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PROJECT LINKS AUTOMOTIVE AEROSPACE ARCHITECTURE | |||||
Costing around £170,000 the new Vanquish is Aston Martin’s top of the range flagship model and is being built at its Newport Pagnell site. With a maximum speed in excess of 190 mph and a 6.0 liter V12 engine offering more than 450 horsepower it can accelerate to 60 mph in under 4.5 seconds and 100 mph in under 10 seconds. Through the application of advanced design techniques and materials it is lighter, stiffer and stronger and offers superior performance to that of the V8 engine Vantage model it replaces. All exterior body panels are constructed from aluminum with each individual panel hand tailored to the central structure to ensure a perfect panel fit.
Above: CAD rendering showing all the panels on the Vanquish made by Superform Chief Program Engineer, Ian Minards says “We used the Superform process to give us dimensionally accurate panels at an affordable tooling price for a niche product. We looked at conventional stamping but realized the shapes would be difficult to achieve using conventional pressing techniques. We are extremely happy with the support we receive from Superform and feel that the process might lend itself to future products”. The Vanquish also benefits from the most comprehensive and exhaustive test program ever to be undertaken by Aston Martin with 50 prototypes covering more than 1.0 million miles. Components and systems were subjected to a series of exhaustive trials on test rigs in Ford Research and Development Centers in Britain, mainland Europe and the United States. In order to assess the integrity and durability of the bonded body structure an environmental wind tunnel was employed to subject a Vanquish body to extreme temperatures ranging from minus 40°C to plus 81°C.
Above: CAD render showing the Superformed rear wing It also represents the largest ever investment by Aston Martin in advanced technology pioneering a series of world firsts in design and construction. The main body structure utilizes carbon fiber, extruded aluminum and composite materials bonded together to form a central monocoque safety cell with additional deformable composite structure energy absorbent zones at both front and rear. It provides standards of efficiency, structural integrity, torsional rigidity and occupant crash protection compatible with a modern Formula 1 car and exceeds all known or projected safety legislation. Designed by International award winning designer Ian Callum the Vanquish’s elegant body design is bold and dynamic. Add to this the Aston Martin pedigree and it is already established as a modern classic.
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