If there was ever any doubt why James Bond loves Aston Martins->ke13 so much, these Vanquish Carbon Edition models will quell all of those misgivings. The British automaker finally pulled the covers off of its latest special edition->ke2041 creation only days after it dropped a teaser promoting its arrival. While I do think that Aston Martin needs to time its teasers better, I'm not complaining about what came out of it.

The Vanquish Carbon Edition is a thing of beauty and if you want to be really technical about it, there are actually two versions of this bad-boy. There's a coupe->ke141 and a convertible->ke144 version, each of which can be dressed in either black or white. Pulling off a black or white car isn't easy, but the Vanquish has all the sexiness it needs to wear these colors and look good doing so.

I'm not saying that I'm going to buy one as soon as it's available, but there's nothing wrong with staring at them with longing eyes, right?

Click past the jump to read more about the 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition.

2015 Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2015 Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition
  • Engine/Motor: V12
  • Horsepower: 567 @ 6750
  • Torque: 465 @ 5500
  • Transmission: 8-speed automatic
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition comes with a black or white exterior finish. Sure, It may not look flashy, but these two variations are about as classy as it gets. Outside the colors, the special-edition Vanquish also comes with black window surrounds, special brake calipers, and a set of 10-spoke alloy wheels finished in gloss black.

Interior

Sure, it's the same interior configuration as the standard Vanquish, but this is a special-edition model for a reason. The herringbone carbon fiber trim is a particularly impressive addition, as are the anodized black speaker grilles installed for the Bang & Olugsen audio system and the quilted-leather upholstery.

Drivetrain

The new Vanquish Carbon Edition doesn’t have any performance upgrades. But it is based on the recently upgraded model so you can expect the same 6.0-liter, V-12 engine that produces 568 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. These numbers are good enough to get the Vanquish to 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds to go with a top speed of 201 mph.

Drivetrain Specifications

Type

6.0-liter V-12 engine

Output

567 HP @ 6,750 RPM

Peak torque

465 LB-FT @ 5,500 RPM

0 to 60 mph

3.6 seconds

Top speed

201 mph


Prices

Aston Martin hasn't released pricing details of the 2015 Vanquish so it's hard to guess how much these special-edition models will cost. But we can at least base it on the 2014 model, which retailed for £189,995 (close to $308,000 as of 9/12/2014).

Competition

Maserati GranTurismo MC Centennial Edition

One special-edition model deserves another -- I swear I heard somebody say that once. In this case, the Vanquish Carbon Edition models have a suitable competitor in the form of the Maserati GranTurismo MC Centennial Edition.

The GranTurismo MC Centennial Edition also comes in coupe and convertible trims, albeit with a more colorful presentation. No black or white colors here; these bad-boys feature either a Pietra Grey, Magma Red, or Inchiostro Blue colors.

The Maserati GranTurismo MC Centennial Edition is powered by a 4.7-liter, V-8 engine that produces 454 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque and mates to a ZF six-speed automatic. These numbers allow the car to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 ticks, but top speed is limited to just 186 mph, which is well short of the Vanquish's top velocity.

Pricing for the 2015 Maserati GranTurismo begins in the range of $135,000, far more affordable compared to the asking price of the Vanquish Carbon Edition models.

Conclusion

The Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition is the perfect combination of a high-performance sports car and luxury rig. The price is incredibly worrisome, but with this type of car, that is the kind of price tag you can expect.

I know. James Bond wouldn't have that problem. But then again, none of us lay claim to being Britain's secret weapon.