The Aston Martin Vanquish S is a rare enough car in its own right but to find one with a manual box is virtually unheard of. This was a modification that Aston Martin agreed to supply but they required a further £15,000 over the standard gearbox. Normally it is the auto box that gets charged more for!
To many people it is the Vanquish that gets the heart most racing when looking at the Aston Martin range but the semi-auto box was regarded by some as a let down. Having driven both the standard Vanquish and the S model, we can confirm that the S model was a big improvement and put a huge smile on the face when driven, which is what any performance car really should do.
From talking to people who have driven the manual version, 2 opinions exist. The thought is that the gearbox feels too heavy (rather like the manual Vantage) but it does give that sport feeling that any manual box does. Just ask any Porsche GT3 or GT3RS driver just why they continue to love their cars rather than all those Ferraris with semi-auto shift.
Both versions are fine for our performance car insurance, whether this be the standard semi-auto box or the professional manual conversion which is authorised by Aston Martin and done on their behalf by the Works Service.