What happens when renowned car designer Ian Callum gets a chance to reimagine one of his greatest achievements, making over 350 engineering, material and design changes along the way?
The answer is this, the Aston Martin Callum Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged. Shown off in concept form in 2019, the car is now ready to go into production, which kicks off in September. Changes from the concept of last summer include a revised interior, more trim options, and a definitive chassis and powertrain setup.
Over 20,000 miles of test driving has taken place in the last nine months, as Callum prepares to deliver the first of what he has previously said will be a series of reimagined cars to bear his own name. The former Aston Martin and Jaguar design chief has also suggested he might one day make a new car all of his own.
Changes to the first-generation Vanquish S, which was in production from 2004 to 2007, come with efforts to sharpen maneuverability, adding more agility and to what was originally designed as a long-distance cruiser. The changes come with stiffer roll bars, a bottom frame height of 10 mm, a wider rail of up to 60 mm and Michelin Pilot Sport tyres specially selected for their functional linearity without giving a very hard ride.
A thin rim improves the feeling of guidance, while decreasing seat position and assisting suspension innovations provide more feedback to the driver. In short, this is what Callum has wanted the original Vanquish to be 20 years ago.
The car must be held in an infinite number of frame colors, plus 8 interior finish colors to choose from, 3 traditional 20-inch wheel features and 3 transmission characteristics: manual, automatic and semi-automatic.
As with the 2019 concept, the car is offered with leather provided by British firm Bridge of Weir Leather Company, and a removable Bremont pocket watch acts as both a dashboard clock and personal timepiece – said to be an industry-first collaboration between car company and watch maker. Further interior options include brushed or polished dark chrome details, and a wallet veneer option instead of carbon. A tailored luggage set can also be ordered, made by Mulberry and designed to fit perfectly in the rear of the cabin.
Under the hood, Callum’s team of engineers have fitted carbon and leather dressing, plus a bespoke carbon fibre air intake system. Together with tuned, equal-length stainless steel primary collectors, the intake system promises to create a sonorous V12 howl from the 580bhp, six-liter, naturally-aspirated engine. Modifications by Callum mean power is up by 60bhp from the Vanquish S’s V12 in standard form.
Callum said: “Designers, engineers and craftsmen have all their power to give the car new life by pushing the barriers of every detail: flawless surface finishes, tight closed lines and a designed interior, I think I enjoy spending time. I’m inspired by your behavior. From the reduced, more sculpted and comfortable seat, to the sharpest guide with a forward feel, to the way it sounds, I think we’ve created something pretty special.
An almost entirely bespoke offer, the Callum Vanquish 25 2019 concept included non-public main points such as ”Rebel Rebel” written on the fuel-filling hatch (because Callum is a fan of David Bowie, due to the aversion to electric cars, he says), and ‘Made you look like’ written on the exhaust pipes.
Designed through Callum and manufactured through the Swiss company R-Reforged, Callum Vanquish is produced in the company’s British subsidiary in Warwick, England. Only 25 are offered, with the first consumer-facing cars in Europe and Latin America later this year.
Naturally, such extensive reworking of an Aston Martin – plus near-limitless personalization, and that Mulberry luggage set – doesn’t come cheap. When announced last year, the car was priced at £550,000 ($692,000).
I’m a journalist of a generation who has written for Wired UK and the BBC, and I have a long hobby for everything on 4 wheels.