Aston Martin a week ago started public road trials of a prototype for a new version of its Vanquish supercar.

The new version is thought to be a more potent offering to help send out the car, as a successor is expected to bow in 2018.

Some readers will recall that Aston Martin did the same with the original Vanquish. The more potent offering for that car was dubbed the Vanquish S (shown below), a name Aston Martin is likely to reuse for the current Vanquish’s swan song.

2005 Aston Martin Vanquish S

2005 Aston Martin Vanquish S

Today we have a spy video of a prototype for the new Vanquish S convertible (a Volante in Aston Martin-speak), courtesy of YouTuber Automotive Mike.

We only get to see the car from the rear and clearly visible is its new exhaust design which consists of four individual pipes. The current Vanquish has two pipes.

The design of the rear bumper has also been tweaked and incorporates a new diffuser. From spy shots of the Vanquish S coupe we know that the front bumper has been updated, too.

2018 Aston Martin Vanquish S spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

2018 Aston Martin Vanquish S spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

It’s not clear what additional updates are planned but Aston Martin’s recently confirmed Vanquish Zagato may hint at what’s to come. The limited edition supercar is coming with a 592-horsepower version of the automaker’s venerable 5.9-liter V-12. The car also sports a unique suspension tune.

Note, the new Vanquish variant, whatever it ends up being labeled, is likely to be the last application of Aston Martin’s naturally-aspirated V-12, as the automaker's future V-12 models will adopt the twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter engine that debuted in the 2017 DB11.

Look for the car to debut next year as a 2018 model. Also due next year is Aston Martin's next-generation Vantage, which is also expected as a 2018 model.