Aston Martin's mid-engined supercar to be named Vanquish

Aston Martin's upcoming mid-engined supercar rival to the Ferrari 488 is set to wear the storied Vanquish badge.

The British car maker appeared to have retired the Vanquish badge last year, following the run out of its V12-powered juggernaut, which has been superseded (philosophically, at least) by the new DBS Superleggera.

However, Aston Martin's chief creative officer, Marek Reichmann, has since hinted the Aston Martin Vanquish nameplate will be reinvigorated as the brand's promised mid-engined coupe in 2020.

Speaking with Australian media from the DBS Superleggera launch in Germany this week, Reichmann said the new mid-engined model would rival Ferrari's 488, McLaren's 720 S, Lamborghini's Huracan and Audi's V10-powered R8.

"Without saying yes, that sounds like a plausible solution for a beautiful name like Vanquish," he said.

Reichmann said using the DBS Superleggera name for Aston's new 533kW GT better reflected that car's positioning than Vanquish. But he insisted the Vanquish moniker would get a guernsey again in the near future, as one of Aston's promised seven new models in seven years.

"Obviously, Vanquish is an incredible name for us. Ever since the first Vanquish, it has stood as the most powerful brute in the family but we felt, more importantly, this was a true DBS more than a Vanquish because of the base product and how we've derived it to get to DBS," Reichmann said of the large GT.

"It's a more appropriate name for this car. Vanquish is a very special name and we've got some pretty special cars coming."

Along with a name, the mid-engined Aston Martin Vanquish is edging closer to its confirmed design. Reichmann revealed Aston's design team had already produced 12 scale model designs and three full-size models during the development process.

"Car number 5 is our mid-engined car, and our freedom really comes from having a completely different layout," he said. "The credibility to get to that series production car comes all through Valkyrie, both 001 and 002.

"It will be the most beautiful mid-engined car on the road ... with all the learnings from Valkyrie."

The design boss was slightly more guarded around the mid-engined offering's technical details, only offering that it would borrow elements from the Valkyrie hypercar project and that it would receive input from the Red Bull Formula One racing team, led by engineer Adrian Newey.

That will likely mean use of a carbon-fibre skeleton and active aerodynamics. Meanwhile, power is set to combine Aston's AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and an electric motor.

Reichman also left the door open to an e-AWD system that would provide scintillating acceleration and, in the right mode, frugal driving.