Callum Vanquish 25 is ready to roll

The first product of legendary Scottish designer Ian Callum’s new studio is all set for the road. The Aston Martin CALLUM Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged was first revealed in 2019 but has now been fully developed for production.

The car is based on the Vanquish S which Callum designed for Aston Martin during his time at TWR. But we’re guessing he was never quite satisfied, as the “new” version has more than 350 design, material, and engineering revisions.

Claiming that it is now a more practical and relevant GT, the main mechanical changes include fine-tuned Bilstein dampers, new bushings, stiffer anti-roll bars, a lower ride height, wider track, and Michelin Pilot Sport tires on a choice of 20-inch wheels.

The seating position is lower and a more slender steering wheel has been fitted, which R-Reforged head of engineering Adam Donfrancesco says provides sharper steering and better feedback. The car has been tested over 20,000 miles of road and track driving.

“After a year of piling on the miles in our development prototype, I’m confident we’ve hit the targets we set ourselves of a very responsive but supple car,” adds Donfrancesco.

The naturally-aspirated V-12 engine has been “dressed” with a bespoke carbon-fiber intake and tuned stainless steel primary collectors. At 588 hp this beast of a unit makes more power than the Vanquish S and can be mated to a manual, automatic, or semi-automatic transmission.

The interior of each of the 25 cars will be completely bespoke, trimmed in Bridge of Weir leather and featuring a special spot for a Bremont removable pocket watch. A matched set of Mulberry luggage will also be available.

The price will be north of half a million dollars, depending on the cost of the donor car. Yes, you’ll need a 2001-2007 Vanquish S to begin with. Production begins in September with the first orders shipping to Europe and Latin America.

Callum started his design consultancy after leaving Jaguar, where he was responsible for designing the F-Pace, F-Type and I-Pace. Previous career highlights include the Aston Martin Vanquish, Vantage and DB9, the Ford Puma, and Escort Cosworth.

It’s been a busy time for the Callum family, as brother Moray Callum is VP of design at Ford, leading the team that designed the new Bronco.

Which brother has done it best?