Fittingly, given the location, Dr Ulrich Bez was backed by a dazzling light display and pounding electronic beat when he opened a new chapter in the soon-to-be-100-year-old company’s history, introducing the first radically modified car to be made at Gaydon since the launch of the DB9.

Compared to the outgoing DBS, the AM310 Vanquish has all-carbonfibre bodywork, better interior packaging, a more powerful (now 565bhp) engine and a brand-new, One-77-derived interior.

Three cars were on display in London: one pearlescent white with red leather, one grey with tan, and a cutaway chassis and body allowing the wonderful weave of unpainted carbonfibre to be seen by all. This latter one also had a partly sectioned engine that demonstrated exactly how the big V12’s cylinder heads have been modified to give the extra power.

The event was primarily for customers and the great and the good, with the first Vanquish deliveries commencing later this year. In the UK it is priced from £189,995. You can read more about this exciting car elsewhere on Classic Driver.

Photos: Classic Driver