Nothing sounds more imperious than the word “Vanquish.”

It perfectly matches the look given by billionaires, royalty, captains of industry, and land barons as they drive past us plebeians in our Audis, BMWs, and Porsches. In a V12 Aston Martin gran turismo, of course.

The two-seat Aston Martin Vanquish heralds the return of a truly cool Britannia, resurrecting a name that has been dead for six years.

It comes with a brand-new in-house-developed 5.2-liter V12 engine and augmented twin turbos, providing a stratospheric 824hp and a truly monumental 1,000Nm of torque, driving the rear wheels exclusively via an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.

Aston says this V12 has new cylinder heads, camshafts, con rods, and low-inertia turbochargers. It has also been given an innovative Boost Reserve function to reduce lag, by allowing the turbos to create excess pressure that can be immediately released to the intake manifold in response to big throttle demands.

The considerable powertrain gives an easy, effortless surge, decidedly different from the Ferrari 12Cilindri‘s more manic naturally aspirated lump, which happens to be the Vanquish’s most obvious rival. Telling is the Brit’s 1,000Nm versus the Italian’s 678Nm, and as they say, torque wins races—especially at the stoplight Grand Prix.

Another key rival would be fellow Brit Bentley’s Continental GT Speed, which makes do with a more proletarian V8 hybrid.

Aston Martin launching the Vanquish in Venice, Italy, is a very clear intent to challenge the prancing pony. And while the Cavallino Rampante may be faster, the Vanquish’s 3.3-second sprint to 100km/h and 344km/h top speed is no slouch either.

Excluding the Valkyrie hypercar, the 2025 Vanquish is the brand’s fastest and most powerful car in its history. Fitting for what was originally rumored to be a one-off for Aston Martin’s executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, who envisioned to create the perfect GT just for himself.

It rides on a bonded all-aluminum new chassis with a 78.74mm longer wheelbase than its predecessor, and happens to be 75% stiffer. It has full carbon-fiber bodywork, a carbon-fiber driveshaft, and carbon-ceramic brakes, plus a titanium exhaust to help keep its weight below 4,000lb (1,814kg).

There is no fancy active rear steering axle, no all-wheel drive, and no active anti-roll bars. Just simple, properly sorted rear-wheel dynamics and a powerful V12 up front.

Bilstein active DTX dampers and an electronic-locking rear differential give the Vanquish torque vectoring ability to slingshot confidently into and out of tight and high-speed corners.

The high-tech construction gives the Vanquish a very balanced 51:49 front and rear weight distribution. An eight-position traction/stability control system is fitted, and specially developed Pirelli P Zero tires wrap around forged 21-inch alloy wheels.

Viewed from a low three-quarter rear angle, the drama of the Vanquish’s silhouette is seen in all its glory with its sensual flares and that long hood housing the V12. The gaping maw and the LED headlights give an aggressive, menacing look like that of a large apex predator.

The hood receives vents to help expel heat from the mighty engine at speed. In the back, it gets a large carbon-fiber panel between its taillights, a feature that—like the black wing elements on the 12Cilindri—is certain to be very color-dependent in its visual impact. At the rear, the Vanquish gets a large carbon-fiber panel between its lights, similar to its Italian rival.

Despite the aerodynamic shaping necessary to ensure high-speed stability, the Vanquish does not have active aerodynamics; it has a small ducktail integrated into the top of the tailgate. The majority of downforce is generated by a substantial underbody diffuser that sucks the Vanquish to the ground.

Inside, the Vanquish has a plush interior that features high-quality leather, a 10-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 10-inch central touchscreen multimedia system.

An illuminated engine start button in the center console is surrounded by physical buttons: a drive mode dial, a gear selector, and dedicated climate controls. It wouldn’t be very elegant if simple controls were buried underneath menus upon submenus upon submenus on a touchscreen tablet.

Aston Martin’s Q division (as in Q of James Bond fame) allows for a wide range of personalization in choosing exterior paint colors, interior leather and contrast stitching shades, and trim accents such as wood or carbon fiber.

A panoramic glass roof, a 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround-sound audio system, and a cellular connection are also offered. A carbon-fiber roof is optional if you want to keep the weight down.

No prices have been announced yet, and Aston Martin says no more than a thousand units will be built annually. Long drives and cars-and-coffee Sundays won’t ever be the same again when you pull up in this gorgeous piece of rolling artwork.