Vanquish

There are cars you rent to get around, and cars you rent to make an entrance. The Vanquish belongs firmly to the second category: the summit of the range, twelve cylinders, two seats, and a presence that changes the conversation on the quayside at Porto Cervo. Sardinia gives it the right stage — and fast roads worthy of its stride.

The ideal script begins at the airport: land at Olbia, complete the paperwork, and pull onto the main road with an 835 hp V12 warming through towards Porto Rotondo. How the handover at the terminal works, step by step, is explained in our guide to delivery at Olbia airport.

The new 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 is the most powerful engine ever fitted to a series-production Aston Martin: 835 hp, an avalanche of torque and a reserve of boost held in waiting that makes overtaking instantaneous. The numbers — 0–100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, a 345 km/h top speed — say little about the voice: a dark rumble low down, and at the top a mechanical siren no eight-cylinder engine knows how to imitate.

The 8-speed transmission and the electronic differential at the rear axle deploy the power with a progression that never intimidates: the Vanquish is ferociously fast yet beautifully mannered, with steering that is calm on centre and precise once loaded into a corner. Through the long sweepers towards Baja Sardinia it holds a flagship's composure — then reminds you, on every straight, exactly who rules the range.

Vanquish is the name Aston Martin reserves for its summits, and its return in 2024 carries a precise meaning: two seats only, front engine, a V12, and deliberately limited production. This is not the evolution of a long-distance grand tourer — it is a declaration that the pure twelve-cylinder still has a throne, while the rest of the segment changes its skin.

Within our Aston Martin rental catalogue for Sardinia it represents the top step, reserved for those who want the maximum without mediation. A fleet of more than 100 models and 150-plus versions leaves room for plenty of alternatives — but in our experience, whoever asks for the Vanquish has already decided, and does not change their mind.