{"id":2842,"date":"2019-09-07T11:30:11","date_gmt":"2019-09-07T11:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=2842"},"modified":"2024-09-12T10:23:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:23:51","slug":"aston-martin-vanquish-25-unfinished-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/aston-martin-vanquish-25-unfinished-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Aston Martin Vanquish 25 – Unfinished Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ian Callum has got more than one impressive car on his design CV. He penned the Escort RS Cosworth, the RS200 and the classic Puma. He worked on the Jaguar XK, X Type Estate and XF to name but a few. All impressive feats, and all worthy of individual attention. However, it was arguably his time at Aston Martin<\/a> that saw some of the most dramatic and exciting designs. Cars like the DB7 and the DB9 are still as iconic now as they were when they were new. And then there\u2019s the Vanquish, a V12 powerhouse that boasted sleek yet muscular looks with more than enough performance to match. This, by Ian\u2019s own admission, was his favourite work. It\u2019s a car that has stayed with him from sketchpad through to being a tangible machine (he actually owns one). So it\u2019s fitting, then, that the Vanquish is the car he has revisited and re-worked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

The car was launched officially at the Hampton Court Palace Concours event held in September 2019. Of course, Car & Classic had to go along to see the car, but we also wanted to have a chat with Ian to find out just what has motivated him to take on this project, something that is far greater in scale than anything he\u2019s ever done. As he admits himself, before, the cars were the product of a team of people, and while more than one person is involved here, the reality is that Ian is much more exposed and ultimately much more responsible for the end result. This is his baby, his unhindered and undiluted vision. It\u2019s pure Callum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of my favourites\u201d explained Ian. \u201cIt was at a time when I\u2019d finished the DB9 and V8, I was waiting for the face-lift of this car to come through. I could see at the time, in my own mind, what I\u2019d want to do to it. But it never happened, as I\u2019d left Aston by then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

Ian had the ideas, but having moved on to Jaguar, he was seemingly destined to never realise the true potential of the Vanquish. \u201cFrom my point of view, the car didn\u2019t get its due worth that it deserved. I think it\u2019s a hugely significant car for Aston. It deserved a face-lift and it probably deserved to last a lot longer. It became unfinished business.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ian, at this point, had never owned a car he had designed, but keenly took the plunge with the Vanquish (in fact, the standard car on display is his). But he didn\u2019t buy it to enjoy, he actually bought it with the intention to modify it, to use it as the basis of the Vanquish realising what Ian deemed to be its full potential. \u201cI felt this burning desire to take it to another level.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

And take it to another he has. Being the car\u2019s original designer, it was easy in a sense for Ian to take the evolution on. As he said to us, the trick with a face-lift is to be sympathetic to the original car, to not push it beyond or wedge in design features that aren\u2019t coherent to the original design philosophy, and that\u2019s exactly what Ian has done.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The lights have been reworked to be more a part of the design, and of course, to be more modern and effective. The body has largely been left alone, with the exception of functional carbon fibre elements such as the skirts and the intricate rear diffuser. The interior has been completely re-imagined, as this was an area Ian felt the Vanquish was weak. As such, Bridge of Weir have come in and helped to put together an interior that is rich and sumptuous, while also lightweight and befitting of the car\u2019s performance. <\/span><\/p>\n

Every panel of the interior has been reworked, where there was once a monochrome cabin there is now a vibrant, leather and carbon fibre laden space that brings with it a sense of occasion. It\u2019s admittedly a bit Marmite in its blue hue, but we like it. And customers will have the option to choose from a myriad of colour options. This car is Ian\u2019s vision, not what customer x HAS to buy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

When asked about what it\u2019s like to be at the forefront of a project like this, Ian explained that \u201cyou feel very exposed, you feel naked almost. There\u2019s not this huge team of people behind it, it\u2019s just me. I can\u2019t go blaming it on the engineers!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the Vanquish 25 (so named because there will be 25 built) isn\u2019t just an aesthetic exercise. There has also been some considerable engineering work to advance the car and bring it up to date. Car & Classic spoke to the brilliantly named Adam Donfrancesco who has been charged with the task of bringing the bark and bite to this project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big limiting factor when you\u2019re working with older technology is the chassis, so you have to work within the boundaries of some of the chassis\u2019 structural requirements, or perhaps look to update them. We played around with some shear plates at the rear end to stiffen it up a little bit, it\u2019s about being sympathetic to the car. Not engineering it for the sake of it. There has been a lot of trial and error, but we\u2019ve given the car some new structure and strength and we\u2019re happy with how it\u2019s translating to the drive, though we are still developing the dynamics.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Arguably the most significant area of development, the Vanquish 25\u2019s chassis now featured thicker anti-roll bars, tuned dampers, custom springs and a lower ride height. The steering response has been improved while also being tuned to reduce roll, but the whole lot doesn\u2019t overpower the suspension, it can still breath, to use Adam\u2019s words. The car feels lighter now, more alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

And what about the engine, what has been done there? Adam was keen to give us the answer. \u201cEngine performance is an area we\u2019re really pleased with. 60-70 extra horsepower, a flat uplift in torque. The engine really did unlock a bit of performance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The 5.9 litre V12 now delivered some 580bhp. There is a new carbon induction system as well as a completely new exhaust system. It\u2019s a demonstration of the careful restraint that has been shown here, the car is still a GT car, it has not been forced to evolve into something beyond that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This project was an idea of Ian\u2019s that has grown beyond what he ever imagined. This was unfinished business, very much a personal passion project. But now, with partners like Michelin, Bridge of Weir and Aston Martin itself, it\u2019s become more. There is also the partnership with Swiss company, R Reforged, who will be charged with distributing the 25 cars for customers, while the build will be by the CALLUM company.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

At \u00a3550,000 each, the Vanquish 25 isn\u2019t what you\u2019d call cheap. But does that matter on a car like this? You\u2019re getting the machine in the purest form of the designer\u2019s vision here, undiluted by regulations, budgetary concerns or red tape. This is the pure, unabashed vision of what Ian Callum saw in the Vanquish, and that\u2019s special. It\u2019s also the kind of provenance that other cars can only dream of.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, the reception and positive buzz around it has perhaps helped Ian and the team make the next step. The Vanquish 25 won\u2019t be a one-hit wonder. There are already plans afoot to afford this kind of re-imagining to other cars, and as Ian told us, it may even evolve into a completely new car. These are exciting times for Ian Callum, and the Vanquish 25 is, for us, a clear indicator that he\u2019s going to continue to make waves in the motoring world. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ian Callum has got more than one impressive car on his design CV. He penned the Escort RS Cosworth, the RS200 and the classic Puma. He worked on the Jaguar…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":2844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[2],"tags":[882,883,885,884],"yoast_head":"\nAston Martin Vanquish 25 - Unfinished Business - Car & Classic Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Normally, when someone designs a car, that\u2019s the end of the story. 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