2004 Aston Martin Vanquish V12 S

Finished in the iconic colour scheme of Tungsten Silver with a black leather interior, this Aston Martin Vanquich S shows just three previous keepers on the V5 Registration Certificate and a little over 52,000 miles on the odometer.

It also features no fewer than 22 service stamps and 15 advisory-free MoT passes, which is significant; while we’d all love to drive an Aston Martin Vanquish, the understandable fear of what might happen if we buy a neglected and abused example might put some of us off. 

No such fears here though because this has been serviced, by either a main dealer or a well-regarded independent expert, on average every 2,400 miles.

We haven’t added up the cost of this fastidious curation but given the last 11 services add up to a whopping £29,680 – and more than £10,000 of that was incurred during just the last two – we’re  willing to bet that it was a significant sum. 

The private registration ‘VS04 AML’ comes with it too, and if you’re still dithering then rest assured that the seller, who’s had four of these in total, describes it as “the best Vanquish I’ve ever owned!”

Only for sale because a medical issue means he now needs a fully automatic car, this is a Vanquish S you can buy with your head and your heart. 

Given the combination of the rigidity of the Vanquish’s underlying structure, the care with which the hand-formed aluminium panels were crafted and attached, and the quality of its subsequent curation, you’d have every right to expect mm-perfect shutlines, peerless panel alignment, and an absence of ripples.

Which is exactly what you get – but what might surprise you is how well the paintwork is holding up, which is very well indeed. 

But browsing the voluminous history file reveals an invoice for £1,200 for detailing plus another from 2016 for £1,740 for paint protection to the front end; money has clearly not been a factor. 

The Tungsten Silver colour works in its favour too, giving it the look of a car that’s been carved from a chunk of solid metal, something the S’s revised front and larger rear spoiler contribute to in no small way. Dial in a small front splitter and you can see why the revised model had a sleeker and more aerodynamic shape. 

The 19-inch, diamond-polished alloy wheels, which are unique to the upgraded S model, are in fine fettle with no scuffs, scrapes or other signs of careless parking. The design of the wheels also allows you to admire the ventilated brake discs that lie behind them. A vast 14.9-inches at the front and a healthy 13-inches at the rear, they’re clamped by four-piston calipers – but then you need good brakes when your car can top 200mph. 

Good tyres too, and you need have no worries on that score either as the Vanquish is fitted with a matching set of Yokohama Advan Sport tyres. In 255/40ZR19 on the front (date-stamped 2026) and 285/40ZR19 at the rear (2023) all show very good tread.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. 

As for flaws, the paint protection film is starting to peel away in places, which is surely the definition of a #firstworldproblem. 

There is also a very small dent on the nearside door and a tiny graze on the leading edge of the nearside front wheelarch. That’s your lot though because everything else, including the badges, the glazing, the lamp lenses, and the modest brightwork, is flawless.

While the coachwork has emerged almost unscathed, the interior is starting to show its age – but even this patina comprises little nothing more than light creases to the front seats and a gentle softening of the base of the driver’s seat.

But then it has been treated every bit as well as the bodywork and mechanical components; Matthew Hill Coach Trimming replaced the leather and centre top of the dashboard and the leather and carrier on the nearside rear as they’d shrunk, which sounds like a straightforward repair but the four-figure bill for labour and the use of half a hide shows just how much work was actually involved. 

The grey headlining is clean, taut, and undamaged, thereby fulfilling every requirement you could reasonably ask of it. It’s the same story with the carpets, door cards, rear three-quarter trims, and even the armrests, all of which could have come from a much younger car.

The front seats, which are electrically powered and heated, clamp you firmly in place and yet are still comfortable enough to be able to cross a couple of countries before breakfast, a role the Vanquish fulfils better than almost anything else we can think of.

The rear seats are plump and virtually unmarked, and we wouldn’t be surprised if we were to learn that they had never been used. 

The grey-on-cream instruments are some of the most elegant in the business, proving that legibility and stylishness need not be mutually exclusive. The speedometer reads to 210mph, which, in contrast to just about every other car manufacturer on the planet, shows an admirable restraint and ensures that the needle will probably be pinned against the stop should you be lucky enough to drive it flat out.

The switches and controls are still brightly marked, and the attention to detail is astonishing with even the alloy flappy paddles being trimmed in black leather.

Naturally, everything we tested worked exactly as it should.

The Vanquish’s 22 service stamps, which have all been either Aston Martin itself or an independent specialist, comprise:

• 12.05.2026 and 52,164 miles – service by V12Vanquish.com at a cost of £2,748 including new thermostat top stubs, under-bonnet side panels, headlamp bulbs, a rear top arm and both lower arms, and fresh power-steering and ASM fluids
• 07.01.2024 and 51,571 miles – service by V12Vanquish.com at a cost of £7,589 including fresh coolant and power-steering fluid, refurbishing the front subframe, fitting a new airbox and ASM pump motor and accumulator
• 17.08.2022 and 51,166 miles – service by Aston Martin Works at a cost of £1,636
• 30.04.2021 and 48,166 miles – service by Aston Martin Birmingham at a cost of £3,680
• 12.08.2019 and 47,816 miles – service by Aston Martin Birmingham at a cost of £824
• 25.07.2018 and 47,602 miles – service by Aston Martin Birmingham at a cost of £2,382
• 12.07.2017 and 46,819 miles – service by McGurk Performance Cars at a cost of £979 including fresh differential oil
• 19.09.2016 and 45,177 miles – service by McGurk Performance Cars at a cost of £1,205
• 20.11.2015 and 44,003 miles – service by Aston Martin Cheltenham at a cost of £1,607
• 20.11.2014 and 43,939 miles – service by Aston Martin Cheltenham at a cost of £4,922 including an air-conditioning service, new tyre pressure sensors, and new front brake discs and pads
• 12.02.2013 and 38,139 miles – service by Stratstone London at a cost of £2,108
• 28.06.2012 and 34,386 miles – service by Grange Aston Martin
• 18.11.2011 and 25,554 miles – service by Aston Martin Cheltenham at a cost of £1,904
• 29.11.2010 and 19,653 miles – service by Broughtons Aston Martin
• 24.05.2010 17,959 miles – service by HWM Aston Martin
• 02.12.2009 and 17,916 miles – service by HWM Aston Martin
• 28.11.2008 and 16,617 miles – service by HWM Aston Martin including fresh brake fluid
• 11.12.2007 and 12,655 miles – service by HWM Aston Martin including fresh brake fluid
• 21.12.2006 and 9,036 miles – service by HWM Aston Martin
• 03.05.2006 and 6,902 miles – service by HWM Aston Martin
• 05.05.2005 and 3,260 miles – service by HWM Aston Martin
• 10.12.2004 and 93 miles – pre-delivery inspection by HWM Aston Martin

The seller describes the Vanquish as the best of the four he’s owned, going on to tell us that it “drives superbly”. Our test drive certainly went very well, with everything we tested working exactly as it should, including the air-conditioning, which was ice-cold and very much appreciated on what was one of the hottest days of the year.

Of course, we didn’t push the car hard enough to appreciate the Vanquish S’s standard-fit Sports Dynamic Package, which comprises stiffer suspension, revised steering, and the larger brakes we mentioned earlier. 

As the video demonstrates, Stuart Bull’s handbuilt V12 engine still slips into life with barely a murmur, idling quietly and with its customary smoothness and civility.

This civility works in conjunction with the car’s stealth colour to help it fly beneath the radar, enabling you to glide through city streets and country lanes with barely a murmur – as long as you don’t drive it hard, at which point the twin exhaust system lets rip with one of the most glorious man-made noises of the 21st century: We didn’t rev it too hard out of deference for a machine that doesn’t belong to us but if you win the auction you’ll be free to spin it all the way to the 7,000-rpm red line, at which point we suspect your hackles will be up and you’ll be shivering with goosebumps. 

The new Bentley Torcal’s use of drums to emulate the noise of a V8 engine might be very clever, but nothing beats the sound of a well-fettled Aston Martin V12. Of course, this one also does it all without triggering any warning lights on the dashboard or making any odd noises or emitting any smoke.

The V12 engine is set well back in the engine bay for better balance, which means the carbonfibre strut brace sits in front of it. The engine bay itself is as clean and well-ordered as you’d expect to find under the bonnet of a car with such an impeccable service history.

The underside is straight and clean. McGurk cleaned and undersealed the Aston in September 2019 and while rust obviously isn’t an issue, it’s good to see that even the vulnerable front splitter is free of the heavy scuffs and damage we tend to see on cars of this ilk.

The Aston’s MoT certificate, which is valid until April 2027, was issued without any advisories. Not that this is an unusual state of affairs as it was the 15th occasion when the MoT tester had been left lost for words. 

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear and it comes with two keys and fobs.

The history file also includes the all-important stamped service history booklet, a neatly collated list of that history, and a print-out from Aston Martin of the same history that also includes miscellaneous repairs.

It also comes with invoices for servicing and repairs, a V5 Registration Certificate in the seller’s name, and a bunch of expired MoT certificates, which have also been summarised.

It’s clear that the Vanquish’s previous keepers, including its titled first owner,  took a great deal of pride in maintaining it properly.

Being offered with an estimate of between £40,000 and £50,000, this incredibly well curated Vanquish S needs nothing other than its next fastidious owner to maintain it in the style to which it’s become accustomed.  

And, because the seller really does need to sell it in order to buy the automatic car he now needs, it is also being offered with no reserve, so will be considered sold as soon as the first bid has been placed.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.