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Aston Martin DB9
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The Aston Martin DB9 is a grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004.
The DB9 is the first new car to be built at Aston's Gaydon facility. The name "DB" stems from David Brown, the owner of Aston Martin for a significant part of its history. The DB9, which was designed by Ian Callum and finished by his successor, Henrik Fisker, superseded the now-discontinued Aston Martin DB7 (also by Callum) which started production in 1994.
comes in two variants; coupé and "Volante" convertible, each producing coming from a 6.0L V12 engine, originally taken from its sister car the V12 Vanquish.
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Encyclopedia
The Aston Martin DB9 is a grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004.
The DB9 is the first new car to be built at Aston's Gaydon facility. The name "DB" stems from David Brown, the owner of Aston Martin for a significant part of its history. The DB9, which was designed by Ian Callum and finished by his successor, Henrik Fisker, superseded the now-discontinued Aston Martin DB7 (also by Callum) which started production in 1994.
Overview
DB9 comes in two variants; coupé and "Volante" convertible, each producing coming from a 6.0L V12 engine, originally taken from its sister car the V12 Vanquish. In fact, this V12 engine is why Aston Martin did not call the car the DB8, which could suggest that it has only eight cylinders. One report states that Aston Martin believed that this car was such a huge leap from the Jaguar XJ-S based DB7 that it named it DB9 instead of DB8, which they thought would indicate a gradual evolution. As of 2004 production is expected be up to five thousand units a year which is roughly the same as its rivals, in particular the Ferrari F430 and Porsche 911 Turbo. This car was designed to ensure Aston Martin's continued survival into 21st century in light of its past financial troubles. Traditionally being a maker of more exclusive automobiles, CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez assures Aston loyalists that production numbers of the new DB9 will be slightly higher than previous models; however, the Aston will still retain only a small statistical percentage of the high-end sports car market.
The car has an artificial neural network implemented at the hardware level to detect engine misfires.
In 2006, Aston Martin introduced a "Sports Pack" for the DB9, which includes increased structural stiffness, lighter forged aluminium alloy wheels complete with titanium wheel nuts, lower ride height, as well as revised spring and damper rates.
Performance
2008 model
- Power: @ 6000 rpm
- Torque: @ 5000 rpm
- Weight:
- 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h): 4.6 seconds
- 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 4.8 seconds
- Top Speed:
Variants
DB9 Volante
The Aston Martin DB9 Volante is the convertible version of the DB9 coupe. It is built by hand in limited numbers and has enhanced styling. It is powered by the same 5.9 litre, DOHC 48 valve V12 as the DB9 and is completed with 450 bhp (331 kW) and a top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h). Because it is a convertible it will do 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds, two-tenths of a second slower than the hard top. The Volante is taller than the hardtop, standing at compared to . The transmission options are either the 6 speed manual or the 6 speed TipTronic II automatic.
2008 facelift
In the beginning of 2008, both the coupé and Volante were facelifted. The engine was tweaked to produce (up from 450), and the centre console was adjusted to match more closely with the newer DBS model. It also gained the key and start-up procedure of the DBS, namely, the Emotional Control Unit.
DB9 LM
In order to commemorate Aston Martin's victory at the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, a special edition of the DB9 was released. Known as the DB9 LM, the car is limited to only 124 examples. All are coupes, and will only be available in a unique color known as Sarthe Silver, named in honor of the Circuit de la Sarthe, where Le Mans is run. The Sports Pack is included, while the brake calipers are painted red and a chromed mesh grill are added.
Motorsport
The DB9 has been adapted for use in sports car racing by Prodrive. Initially the DBR9 was launched prior to the 2005 season, running in the ACO and FIA's GT1 class. It retains the DB9's six litre V12 engine, but has been extensively modified to decrease its weight as well as to improve performance. The DBR9 won in its debut at the 2005 12 Hours of Sebring, and has gone on to take wins in the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, FIA GT Championship, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Along with the DBR9, a DBRS9 variant was also developed. This car runs in the GT3 category, mostly used for small national championships as well as the FIA GT3 European Championship. The DBRS9 also uses the standard V12, but is not as highly tuned as the unit in the DBR9. Bodywork modifications are also more subdued.
External links
- - Official Aston Martin webpage
- - David Brown website the name behind DB 1 - 9
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