Ian Callum, after having left Jaguar recently as design chief, has just announced his debut project with the unveiling of the Aston Martin Vanquish 25. As implied in the name, just 25 units of the bespoke-built, limited edition grand tourer will be made, each with new materials and advanced technologies.
It’ll be difficult to restyle the original, especially when the person in charge of the special edition model is the very same one who created the first-generation Vanquish. As such, there will be no changes to its proportions whatsoever, but enhanced with several visual updates and improvements to its performance and comfort.
For example, the window surrounds are made out of a single piece of carbon-fibre, something that was impossible to create in the 1990s due to limitations in manufacturing processes. In fact, many exterior components have been made out of the lightweight composite material, such as the radiator grille surrounds, headlight panels, front splitters, fender vents, side skirts, and rear diffuser.
Inside, the two-seater GT is almost entirely renewed, and gets a set of custom-made luggage, crafted by British design firm Mulberry. Also new to the car are the pre-sculpted seats for optimal driving position, steering wheel with shift paddles, carbon-fibre centre console with an integrated eight-inch infotainment system that offers Bluetooth connectivity, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support.
As limited edition cars go, there will be a unique identity plaque for each car. Interior panels have also been reprofiled and made from Scottish Bridge of Weir leather. These items showcase the brand’s take on ‘abstract’ tartan, and will go on to be one of Callum’s design identities for future creations.
Other notable features include a new carbon-fibre instrument cluster made in collaboration with Bremont, as well as a bespoke chronograph pocket watch that can be mounted at the top of the dashboard. Not bad looking for a car made from 2001 to 2007, no?
Marketed as a personal vehicle, the Vanquish 25 by Callum offers a range of individualisation, starting with a specially-curated palette comprising over 15 colours and finishes that compliment the car. Customers will also be invited to be part of the team responsible for building the car, where one can talk colour combinations with Ian Callum himself.
Now, for performance, the Vanquish 25 is powered by the same 5.9 litre V12 petrol engine as before, but tuned to produce 60 hp more. It’s not yet known what the actual output figure is, but it’s likely to be 520 hp and close to 600 Nm of torque, which should be good for a century sprint time of under five seconds, and a top speed in excess of 300 km/h.
New to it are items such as a carbon-fibre air box with equal length primary tubes, valley brace and engine cover, whereas the vented bonnet channels cool air into the engine bay. There’s also a new Integrated Diffuser Exhaust System that is said to produce “a sound that you will love,” and one can opt for the brand new fully automatic six-speed torque-converter gearbox.
Chassis modification include wider tracks for the front and back, resulting in better stability. The dampers have been tuned and are fitted with new springs, while larger anti-roll bars have been fitted to the front and rear to improve handling. Also on are stiffer bearings that are typically found on Aston Martin’s race cars.
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While the outside still looks sexy, the inside looks dated.
that steering..so 90’s
Proton geely shud snag Ian Callum frm jaguar..
What for? He din change anything much from ori Vanquish. Interior still looks old.
” brand new fully automatic six-speed torque-converter gearbox.”
what year is it , 2010 ? competitors are all using 8 or 9 speed transmissions already .