DB9 - 10 years younger

[codieskid]

Hi all

I have been looking at Aston Martins for a while now and the price of early DB9's are very tempting. However I am starting to think the early cars are looking a little dated now and was wondering if it would be possible to give a DB9 a facelift.

I know some people will not like the idea of changing an original car but I really love the Virage and new DB9, I think they have got the styling spot on. Therefore do you think it would be possible to take an early car an give it this kind of makeover:

Stock car:


Virage/new DB9 front bumper, skirts, rear tail lip and rear bumper/diffuser:


With Virage headlamp conversion (would probably need to replace the front wings):


Personally I quite like the the styling changes without the new headlamps. This would mean that the car could be easily changed back to stock condition come resale time.

What do you guys think, could it be done, has anyone done it and what do you think to the styling changes?

Thanks

Trev

[stevewushu]

Yes you can change up the old DB9 to new DB9/Virage or DBS cosmetics.
The only thing you'd struggle with is rear quarters.
On the models they're slightly flared.
The old DB9 was much less so. This makes fitting a rear bumper/sills a bit trickier. But still possible.
(Google DB9-DBS conversion and you'll see an old DB9 converted into a DBS)

I think you'll find the DBS parts required are easier and "cheaper" to get hold of than the new DB9/Virage parts.
You'll also need to lower if slightly to match the newer models, add 20" wheels etc.

Parts you'll need are-

20" wheels with tyres
Lowering springs
Rear bumper and diffuser
Front bumper and diffuser
Front upper and lower grill
Bonnet
Rear bootlid (and chrome trim for DBS)
Clear rear lights
Clear centre brake light
Wing mirror arms and housing
Pair of sills
Pair of front wings
Headlights (if new DB9)
Pair of side fins

Labour to fit all the above
And PAINT!

Approx cost to convert to DBS (as I have attempted this in the past)
Parts £10k
Labour (upwards of) £1k
Paint (full car required) £3k +

Hence why I canned the project...

[Jon39]

Anything is possible Trev, if one is prepared to pay the appropriate cost.

When seeing a DB9 though, I don't thing the average onlooker would be able tell the difference between a DB9 and a DB9(2), let alone a DB9, DBS and a Vantage.

To an aficionado though, you will need to remember to avoid giving the game away, by using a dateless plate, and I think there may be a major giveaway problem. Are the DB9(2) lower door panels curved inwards?

Edited by Jon39 on Friday 24th May 21:32

[yeti]

It's a shed load of money to do, but with early coupes at 30k and allowing 15k for the work, you'd still have a great looking car for a lot less than the late models. Yeah it'll have a jut less power but you'd struggle to tell the difference on the 450 to 470 models.

If course it'll have the early interior as well!

I'm a parts bin raider myself and intend to do a bit more... Want the Rapide S grille, Virage sills, DBS rear end... It's not exactly bolt on stuff but smart people can get it done with a lot of fiddling

[whoami]

yeti said:

I'm a parts bin raider myself and intend to do a bit more... Want the Rapide S grille, Virage sills, DBS rear end... It's not exactly bolt on stuff but smart people can get it done with a lot of fiddling

Anyone you'd recommend?

[codieskid]

I guess you could cut the cost quite a bit by not changing the headlamps as that would remove the need for front wings, new bonnet, headlamps, grill etc. So I think the parts needed would be:

20" wheels with tyres
Lowering springs
Rear bumper and diffuser
Front bumper and diffuser
Rear bootlid
Clear rear lights
Clear centre brake light
Wing mirror arms and housing
Pair of sills

hmm, this has got me thinking now

Trev

[cardigankid]

Guys, please think carefully about what you are actually going to achieve with all this

1. You start with a fabulous looking car - why fix something that isn't broke?
2. You bodge it up to look a bit like something it isn't whose only virtue is it is newer.
3. Why buy a 30k DB9 and waste 15k on it when you could buy a 45k DB9?
4. No one who knows the cars will be taken in for an instant
5. People who don't know the cars couldn't tell the difference anyway
6. I think you accept that when you come to sell it, most buyers want an original car, so you will have to change it back

Sure the wheels look good, but like the people who put 997 wheels on a 996, just WHY? DB9 / 1 Sportpack wheels are just as nice, and they are original equipment. Far better to get a DB9 then take it to BR or similar and enhance the performance. Faking it up seems pointless to me.

[toohuge]

Probably in a minority here, but what's wrong with the original db9? It's a great looking car!

Chris

[yeti]

You make a few good points there.

I'm not sure OP (and certainly not me) is trying to make it look simply newer to fake the age. I think some of the later parts make the car look better, that's all. Whenever people post a picture of an early DB9 on Sports Pack wheels, it's hard not to look at it and go 'wow... Beautiful!'. The design is timeless and ageless as standard but that's not always what an owner wants...

The Rapide S grille, Virage sills and so on... Well, AML make the cars in a modular fashion so I'm going to exploit that. I don't want to look like the other 13000 DB9s, it'll be unique, mechanically and cosmetically

Probably the worse for it, but hey ho. Resale value is irrelevant

[yeti]

toohuge said:

Probably in a minority here, but what's wrong with the original db9? It's a great looking car!

Chris

Probably one of the best looking cars of all time

Doesn't mean it can't be improved upon in your own eyes if you have the desire and the money.

[Horts]

I really do struggle with this kind of debate. If you want a bang up to date car, then go and buy a bang up to date model. I accept that that isn't in the reach of everyone, but to be frank, if you can't afford it, then accept you can't have it and go with what you really can afford. The cynic in me sadly thinks that the majority of those who do this kind of work are more engaged in their own vanity than the genuine desire to build something individual and special ( I admire Yeti's dedication, passion and investment in adapting his car to create what I believe will be a truly unique DB9. It may never recover its capital outlay at resale, but will convey the very idiosyncratic personality of Its owner and I am sure the opportunity cost will be well worth it.) In short, if your going to do the mods, do them for you and don't pretend. Owning an Aston Martin shouldn't be about status it should purely be about Power, Beauty and Soul!

Rant over!

Horts

[yeti]

Horts said:

It may never recover its capital outlay at resale, but will convey the very idiotic personality of Its owner

Right on both counts

[codieskid]

Horts said:

if you can't afford it, then accept you can't have it and go with what you really can afford. The cynic in me sadly thinks that the majority of those who do this kind of work are more engaged in their own vanity than the genuine desire to build something individual and special

I don't think that's a fair statement. People change wheels, run clear rear lights etc to enhance the look of their Aston's. Why do they do this, because they like the way the mods improve their cars (in their eyes). You could ask why Vanquish owners spend £12K changing to a manual gearbox and updating the centre console to a new look unit. Madness really but they love their car and want to make it perfect for them.

People do this on all types of cars and it isn't to make them look newer. People spend thousands on old VW's and Porsches to make them look like early cars. Why, because they look the look of the earlier design.

For me the latest version is the most beautiful version of the car and I'd love to own one but unfortunately I don't have the funds to buy a £120k+ car. Therefore it would be great if I could take an early car and give it that look that I like using genuine Aston parts. I wouldn't be doing to pretend I had a new car but purely because I like the way the new car looks.

Unfortunately you'll always have purists that think you shouldn't change anything on cars, but I've always done what makes me happy and what I like.

[yeti]

codieskid said:

Unfortunately you'll always have purists that think you shouldn't change anything on cars, but I've always done what makes me happy and what I like.

I'll drink to that, well said

[scotpak]

I think updating your car is a great idea, if like me you have regularly changed cars frequently in the past and lost loads of money through depreciation.

Say you have had your aston for a year and start getting bored, a much cheaper alternative to changing to the latest model would be to apply some bodywork upgrades as discussed above. That way you save cash, dont get bored, and still keep running your fantastic car.

I myself plan to get some v12 sills next year. Already allocated too much money for performance mods/ wheels to make that achievable this year!!! (or maybe not, ive gotta stop spending).

[GlynV8]

I think it looks good with the Virage sills, boot lid and bumper too. It freshens up the design in my opinion. Clearly the Aston designers felt themselves it would benefit from a tweak or two from the original look or they would not have done it. At the end of the day it is your car so do want you want. Others may have differing opinions but the world would be a very dull place if everyone thought the same.

[KarlFranz]

Just as a point of clarification, the Virage had the same bootlid as the old DB-9. The new DB-9.5 has a DBS style one.