Aston Martin launches new Vanquish in Singapore! ~ DominoPizzaat50OFF

Luxury British marque Aston Martin Lagonda (S.E.A) has launched the flagship Vanquish in Singapore. Finished in what we presume is Skyfall Silver, the display unit is currently on a world tour, and will head over to Malaysia after its stopover here.

The Bond approved car first appeared in Die Another Day (though Q from Mi6 called it 'Vanish'). Its successor appeared with an updated DBS nameplate in the blockbuster movie 'Casino Royale', where it performed a spectacular body roll right into the record books. The newly unveiled Vanquish will help Mr.Bond perform Her Majesty's Secret Service(s) once again in the upcoming flick 'Skyfall'.

Now back to the car, it looks similar but beneath all that bodywork, is in fact 75 percent new. Featuring the next generation VH architecture, the external body panels are made of carbon fibre. The same material was only used for the bonnet and fenders on the DBS. A large use of the exotic material allowed Aston Martin to sculpture complex designs besides achieving a trimmed weight. Another light but rigid material - aluminium is used for the rest of the spaceframe.

Aston Martin's CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, who was formerly from Porsche, explains the 'refined rather than refreshed' styling approach. We are not complaining. Like the iconic DB5, we believe the current range of Aston's are a current classics - and they are not even Italian!

The Vanquish has a familiar face, though it is updated, made obvious with a more aggressive chin and elegant light clusters. The profile looks sharp and dominating, clearly inspired by the limited and exquisite One-77 supercar. Starting from the hunches, the sharp crisp lines mystically 'melt' to a fluid and flowy rear. The styling is alive and truly unique, marrying elegance and sportiness in what looks like a lovechild between the One-77 and the DBS.

The new Vanquish is Aston's most powerful yet, second only to the limited edition One-77 supercar. The complex design is rewarded with a 5.9-litre V12 mated to a Touchtronic 2 transmission. The six-speed automatic is operated via paddles behind the steering wheel.

The potent V12 produces 573bhp, 56bhp more than a range topping DBS variant. The V12 propels the Vanquish to a 100km/h in 4.1 seconds, a respectable performance figure for a car that weighs over 1.7 tonnes.

Mind you, unlike the Italians who primarily boast on performance figures, Aston Martin's always functioned as the ultimate Grand Tourer's - comfort over blinding speed. Aston Martin claims the Vanquish produces a more defined growl though the occupants will not hear much of the soundtrack thanks to excellent soundproofing. You can always wind down the windows or wait for the Volante model.

The new Aston Martin Vanquish, if it is good for Bond and Mi6, is exceptional for any commoner though the near seven-figure price tag ($950,000 without COE) makes it attainable only through video games. For the lucky few, get it shaken not stirred.