The original Aston Martin Vanquish and its designer, Ian Callum, have always had something of an on-off relationship.
Callum is proud of the car, of course; it was one of the earliest designs for which he drew practically every line. It led Aston’s change to modern construction methods and it’s a timeless shape that has matured beautifully over its 20-year life.
However, there were always things the designer simply didn’t like: the old-tech lights, the lower lamps he inherited from the DB7 V12, the mirrors, the chromework, the “timid” wheels, the too-narrow tracks that didn’t quite fill the arches, and the nose and tail designs that he felt needed “more teeth”. Most of all, he was disappointed with the interior; the design theme was decent but the execution was less about craftsmanship than using existing facilities to get cars out of the door.
All of which is why Callum last year revealed, after he moved on from a distinguished 20-year career as the head of Jaguar design, that the first project for the new design business he promptly launched would be a batch of 25 revised Vanquishes. They would be produced at a new studio in Warwick and be backed by the Swiss R-Reforged group that makes a speciality of high-quality, bespoke products of all kinds – not just cars.
Now the building of Callum Vanquishes has begun. The details of the interior revisions, trim options and the definitive chassis and engine specifications have now all been decided by Callum and Adam Donfrancesco, the project’s head of engineering. At the Warwick headquarters a couple of weeks ago, the pair of them offered us a socially distanced meeting, a car viewing and an exclusive drive.
“We’ve made a grand total of 350 changes,” Callum says, “introducing a level of craftsmanship you simply can’t get in normal production cars – even supercars. The idea is to chase even the smallest details. Only the panelwork remains the same. Our idea is to build a show car for every customer.”
When you approach the 2020 Vanquish, its quality hits you immediately. The lustre of the paint, the richness of the black chrome window surrounds, the new stance on more prominent wheels… they all modernise it. “I’m 20 years older than when I did this first,” says Callum, “and quite a lot has happened in the meantime. Life and fashion are different now. When the chance came to reconsider the car, I could see immediately what it needed.”
Join the debate
Add your comment
In the metal it's many times better
I was very fortunate to have a look at this very car a few weeks ago at an event held locally. It's absolutely exquisite. The detailing and finish is miles above a 'standard' Aston Martin and possibly only comparible to one of the Zagato cars (one of which was also present).
Well.
Doesn't say much for the quality of a "standard" Aston Martin then, does does?
Peter Cavellini wrote:
Seriously??? This is over 500,000 GBP, and you think someone's saying its quality exceeds that of a "standard" Aston means a standard Aston's quality is poor? This was a very expensive car when new, but nowhere near a half-million. I should think that a bespoke build of a Vanquish would exhibit better fit and finish.
Anyway... I'd hope the quality is exquisite. But aesthetically, Callum got it right the first time.
The interior shot.
The image from the drives side door to me looks like a mid range saloon car, neat, nice colours, but, it doesn't look £500,000 worth, the new RR Ghost is half that and it's interior does looks spot on the money.
I get it, but it doesn't look
I get it, but it doesn't look the finished item to me. If you look at Singer or Güntherwerks they charge broadly similar prices but you get absolutely bespoke and hand-built everything for that. I'd expect a new interior console for that money, but i know that that stuff is particuarly hard to do.