First Drive: 2015 Aston Martin Vanquish Coupe

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INVERNESS, Scotland — The road leading northeast from Dundonnell along the shoreline of Little Loch Broom rose in the distance before us, twisting and curving in a series of sweeping bends, beckoning us to misbehave.

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Weak of willpower, my driving partner obliged. I, navigating us through this portion of the Scottish Highlands — and at an age that should inure me to such moments of infirmity — said nothing. I understood. It was a confluence of perfection; the tarmac ahead and the car we were in, Aston Martin’s tweaked-for-2015 Vanquish sports car, V12 just waiting for the prod of the throttle and the flick of the paddle shifter to unleash 568 horsepower in an exhaust-tuned aria that would make motor heads of all ages weep with joy.

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First Drive: 2015 Aston Martin Vanquish Coupe Back to video

Restoring old Aston Martins is painstaking work

The lad released the ponies and the next 20 kilometres or so were covered in a span of time considerably shorter than what a legal speed would indicate. The grip afforded by the meaty Pirelli P Zero in the fast sweepers more than held up its end of the bargain, gluing Aston’s flagship Vanquish to the intended line without a scintilla of betrayal. The shifts, taking no more than 130 milliseconds with each nudge of the paddle, showcased the car’s newest, most dominant change from last year’s model, a ZF eight-speed transaxle that replaces the six-speed unit.

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As a small independent automaker, Aston hasn’t the resources for frippery. The money earmarked for improvements to the Vanquish — and the Rapide S, its four-door sibling — were spent where it would do the most good, mechanical upgrades that would make the sports car better, faster, more fuel efficient and less harmful to the ozone layer. It’s not that the Vanquish is in need of a styling update anyway; it remains one of the most stunning examples of exotic machinery, its curves as sensuous as the zaftig women gracing a Rubens painting, with a “face” that demands respect. Even the one major cosmetic upgrade, new 10-spoke forged alloy wheels, serve a purpose beyond enhancing the car’s looks — they save almost seven kilograms in weight versus the standard wheel.

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Nor does the Vanquish need more power or a faster acceleration time, either. Yet, these it got, thanks to the new transmission and final drive ratios, along with upgrades to the Bosch engine management system and a reduction in exhaust gas back pressure. As a result, zero-to-60-mph (97 km/h) times drop by half a second, to a light-the-fuse-and-hold-on 3.6 seconds. This, says Aston Martin, makes this Vanquish the quickest accelerating production car in the company’s history.

And the sound that only this 6.0-litre V12 can trumpet, a war-like whoop that lingers in the air long after the car has rocketed off into the distance. The added three horsepower that comes with the changes ups the car’s top end to a stratospheric 326.7 kilometres an hour. A word of warning for those who hold Aston Martin near and dear to their hearts, though: Enjoy this engine while you can. With the recent inked deal that will have Mercedes-AMG supplying engines (and other technologies), a large-displacement naturally aspirated V12 for the bespoke sports car maker is not a guaranteed thing for products further along in the pipeline.

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As for those with a green conscience, take heart in the fact that the changes making the Vanquish faster also make it more fuel efficient and less polluting. Aston Martin claims that the car’s CO2 emissions drop by an average of 10%, while economy shows an 11% improvement on the European Union’s extra-urban cycle.

Admittedly, much of the day with the car was spent in Sport mode using up a quantity of North Sea crude, but every stab of the throttle also tested brakes and suspension as speed had to be scrubbed for the myriad twists and bends that followed each straight. Here, too, the Vanquish proved it was more than up for the challenge. With larger, 400-millimetre front brakes and a suspension up-rated with stiffer shocks and retuned bushings, the car’s poise in corners made heroes out of ordinary drivers.

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So, too, the new transmission with its “paddle shift” and “paddle shift sport” options for greater driving involvement, as well as Adaptive Drive Recognition that tailors shift points to a driver’s individual style.

Naturally, not every outing in a $300K sports car ($301,300 for the Coupe, $320,800 for the Volante droptop) is an invitation to explore one’s inner scofflaw. Sometimes its enough to tootle about under more social conditions, mingling with the regulars and allowing them to gaze upon the wonder of automotive engineering that is in their midst as well as acknowledge the obvious excellent taste and good breeding of the person driving it. And the Vanquish proved it was no high-strung stallion in this situation as we worked our way through Inverness’s roundabouts, over its bridges and along shop-lined streets and residential districts. If it wasn’t the car’s presence that caused the more appreciative to stare and point or give a hearty thumb’s up, it was the angry bark and crackle from its exhaust that did the trick.

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The interior, serious in its exotic sports car intent with the proper gauges and high-end materials, offers two very supportive and comfy seats for the front occupants. Not so much the rear seats, which will be better served as repositories for small pets or grocery bags. There were few other niggling issues as well — tire noise is pronounced at higher speeds, as is wind whistle over the outside mirrors. The Vanquish’s thick A-pillars are a detriment to visibility when making turns and the glare off the windshield from the centre stack’s shiny carbon-fibre trim is annoying. OK, so $300,000 still doesn’t guarantee perfection; I doubt these matters will dissuade any serious aficionado of high-powered, four-wheel exotica.

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Last year, Aston Martin celebrated its centenary. Considering the number of times over those 100 years the company was on the brink of extinction, the fact it has managed to survive and, for now, thrive, shows it continues to build the type of cars people of means are proud to own.

The revamped Vanquish, Aston’s flagship production model, showcases an excellent start to the beginning of the company’s second century.

First drive: 2015 Aston Martin Rapide S

Give Aston Martin the credit it is surely due; it makes the most achingly beautiful sports cars, whether two-door or four. So, with an infusion of cash to spend on upgrading its model lineup, it didn’t have to waste it on freshening the exterior. Instead, it put the money to where it did the most good — engineering changes to key mechanical components.

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For the 2015 model year, the modifications to the Rapide S pretty much mirror those made to the Vanquish sports car. That means a new and lighter ZF Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic transaxle — replacing the old six-speed — a stiffened suspension, larger front brakes and a new Bosch engine management system to deliver more precise communication between the car’s thundering 6.0-litre V12 and the gearbox. In the words of Marek Reichman, the company’s chief of design, the changes add a more “spirited edge” to the Rapide’s already acknowledged luxuriousness — surely one of the most understated descriptors for a four-door sports car that, says the British automaker, can now exceed 200 miles an hour (322 km/h).

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It handles as well as it goes, too, as spirited driving along the shoreline of Loch Ness and on to country roads bisecting farm villages attested. Beneath its Savile Row-like exterior is an athlete waiting to be exercised.

That the Rapide is lovely, there can be no argument; it makes similar models out of Germany look as though they were designed by near-sighted trolls. Stunning lines, however, don’t make up the fact that rear-seat entry into the car requires the contortions of a gymnast and that legroom comes at a premium.

Front-seat passengers will be able to better appreciate a cabin that is a hedonist’s delight, one that now has new leather trim colour options, including the contemporary blue/black Dark Knight and bold Fandango Pink. The car can also be swathed in optional new Duotone leather seat finish in Sahara Tan and Vibrant Red, as well as new headliner options that mix quilting with fine leathers or Alcantara.

Want something more extreme? Being bespoke does have its advantages. Bound only by the limits of imagination — and the bank account to back it up — customers can have their cars fully personalized by Aston Martin’s Q department with colours and materials and modifications. As the brochure says: “No detail or request is too specific for our expert team.”