Tuesday 12th April 2016

Aston Martin DB9 Manual: Spotted

Aston has set itself up as the saviour of the manual sports car - here's one it did earlier

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Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer has regularly stated his intention to offer a manual option where possible across the model range, taking pride in being among the last mainstream manufacturers to do so. Of two big announcements for the brand last week it was confirmation of a new manual version of the V12 Vantage S that got us most fired up - a win for PHers if ever there was one! After this it was only natural we'd browse some previous manual Astons in the classifieds to see what your used choices might be. And here we have a rare three-pedal DB9.

Right off the bat some will question the necessity of a manual DB9. They'll claim it should be crossing continents with one hand on the wheel and the other caressing the smooth, leather-trimmed cabin. Not stirring a manual shifter around. To get an idea of how rare a car like this is we put a call into Aston Martin specialists Nicholas Mee, who reckoned as few as five per cent of DB9s were optioned with a manual. Exclusivity is clearly a major appeal of Aston ownership; in the case of a car like this you're looking at the only example in the PH classifieds.

The creamy V12 is a true Aston Martin engine, capable of floating you from country to country with almighty power reserves on tap. New-to-old comparisons are as irresistible as they are predictable but for the price of a specced up Mercedes A45 AMG you could have something much more proper and the car Prince Philip would let his hair down at the weekend in. If he had any.

Additional appeal for this DB9 over and above the rare transmission choise includes a full service history all the way up to its current 38,000 miles, serviced at Aston specialists throughout its life. With cars like this - and the manual Ferrari 360 Modena we were talking about last week - attracting increasing interest from a small but passionate group of purist buyers you'd have to hope on it holding or even increasing in value. Certainly with Aston supporting this crowd interest in manual sports cars can only increase, their rarity adding to the appeal. Future classic? Often claimed, possibly true!

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ASTON MARTIN DB9 COUPE
Engine: 5,935cc, V12
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 456@6,800rpm
Torque (lb ft): 420@5,000rpm
MPG: 17
CO2: 389g/km
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 38,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £39,995

See the original advert here

Words: Lee Stern

[sideways sid]

That's lovely!

Always had a hankering for a DB7 Vantage manual, but DB9s are nicer looking with more up-to-date interior, and now seem to be priced at similar levels to the DB7. Now THERE is an itch to scratch!