George Clooney and Daniel Craig reveal Aston Martin V12 Vanquish - new images of Aston's fastest ever road car

A host of A-list celebrities including George Clooney, Sandy Powell and former James Bond star Daniel Craig attended the star-studded reveal of the new Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, in Venice, this week.

Against the starlit backdrop of the Venice International Film Festival, Aston Martin unveiled the V12 Vanquish to an audience drawn from the worlds of cinema, fashion and business. Described as ‘an automotive piece of art’, Vanquish completes Aston Martin’s portfolio of next generation of front-engine sports cars, capping one of the most intensive periods of product development in the company’s 111-year history.

The Vanquish will be Aston Martin’s highest performance sports car in its core product line-up, and its most exclusive, with production limited to 1,000 examples per year. Vanquish is the only model in the Aston Martin portfolio to feature a bespoke, in-house developed 12-cylinder engine. The twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 develops 823bhp and sports a nought to 62mph time of 3.3 seconds, while the top speed of 214mph makes it the fastest Aston Martin production car to date.

Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin, said: “The arrival of Vanquish is a seminal moment for Aston Martin, completing the newest and strongest portfolio in our segment and reinforcing our ultra-luxury positioning.

“This launch toasts the renaissance of our iconic brand and the unique combination of timeless design, craft mastery and engineering innovation which defines our new generation of sportscars. Our flagship product, Vanquish embodies our commitment to both ultra-luxury and high performance, bringing Aston Martin to a new generation of drivers.”

The Aston Martin Vanquish Grand Tourer was originally launched in 2001 as a successor to the Aston Martin Virage. Designed by Dumfries-born Scottish car designer Ian Callum, the iconic design has played a prominent role in cinema, most famously driven by James Bond in the 2002 film Die Another Day and making appearances in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and The Italian Job.