Ferrari confirm Raikkonen return

Kimi Raikkonen will race for Ferrari next season in a two-year deal that takes the 2007 world champion back to the glamour team he left in 2009 and creates the strongest pairing in Formula One.

Driver Standings

1.  Sebastion Vettel.....................................................................222 points

2.  Fernando Alonso....................................................................169 points

3.  Lewis Hamilton.....................................................141 points

4. Kimi Raiikonnen...................................................134 points

5. Mark Webber........................................................130 points

Team Standings

1. Red Bull..............................................................352 points

2. Ferrari.................................................................248 points

3. Mercedes............................................................245 points

4. Lotus..................................................................191 points

5. Force India............................................................61 points 

Hard to believe it's only four years since Aston Martin stopped building the V12 Vanquish. It bridged the gap between the antiquated Virage series and the slick new-world DB9 generation, and also marked the end of car production at Aston Martin's traditional Newport Pagnell base.

The Vanquish was styled by Ian Callum (now design director at Jaguar), carrying on the design language he'd developed for the DB7. Underneath that gorgeous superformed aluminium skin was groundbreaking architecture, with an extruded aluminium, carbonfibre and composite tub, steel subframes to carry the running gear, plus carbonfibre crash structures front and rear, and motive power from a 460bhp 5935cc V12 - a package carried over in principle to 2005's DB9. That power is transmitted via a six-speed automated manual gearbox with paddleshift.

The Vanquish S debuted at the Paris Salon in 2004, visually differentiated by its front splitter and bootlid lip but further distinguished from the original by its 520bhp version of the V12 plus uprated suspension, steering and brakes. The earlier Vanquish has plenty of power, but the S feels much sharper to drive, its steering lending much greater agility and immediacy in corners.

Towards the end of Vanquish production, Aston Martin Works Service was sanctioned to develop a manual gearshift conversion. Almost 70 cars have been converted so far - although a well set-up automated car is a delight in itself.

Even though the first Vanquish is a little more than a decade old, prices have already begun to move upwards. 'They've shifted 20% in the last two years,' says a spokesman for Newport Pagnell-based Aston Martin Works Service, which now owns much of the equipment used to build and test the production cars.

Prices start at around $60,000 for cars with 50,000-60,000 miles; happier hunting begins closer to $85,000, for which you should expect a car with around 20,000 miles, in excellent order with a good service history (servicing, incidentally, is recommended every six months or 7500 miles).

The newer, improved Vanquish S commands a premium, although as that same spokesman says: 'Given the choice between a higher-mileage S and a low-mileage early car for the same price, I'd go for the earlier car. They're rarer, and we can always upgrade them to S spec anyway.' Prices for the Vanquish S are typically closer to $120,000 and will surpass $150,000 for the finest examples. 

A well-kept Vanquish should present with undamaged bodywork, a clean, unmarked interior and a well-populated service file - although it's unrealistic to expect that low-mileage cars will have been religiously serviced every six months, you should still expect to see stamps and invoices for annual work. You're unlikely to be inspecting the quality of restoration work, although few Vanquishes are still in original hands.

First thing to check is under the front undertray. 'Get the car up in the air,' says Vini 'Vanquish' Ryan, master technician at Works Service. 'Unbolt the undertray and check the subframe for corrosion and look for oil leaks.' Water can collect between the subframe and the undertray to cause surface corrosion, but if the subframe's rotted through, replacement costs more than $7000 for the part alone. Labour? Potentially a 16-hour job.

The carbonfibre crash structure is visible from underneath and could be cracked, even if the bumper and nosecone have been replaced. Despite the unusual construction method, crash repair is not impossible even in cases of heavy damage. Sections of the tub can be replaced.

While underneath, also inspect the small steel bracket at the end of each sill. Corrosion here can spread through the mounting bolts and cause electrolytic reaction in the tub itself. Other problems that point to a poorly maintained car include splitting in the rubber differential mounts, oil weeping from the differential seals, seized exhaust valves,  and splitting of the gaiters of the rear suspension. (they aren't simple rubber bushes). Brake discs should be cleaned during servicing and the cross-drillings cleared out. If not, they block and cause the disc to corrode, particularly on the inner face.

In spite of the aluminium panelling, the Vanquish is not immune to corrosion. 'Panel edges pick up stonechips,' says Ryan. 'Bubbling under the paint is the first sign of electrolytic corrosion.' The front wing strakes are cast on some cars and can bubble; replacements cost around $500. Check the windows for any cloudiness around the seal edges, as this can mean the seals are lifting and the metal inserts within can corrode. The brightwork trims that run longitudinally up each side of the windscreen and over the roof edges should also sit flush. If not, they were probably refitted wrong after repairs, which calls into question the quality of work done.

Happily these cars are strong mechanically. 'I've never had to change a Vanquish engine,' says Ryan. Good maintenance is key, but Ryan warns of camshaft sensors wear against the main wiring harness, leading to running issues.

Minor gearbox oil leaks are a 3 hour job to fix more significant whistling as you pull away suggests spigot shaft  bearing wear, which is a $3000 repair; $7500 if the shaft needs replacing too.  Works Service also suggests replacing the sensors that feed the gearbox's electronic controls, as the original mechanical ones can cause wear - not the case with magnetic replacements. The ultimate gearbox job is to convert to manual operation, in which case Works Service removes the hydraulic actuator and fits a manual lever, retrimming the centre console to suit. Cost for this? Nearly $20,000 for pre-2005 cars; nearly $25,000 for newer ones.

Expect minor leather bolster wear inside, even in low-mileage cars, and check the seatback tilt mechanism works. Leather doortrim can lift on badly stored cars; the production fix was to add an extra leather insert. Non-functioning air-conditioning usually suggests a re-gas, but again raises questions about previous servicing.

Works Service can provide a professional inspection and road test for $1000 plus the cost of transporting the car to its premises. 

Many feel the DBS, being so obviously based on the DB9, was never quite a proper replacement for the Vanquish. This was (and remains) a car of strong character, great style and effortless (200mph!) performance, with a unique place in history as the last of the artisan Astons - and prices seem set to continue rising. Fancy a Vanquish? Better act quick.