Wednesday 24th June 2015

Aston Martin DB9 GT at Festival of Speed

Aston's "most compelling production 'DB' to date" adds more power and new infotainment to the trusty old DB9

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Remember the Aston DB7 GT? Launched at the end of the DB7's life cycle, it was treated to a few upgrades over the Vantage to produce what was, by all accounts, the best DB7 that ever there was. It also looked damn sexy thanks to new wheels and a different grille from the standard V12. They're in demand now too, the two manual GTs on PH both more than £45K.

The last DB GT. Oh gosh.

So before we all crow on about how this DB9 looks so much like all the other DB9s, it's worth remembering that this could be the piece de resistance as far as this old stager goes. Which sounds pretty special, right?

Power from the 5.9-litre V12 is now 547hp at 6,750rpm, accompanied by 457lb ft at 5,500rpm. Disappointingly the eight-speed ZF auto now used in the Vanquish doesn't feature in the GT, this DB9 sticking with the six-speed 'box. Aston claims 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds and a 183mph top speed.

Inside the GT sees the introduction of 'AMi II', Aston's latest infotainment system. It builds on the original AMi first seen in the Vanquish but with improvements to text message integration, vehicle status info and the background themes. Cynics might suggest they aren't exactly far-reaching upgrades...

As with the DB7, the DB9 GT is distinguished by a few subtle visual tweaks over the standard car. See the black splitter and diffuser at the front, new 10-spoke 20-inch wheels, GT badges and slightly different lights front and rear. Aston's refreshed personalisation service means buyers can also opt for carbon tail light inserts (why?), new interior colours and a One-77 inspired wheel for their DB9.

What, you were expecting a transformation?

Interested? The DB9 GT is available to order now, with prices starting at £140,000. Its closest rival, as it has been for the past decade, is probably the Bentley Continental GT - a V8 is £140,300 and the W12 £150,500.

That's not all from Aston at Goodwood either, as it will also exhibit the 2016 MY Rapide S and V8 Vantage. There's "a raft of colour, trim and equipment enhancements", including the, er, AMi II infotainment system. Oh. That will be why it didn't seem such a major addition to the DB9.

The 2016 Vantage and Rapide S will be available from Q3 this year, with prices to follow shortly. Maybe now's the time to sneak in for a pre-facelift bargain? This V8 Vantage N430 has nearly £10K off the new price with just 1,000 miles and here's a Rapide S at less than £110K. The list is £147,950... More from Goodwood when we've seen 'em!

[dukeboy749r]

Until this, no comments.

Telling?

[coogy]

Still a very handsome car

[Neil1300r]

Oh God, not another 'new' Aston - I can't tell them apart, they all look the same!

[daytona365]

It says 'GT' on the back.

[otispunkmeyer]

Yep no one cares.

Its a beautiful car, but come on. Time for something new. Something that isn't held back by a chassis/architecture over a decade old.

[soad]

daytona365 said:

It says 'GT' on the back.

Not a proper sports car then.

[PhantomPH]

Ooo wee, you good lookin'!

[robm3]

otispunkmeyer said:

Yep no one cares.

Its a beautiful car, but come on. Time for something new. Something that isn't held back by a chassis/architecture over a decade old.

Agreed

[craigGTR]

I take the point about needing to update the looks, but to be fair they have already done that with the Vanquish. I for one would rip Andy Palmer's arms off if he were to leap in, buck tradition, and launch a Vantage V12S with a manual transmission - even if it didn't look any different.

[LotusOmega375D]

Looks like they found a few unsold Virages out the back and just changed the badge.

[impasse]

What's the confusion here? It's a run out model, that's all. So all the "Ooh we need a new car" comments aren't really relevant.

[benters]

another Aston titivation. . . .Yawn

[uremaw]

otispunkmeyer said:

Its a beautiful car, but come on. Time for something new. Something that isn't held back by a chassis/architecture over a decade old.

I suspect people said the same thing about the E-type.

[CedricN]

They could have changed the 90s steering wheel, would transform the dated interior. Would hav been a quick fix. But the car still looks great today. Will not be an easy job to replace it!

[Edmundo2]

Let it go, let it go, ...

[myhandle]

daytona365 said:

It says 'GT' on the back.

The badge itself looks awful, like the Vanquish S badge did - a really cheap looking badge spoils a car that is meant to be all about finesse and high quality detailing. At this end of the market debadge is frequently the way to go - Ferrari very rarely puts a model badge on its cars these days. Aston have more models and so perhaps want to differentiate them, but they can do better than this distinctly Halfords looking GT badge in a different (and jarring) font to the original DB9 badge next to it. DB7 GT managed to get the badging to at least match.

[DB9VolanteDriver]

otispunkmeyer said:

Something that isn't held back by a chassis/architecture over a decade old.

Typical uneducated comment. The chassis/architecture is bang up to date. Only just now are some manufacturers replicating the concept.

[C.A.R.]

Fantastic car but...

Diamond cut rims

This is an Aston Martin. Diamond cut looks awful in any given situation in my opinion, with this being no exception. Popularised by the likes of Ripspeed and Halfords no-frills wheels and now fully embraced by the likes of Toyota and the entire VW Audi Group - what is the world coming to?!

Or perhaps I'm alone in my opinion? Can anyone honestly say they've looked upon some diamond cut wheels and thought 'mmm, nice!'?

[AdamV8V]

DB9VolanteDriver said:

Typical uneducated comment. The chassis/architecture is bang up to date. Only just now are some manufacturers replicating the concept.

This.

[JHBlyth]

I remember Clarkson doing 0-135mph in 4th gear in a DB7 GT during an early Top Gear series, I've wanted one ever since.

The DB9 doesn't seem to get a lot of love any more, but I've always thought it was a charming old beast. It's sad to see it wished out the door; I guess the same happened with the last Jaguar XK though. 'Video killed the radio star' and all that.