Aston Martin's AM 310 concept

Aston Martin's AM 310 concept

Aston Martin quietly revealed a concept version of its new flagship supercar at the recent 2012 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d'Este on the shores of Lake Como, Italy.

The impossible to miss concept, dubbed the AM 310, was finished in a bright red paint scheme and was rolled out for a few photos before being taken away, without a single official comment from Aston Martin.

We know the concept previews Aston Martin’s new flagship as prototypes with similar styling to the concept have been spotted testing all over Europe for the past several months.

Now, the guys at CAR have managed to spot a completed version of the car without any camouflage.

The big news is that the completed version was sporting a “Vanquish” badge on its rear, confirming Aston Martin is set to revive one of the most storied names from its past. Such a move is fitting considering the new car is being launched as part of Aston Martin’s centenary celebrations, although purists may question whether the new car is special enough to be labeled a Vanquish.

2002 Aston Martin Vanquish

2002 Aston Martin Vanquish

Conceived at the start of the last decade under then-new CEO Ulrich Bez, the original Vanquish was the first Aston Martin of the modern era and its design, penned by Ian Callum, would go on to shape virtually every Aston Martin since. Its arrival marked a turning point for Aston Martin, a company that went from building just a few hundred cars each year to a global brand building several thousand per year.

The new car, which Aston Martin is yet to announce, shares most of its design with the DB9 and the harder-edged DBS. There are some changes, however. The side profile gains a new character line, and there appears to be more deeply recessed depressions in the door panel, slightly sharper creases over the rear fenders, and new side skirts to match the lower, more aggressive front spoiler and rear trunk lid lip.

The rear end looks to be a bit wider and taller than the current DBS and more closely resembles the design on the One-77. It also gets the limited-edition supercar’s boomerang style tail lights as well as a unique rear spoiler integrated into the rear deck.

Powertrain upgrades are still unknown, though there's a good chance Aston will simply continue with its current 6.0-liter V-12 engine uprated to somewhere around the 550-horsepower mark. If so, that would amount to a 40-horsepower gain over the current model's output. Rather than just its competition with outright power, Aston Martin will be focusing on lightweight construction for its new model. Using techniques learned from the construction of the carbon fiber-infused One-77, the new model could potentially get under the 3,300-pound mark, making it around 10 percent lighter than the DBS.

More details should be revealed later this summer when the car is expected to be officially revealed. Stay tuned for an update.

2013 Aston Martin DBS replacement spy shots

2013 Aston Martin DBS replacement spy shots