Ford has a brave new mission for its Aston Martin brand, and an ex-Porsche engineer is at Mission Control.

Ford Motor Co. has a new role for its Aston Martin brand: to explore advanced technologies and manufacturing processes. To understand just how serious Ford is about this new mission for its Premier Automotive Group torchbearer, consider that Aston has so far built 50 prototypes of its new V-12 Vanquish coupe. That's four cars more than the tiny British sports car maker built in total during 1992.

Don't be fooled by the Vanquish's taut, muscular exterior -- the work of Jaguar design chief Ian Callum. It may be a potent distillation of classic Aston design cues, but the stuff under the skin is a testament to Ford's technical resources.

With a chassis made entirely from glued-and-riveted aluminium and carbon fiber, a body constructed from superformed aluminum and composites, a Formula One-style paddle-shift 6-speed transmission and drive-by-wire throttle control, the V-12 Vanquish is anything but a traditional Aston. In many ways, it's Jac Nasser's space program. Unlike the Astons of James Bond's era, there's not a splinter of polished wood -- the almost cliched signature piece of an upscale British auto -- in the interior.