2005 Aston Martin Vanquish S Coupé
Registration no. KX05BWU
Chassis no. SCFA14325B501877
Engine no. AM06/10137

An entirely new Aston Martin for the 21st Century, the V12-engined Vanquish coupé debuted at the Geneva Auto Show in March 2001. Styled by Ian Callum, the man responsible for the DB7, the Vanquish employed chassis-construction techniques more advanced than those of any contemporary road car, thus enabling the chassis engineers to develop suspension combining excellent handling and roadholding with unrivalled ride quality.

First seen in the DB7 V12, the 5.9-litre, 48-valve engine developed 460bhp. The six-speed gearbox was controlled by F1-style paddles and could be operated in either of two modes: fully manual or computer-controlled automatic, with a 'sport' setting available on both. The inventory of standard equipment included almost everything the connoisseur could wish for.

Offered here is an example of the revamped Vanquish S that superseded the original version in 2004. Chief upgrade concerned the engine, which now produced 514bhp, an output good enough to make the Vanquish S a 200mph car. The previously optional Sports Dynamic Pack of enhanced steering, suspension and brakes came as standard with the Vanquish S. Vanquish S production had amounted to 1,086 cars when the model was withdrawn in 2007.

Reportedly, this Vanquish S was originally built for Aston Martin's then CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, who is said to have stipulated that his car should be the sole example finished in Morning Frost. He must have relented, for a second car with the same exterior colour was built for him in 2007, while a small batch of similar cars was exported to the Middle East towards the end of production. Driven by Bez and occasionally used as a press car, this Vanquish S has been photographed frequently, featuring on the covers of evo magazine (its original registration retained today is 'KX05 BWU'). In 2008 the interior was re-trimmed in black by Afzal Kahn in Germany, having been green check originally.

The current vendor purchased the Aston in 2020, since when it has been kept in storage. Its previous owner of nine years looked after this car very well, having new ignition coils, tyre pressure sensors, air conditioning pump, clutch and ASM pump, and four new correct Yokohama tyres fitted. The car was last serviced serviced and MoT'd in 2020 and has been in the vendors secure storage since this time. Accompanying documentation consists of a V5C Registration Certificate and the original service books with 14 stamps.