Aston Martin Vanquish to get manual gearbox

Aston Martin chief executive Andy Palmer has confirmed the 2022 Vanquish will be offered to buyers with a manual transmission.

In an exclusive interview with carsales, Palmer revealed the British Ferrari F8 Tributo and McLaren 720S rival would carry a true point of difference into the future.

"I've already made a commitment that I want to be the last manufacturer in the world to offer manual sports cars and I want to honour that commitment," Palmer said.

Asked if the forthcoming Valhalla hypercar would get a manual too, the Aston boss clarified his earlier statement by saying: "no, now that car will only come with a paddleshift transmission".

If so, Aston Martin could be the only car-maker left offering a manual mid-engine supercar in a highly competitive class dominated by Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren.

It's thought the Vanquish will use the same Aston-developed seven-speed manual transmission, which features a dogleg first ratio. The same 'box is used in the V8 Vantage AMR that was unveiled in May.

Asked why, unlike the McLaren 720S, the Vanquish uses an aluminium monocoque instead of a carbon-fibre tub, Palmer said daily usability was key to its platform strategy.

"McLaren make marvellous drivers' cars but their tech strategy is very different to ours – they use their tub for all their cars while we use different architectures to reach different customers,” Palmer said.

"Our mainstream cars, have been created to be useable daily – that's why they employ an aluminium tub for a lower and narrower sill – it makes them easier to get in and out of.”

Unlike McLaren, Palmer says a carbon-fibre tub will be reserved for its most extreme models where owners are happy to sacrifice comfort for ultimate speed.

"Unlike McLaren we're not trying to stretch the same assets over and over again. Our approach is a more expensive philosophy but hopefully it's a more compelling way of addressing a customer's needs," he said.

Codenamed AM9, the new Vanquish will be powered by an all-new electrified 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6.

The same engine will be used in the Valhalla, but in this application will need to churn out 600kW-plus to be competitive.

When it arrives the Vanquish is set to be priced from at about $450,000 for the base model, with faster AMR versions and even a drop top Volante all confirmed to follow in the supercar's tracks.