New Aston Martin V12 Vantage debuts

After years of speculation and consumer demand, a new-generation Aston Martin V12 Vantage has been confirmed for 2022 via a new teaser clip uploaded to YouTube tonight.

The 14-second video doesn’t reveal anything about the car other than its logo and a particularly angry exhaust note, along with the words “never leave quietly”, all but confirming the new V12 will be the swansong variant of the current-generation Vantage.

That notion is solidified by Aston Martin in a statement accompanying the clip which read: “You’ve heard about it. You will certainly hear it coming. V12 Vantage. It’s not just a Limited Edition, it’s a Final Edition. Returning in 2022.”

No specific timing, specifications or design details have been confirmed yet, however, the engine is almost certain to be a derivative of the current twin-turbo 5.2-litre unit found in both the DB11 and DBS.

With the last-generation V12 Vantage, Aston engineers essentially lifted the 6.0-litre V12 out of the DBS and installed it into the smaller-bodied Vantage with unchanged outputs, which resulted in some improved performance figures on account of the Vantage’s lower weight.

That car was also more focused and agile, leaving the DBS unthreatened as the band’s premier grand tourer.

Given the aggression of the exhaust note and clear enthusiasm shown by the brand, we think the same basic recipe is going to be applied here too, except the outputs and resulting performance would set at a new standard.

In its current state of tune, the DBS’ forced-fed bent-12 develops a monstrous 533kW/900Nm, all of which is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

For reference, the current Vantage’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 produces 375kW/685Nm.

Given the looming Euro7 emissions regulations, it stands to reason that the V12 could not only be the swansong variant of the current Vantage but the swansong Aston Martin V12.

If this proves to be the case, then there’s every chance CEO Tobias Moers has instructed engineers to screw even more power out of the engine for the company’s halo Vantage; just like he did with the bespoke V12 Speedster.

Moers has commented previously that he would try to keep the V12 around until the Euro7 regulations came into effect in 2025, indicating a two- to three-year production run for the V12 Vantage and forecasting a seven-year model lifecycle for the broader Vantage portfolio that was launched globally in 2018.

Once 2025 does roll around, Moers has confirmed both the Vantage and DB11 would make the transition to battery-electric power in their next generations.