When Aston Martin’s Project Vantage Concept debut at the Detroit Auto Show back in 1998, it seemed a wildly different animal than the Astons that had come before. Landing somewhere between the smooth-skinned DB7 and the blocky Virage in looks, it was aggressive, modern — and sexy as hell. Any fears that the style would be left behind for production were proven unwarranted; the production car looked every bit as cool as the concept, whether tooling down Rodeo Drive or firing missiles at an ice palace in a Bond film.
By 2020 standards, though, the original Vanquish is more than a bit outdated. Aston Martin’s Ford-owned era was hardly a high-water mark for fit and finish, especially when it came to interior trim. And the automated six-speed manual gearbox was a far cry from the refined dual-clutch shifters found in modern-day exotics.
For most cars, people would simply make like Elsa and let it go. But former Aston Martin and Jaguar designer Ian Callum isn’t like most people — and he has enough of a pool of interested buyers to warrant taking a crack at redoing his 20-year-old supercar for a whole new decade.
R-ReforgedThe resulting car is formally known as the Aston Martin CALLUM Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged, although most of us (including builder R-Reforged, which specializes in high-end limited-edition vehicles) will simply refer to it as the Vanquish25. To improve handling, the Vanquish25 cars have been lowered by 0.4 inches, run with a track that’s up to 2.4 inches wider, pack new bushings and stiffer anti-roll bars, and use new Michelin Pilot Sport tires designed to serve up plenty of grip without being quite as firm-riding as many modern sports cars and gran turismos. Power from the 5.9-liter V12 is up to 580 horsepower, with buyers able to choose between the original semi-automatic gearbox, a six-speed automatic transmission and a six-speed stick.
R-ReforgedOutside, the changes are subtle: a slight reshaping of the front fascia, a revised hood, and so forth. The bigger alterations lie in the cabin, where Callum & co. have thoroughly refreshed the look for the third decade of the 21st Century. Bridge of Weir leather abounds, with an available tartan pattern that’s reportedly set to become a hallmark of Ian Callum’s reimagined vehicles. Carbon fiber trim stretches across much of the rest of the insides, including the 8.0-inch infotainment display that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. And none other than Bremont served up an assist by designing the gauges, along with a removable pocket watch that slots in at the top of the dash.
