Janet Jackson’s Aston Martin could be “All For You”

Unless you pulled a Rip Van Winkle and have been napping since the 1970s, you know Janet Jackson. The 10th and youngest member of the legendary Jackson family, the 56-year-old pop star is one of the most influential entertainers of the modern era. She’s also a car collector.

According to 21motoring.com, Jackson’s rides range from a relatively tame 1962 Studebaker Gran Tourismo Hawk and 2001 Jaguar XKR to a 1964 Porsche 356SC Cabriolet, 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, and ultra-expensive Lamborghini Murciélago LP640.

Now one of the megastar’s automobiles could be “All For You.” Julien’s Auctions announced that Jackson’s 2003 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, along with some of her costumes and memorabilia, will be auctioned off on Sunday, May 21, at New York City’s Hard Rock Cafe. A non–Janet Jackson 2003 V12 Vanquish in #3 (Good) condition has an average value of $64,000. Julien’s, which auctioned the same car for $70,400 in 2021, set a pre-auction estimate of $50,000–$70,000. Online bidding is also available at julienslive.com.

The V12 Vanquish is a rear-wheel-drive grand tourer designed by Ian Callum, who also created Aston Martin’s DB7 and would later redesign the Jaguar XK in 2005. Callum’s first-generation Vanquish was produced from 2001–07, while a second-gen version lived from 2012–18.

Jackson’s 2003 Vanquish is powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 engine that when new produced 460 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 400 lb-ft of torque at 5000. The six-speed, semi-automatic gearbox is controlled by twin paddles, located behind the steering wheel. “Sport” mode, which accommodates driver-prompted shifts via the paddles, enables the transmission to skip intermediate gears when downshifting, while a rev-limiter protects the engine. The result is 0-to-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and top speed of 190 mph.

Antilock, ventilated, and drilled Brembo disc brakes are fitted to aluminum alloy wheels. The suspension incorporates forged aluminum wishbones at all four corners and, at the front, cast-aluminum uprights. The rear axle is equipped with a limited-slip differential that works in tandem with electronic traction control, which senses wheel slippage and automatically reduces engine power, applying the rear braking system as necessary.

The original Vanquish made a splash at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show, but it received even more accolades when it became James Bond’s vehicle of choice in 2002’s Die Another Day—Aston Martin’s return to the Bond series.

“Aston Martin’s new Vanquish is one of the most superbly designed front-engine GTs of all time,” Motortrend gushed. British magazine evo praised it as well: “It devours the straight bits with relish, but it also has a ravenous appetite for corners.”

Jackson’s Vanquish features black leather seats with charcoal gray, perforated-leather inserts, plus all the bells and whistles you’d expect in the interior of a high-end sports car of the 2000s. And this celebrity car isn’t one of those that the celebrity rarely drove; Jackson enjoyed plenty of road time in her Aston Martin—and who could blame her?

As British automotive writer Andy Enright so eloquently put it in 2007, “The Vanquish in many ways represents Aston Martin in transition, dragging itself from an era of appealing but rather parochial powerhouses into an altogether more modern era. As such, there are parts of the car that seem resolutely modern whilst other aspects seem rooted in the past, making it possibly the most interesting Aston Martin road car in recent years. It’s also one of the most exciting.”

Jackson may have sung “The Best Things in Life Are Free,” but we’re guessing she didn’t mind paying up for this hand-built beauty. Perhaps one of her fans won’t either.

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