Designed by Marek Reichman, a concept car called the Project AM310 was unveiled at the 2012 edition of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Lombardy, Italy.

Aston Martin produced the Vanquish Zagato—a special edition—in various body styles, including a coupe, convertible, shooting brake, and a roadster, the latter dubbed the Speedster.

Aston Martin unveiled the DB9, a model initially designed by Ian Callum and completed by Henrik Fisker, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003.

[9][10][11] At the 2005 edition of the Geneva International Motor Show, Aston Martin debuted the Vantage, a sports car designed by Callum and Fisker.

[21][1][22] The Vanquish was showcased at several events in 2012: a sneak preview at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July,[23][24] a presentation to a group of guests at the London Film Museum in the same month,[25] and an appearance at the Monterey Car Week in August.

[32][44] The United States Environmental Protection Agency reported that the Vanquish has a fuel consumption rating of 15 miles per US gallon (16 L/100 km; 18 mpg‑imp).

[52] The Vanquish's design incorporates a tilt-telescoping steering wheel, bi-xenon headlamps, LED tail-lights, leather and Alcantara,[a] power front seats with memory, and cooling and heating systems.

[37][55] Aston Martin debuted the Vanquish Volante—the convertible version of the Vanquish—at the 2013 edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance,[56][57] and it began deliveries in late 2013.

As with the coupe, its standard three-stage adaptive damping system offers normal, sport, and track modes, which also adjust the electronic stability control and throttle response.

[71] Aston Martin debuted the convertible version—called the Vanquish Zagato Volante—at the 2016 edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance;[72] deliveries also began in 2017 and 99 units were produced.

[73] At the 2017 edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Aston Martin unveiled the Vanquish Zagato Speedster, a roadster version of the car;[74] 28 units were manufactured.

[75] In comparison to the normal Vanquish, the Zagato incorporates a larger grille with integrated fog lamps, a more prominent rear spoiler and circular tail-lights.

[78] John Simister of the newspaper The Independent criticised the car's two small rear seats, describing them "largely pointless", but he noted that the engine sounded "magnificently crisp and rich".

[80] Mike Duff of the magazine Car and Driver stated that the interior of the Vanquish S features "beautiful materials and [an] elegant design[,] mostly distracting occupants from the reality that there really isn't very much to play with".

[81] Duff also held concerns with the Vanquish's usage of the VH platform, noting that "plenty of the stuff you'd find on a mainstream car costing a tenth of the [price] just isn't there".