ONE of the most iconic names in British motoring history, Aston Martin, has lifted the wraps on a dazzling new luxury sports car.

The £189,995 Vanquish will sit on top of Aston's sports car line-up and features a significantly upgraded 6.0-litre V12 engine - with a shedload of extra wallop.

Styling cues like an elegant new waist, elongated side strakes and LED rear light blades are derived from the One-77 supercar.

There's also an eye-catching new Aero Duct on the rear boot lid, which counteracts lift at the car's rear when travelling at speed.

Mated to a Touchtronic 2 six-speed automatic gearbox, the V12's power peak of 565bhp makes it Aston Martin's most potent production model yet, outmuscled only by the strictly limited edition £1.2million One-77 supercar.

Stats of 0-62 mph in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 183mph place the Vanquish firmly in supercar territory.

Practical improvements such as more spacious cabin and a boot that, at 368 litres, is more than 60 per cent larger than that of the DBS, ensure the car can carry plenty of luggage.

Designed and hand-built at Aston Martin's Gaydon facility the new Vanquish, is available as a 2+2 or 2+0 and is due to hit UK streets towards the end of this year.

Company chief Dr Ulrich Bez said: "Today's Vanquish is the ultimate expression of Aston Martin design ethos, engineering innovation and technical ability. It offers luxurious, continent-crossing capability and pure driving excitement without compromise."

And he added: "The Aston Martin range is stronger now than at any time in our 99-year history. The new Vanquish represents the perfect way to signal the beginning of our centenary celebrations next year."