Fittingly, given the location, Dr Ulrich Bez was backed by a dazzling light display and pounding electronic beat when he opened a new chapter in the soon-to-be-100-year-old company’s history, introducing the first radically modified car to be made at Gaydon since the launch of the DB9.
Compared to the outgoing DBS, the AM310 Vanquish has all-carbonfibre bodywork, better interior packaging, a more powerful (now 565bhp) engine and a brand-new, One-77-derived interior.
![2012 Aston Martin AM310 Vanquish Launches in London](http://www.classicdriver.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_full/public/import/articlesv2/images/_uk/16158/Aston_martin_Vanquish_Launch_July_2012_02pop.jpg?itok=zoCgzgjh)
![2012 Aston Martin AM310 Vanquish Launches in London](http://www.classicdriver.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_half/public/import/articlesv2/images/_uk/16158/Aston_martin_Vanquish_Launch_July_2012_04pop.jpg?itok=bClju_RZ)
![2012 Aston Martin AM310 Vanquish Launches in London](http://www.classicdriver.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_half/public/import/articlesv2/images/_uk/16158/Aston_martin_Vanquish_Launch_July_2012_05pop.jpg?itok=wBAHrnUM)
Three cars were on display in London: one pearlescent white with red leather, one grey with tan, and a cutaway chassis and body allowing the wonderful weave of unpainted carbonfibre to be seen by all. This latter one also had a partly sectioned engine that demonstrated exactly how the big V12’s cylinder heads have been modified to give the extra power.
![2012 Aston Martin AM310 Vanquish Launches in London](http://www.classicdriver.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_full/public/import/articlesv2/images/_uk/16158/Aston_martin_Vanquish_Launch_July_2012_03pop.jpg?itok=kYm1HAKA)
![2012 Aston Martin AM310 Vanquish Launches in London](http://www.classicdriver.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_half/public/import/articlesv2/images/_uk/16158/Aston_martin_Vanquish_Launch_July_2012_06pop.jpg?itok=SOFnTL86)
![2012 Aston Martin AM310 Vanquish Launches in London](http://www.classicdriver.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_half/public/import/articlesv2/images/_uk/16158/Aston_martin_Vanquish_Launch_July_2012_07pop.jpg?itok=UZ5miZ8F)
The event was primarily for customers and the great and the good, with the first Vanquish deliveries commencing later this year. In the UK it is priced from £189,995. You can read more about this exciting car elsewhere on Classic Driver.
Photos: Classic Driver