Aston Martin Vanquish 2012 Flagship Revealed

Aston Martin has taken the wraps off of its latest supercar, the Vanquish, resurrecting the name for a new grand tourer with a 6.0-litre V12 engine. The hand-built flagship borrows styling details from the limited-edition One-77, managing to look both beautifully taut and proportioned while also including numerous passive-aerodynamic details for improved performance. It's capable of quite the turn of speed, too, funneling 565 bhp and 620 Nm of torque to the road for a 0-62 mph dash in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 183 mph.

All that power goes via a Touchtronic 2 six-speed automatic gearbox with paddle-shifting, and in fact the 2012 Vanquish is the fastest full-production car in Aston's range (the One-77 is more powerful, but only available in restricted numbers). Carbon-fiber body panels are used to keep weight down, and torsional rigidity is up by over 25-percent while the trunk is 60-percent larger than that of the Aston Martin DBS.

Two layout versions of the Vanquish will be on offer, either a 2+2 with (presumably rudimentary) rear seats, or as a 2+0 for those who'd prefer more squeeze-space for luggage. Legroom has increased by 37mm, shoulder room by 25mm, elbow room by 87mm and knee room by 50mm. Both have nearly 50:50 weight distribution.

Inside, it's a cosseting womb of leather, exposed carbon fiber and other high-quality materials. The long center console is fronted by a single piece of material, presenting 6.5-inch display with a redesigned UI based on owner feedback, capacitive glass buttons with haptic feedback, and several USB and power points. There's also a 1,000W Bang & Olufsen 15-speaker system, integrated Garmin navigation, Bluetooth, iPod/iPhone integration, satellite radio in the US, and a WiFi hub.

Deliveries of the new Aston Martin Vanquish will begin in late 2012 in the UK and Europe, with the car priced from £189,995 ($299,000) before you start ticking the spec-sheet boxes.