Former Jaguar design chief Callum revives Aston Martin Vanquish

Former Jaguar head of design Ian Callum has reworked the 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish for his first project since setting up an independent design company earlier this year.

Callum was responsible for designing the Vanquish while he worked at Aston Martin before he moved to Jaguar.

The V-12 coupe was widely praised at the time for modernizing Aston Martin, then owned by Ford Motor Co.

Callum said he has long wanted to update the design using modern materials and technologies.

"It's rare that a designer has the chance to retell the story of one of their own cars," he said in a statement. "Applying our design philosophy of balancing form and function has resulted in what we feel is the ultimate Vanquish."

The Vanquish has been reworked with the help of Swiss-based R-Reforged, a subsidiary of AF Racing, which prepares Aston Martin cars for Germany's DTM race series.

A total of 25 units of the Callum Vanquish will be produced at a cost of 660,000 pounds each ($805,000), including the cost of the donor car. Customers can also have their own car converted.

Callum has made "over 100" changes to the car covering the exterior, interior, engine and suspension.

"We have addressed many of the individual areas we feel deserved a second look," he said.

The exterior look of the car is beefed up with bigger 20-inch wheels, new carbon-fiber bumpers front and rear, and LED headlights and taillights.

Inside, the Vanquish now has an eight-inch infotainment screen featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The old instrument cluster has been replaced by one made by British watch maker Bremont, which has also installed a clock that can be removed to act as a pocket watch.

New sports seats have been trimmed in leather from Scottish supplier Bridge of Weir, while the small rear seats have been removed to create a new luggage area, addressing one of the weaknesses of the old car.

The V-12 engine has an extra 60 hp to make 580 hp and the car now has the option of a six-speed torque convertor automatic gearbox.

The ride and handling of the car has been adapted to address changing expectations of how a sports car built for longer journeys should behave, with more focus on comfort without harming its sporting nature, the company said.

Stiffer rollbars and a lower ride height have been countered by more relaxed settings for the car's dampers.

"The car now actually feels lighter than the original and more alive," Adam Donfrancesco, Callum's design engineer, said.

Aston Martin has given the Callum makeover its blessing.

"Impressed, Ian Callum has managed to make the iconic V-12 Vanquish look even better," Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer wrote on Twitter.

Aston Martin replaced the Vanquish in 2012 with a new model, which in turn was replaced last year with the DBS Superleggera.

The company will use the Vanquish name for its forthcoming mid-engine supercar.

Aston Martin had last year inked a deal with a Chinese company to buy the Vanquish tooling and drawings for 20 million pounds ($24 million), but the company wrote off 19 million of that in July after it came to the conclusion that the money would not be paid.