan is a high-performance, track-only automotive, launched in 2015 on the Geneva Motor Present. Solely 24 items had been ever produced, one for every hour of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Considered one of them was made road-legal in 2017 with a {custom} conversion course of, courtesy of British engineering firm RML Group. The Vulcan is powered by a 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V12, producing 820 hp. There are three energy supply modes, which will be chosen by the motive force: the primary limits energy output to 500 hp, the second permits for 675 hp, and the third unlocks the engine’s full output of 820 hp.