RE: Aston Martin revives DB9

[Zod]

Beefmeister said:

mugwump00 said:

So I want an elegant, long-legged GT. If not this, then what?

So many seem to think AM have dropped the ball - what are the alternatives?

There's the Maser GranCabrio, but despite it being gorgeous, it looks far too long from the side:

Heavy, slow and, next to the Aston, inelegant.

[CampDavid]

RINGMEISTER said:

Zod said:

Er, Bristol made weird, wilfully ugly cars that cost silly money and wouldn't let the press near them. That's why Bristol went bust.

I dont think they are using Bristols school of thought, but more like Porsches. Looks remarkably like the Virage they discontinued last week though!!!

I'd argue that people don't buy Porsche for the styling, at least not to the same level as buying an Aston. Dynamics wise the Porsche is nearly always top of it's class. Personally, I dislike the Boxster's styling, prefering the SLK, Z4 etc over it by quite a way. I'd still buy a Box though, dispite it's styling.

AML are competing with styling as a major part of the products appeal, I don't think the design still cuts it in this respect.

The great thing about past Astons is the way they've moved the game on. The DB4 was a game changer, style wise. The Lagonda, while not to everyone's taste, was glorious. The Callum design is nearing it's 20th birthday now and hasn't moved on enough from the early DB7.

A clean sheet design could and would be utterly amazing

[CampDavid]

Zod said:

Er, Bristol made weird, wilfully ugly cars that cost silly money and wouldn't let the press near them. That's why Bristol went bust.

Bristol managed to completely reduce their market and alienate potential customers. AML are actually going in the opposite direction to this

[Beefmeister]

Zod said:

Heavy, slow and, next to the Aston, inelegant.

True, but it's the only car that can be compared in my opinion. Nice sound too. Though yes, it's very heavy.

[Fittster]

Aston clearly don't have the money to develop anything new and now they can't steal the best bits from Jag they are in big trouble.

Wonder who will buy them when they go bust? I'd bet on BMW.

[g3org3y]

Same car is the same.

[CampDavid]

F1GTRUeno said:

Aye and slagging people off for choosing something because everyone else does to appear cool is what everyone else does to appear cool.

Sheep. Sheep everywhere!

I'm not slagging anyone off, it's an observation. Personally, I'm not too fussed about appearing cool, I drive a Smart in town FFS, however the appeal of the Aston is that it is a cool car, however, as soon as it becomes the default choice, it's uncool; that's just the way fashion works and fashion is a large part of the Aston's appeal

[tommy vercetti]

Gorgeous car, but looks exactly like the rest of their models, would love to own the previous DB9 one day.

[mugwump00]

Beefmeister said:

There's the Maser GranCabrio, but despite it being gorgeous, it looks far too long from the side:

It's more than worthy. I guess it'd be purely down to personal preference.

To me it doesn't have the deft lines of an AM - it always seems rather SUPERSIZED to me; the 3200GT seemed very derivative of Brit-styling, the GC differentiated itself by being much bigger!

I guess it does the 2+2 thing properly tho - not something the DB is much cop at?

[edar]

Sorry chaps, but it seems I'm having a bit of a moan at everything,recently (must be the time of the month!) Anyway, I've got to ask; what on earth is going on in the Aston design department at the moment, and why does every model have to look identical? It's such an obvious carbon copy of the new DBS and ex-Virage, with a different rear profile. No imagination or flair what so ever. Aston's were at one point, stunning. That's all. I'll get me coat now

[robinessex]

Well, I still prefer the original Vanquish for looks. I've already got my coat on.

[chevronb37]

I've just spent 2 weeks touring Europe in a V8 Vantage. I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic reaction from the general public. Everywhere we went the car attracted a huge amount of positive attention from car folk and non car folk alike. At the Belgian GP, people of so many nationalities came over to tell us how lovely the car was and lots of camera phones came out for snaps. At the risk of sounding like a total nob, ladies in Italy loved it.

It's amazing how people you chat to who claim Astons are their favourite cars - or their kids' favourite cars. Several people ended up sitting in the car or going for a ride in it over the course of the trip and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. Compared to my Exige, the level of prestige that badge carries is remarkable.

Whether the company is stuck in a styling ruck is probably a matter of personal taste but you can't argue with the strength of the brand as automotive currency. Among petrolheads and the general public, the cars imbue a huge affection and it was a genuine honour to get to pilot one across the continent - loved every second.

[Cassius81]

chevronb37 said:

I've just spent 2 weeks touring Europe in a V8 Vantage. I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic reaction from the general public. Everywhere we went the car attracted a huge amount of positive attention from car folk and non car folk alike. At the Belgian GP, people of so many nationalities came over to tell us how lovely the car was and lots of camera phones came out for snaps. At the risk of sounding like a total nob, ladies in Italy loved it.

It's amazing how people you chat to who claim Astons are their favourite cars - or their kids' favourite cars. Several people ended up sitting in the car or going for a ride in it over the course of the trip and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. Compared to my Exige, the level of prestige that badge carries is remarkable.

Whether the company is stuck in a styling ruck is probably a matter of personal taste but you can't argue with the strength of the brand as automotive currency. Among petrolheads and the general public, the cars imbue a huge affection and it was a genuine honour to get to pilot one across the continent - loved every second.

This.

Astons aren't Porsches, Maseratis or Ferraris and shouldn't try to be. They are (relatively) understated, classy and very British alternatives...

So who cares about constant modernisation of the designs (Ferrari isn't exactly producing stunners at present, is it?!). Stick with something beautiful and perfect it slowly, which is what they are doing. Doesn't cost too much and doesn't threaten their business if they get it wrong.

[George H]

edar said:

Sorry chaps, but it seems I'm having a bit of a moan at everything,recently (must be the time of the month!) Anyway, I've got to ask; what on earth is going on in the Aston design department at the moment, and why does every model have to look identical? It's such an obvious carbon copy of the new DBS and ex-Virage, with a different rear profile. No imagination or flair what so ever. Aston's were at one point, stunning. That's all. I'll get me coat now

Obvious carbon copy of the new DBS? What are you on about. For one, there is no new DBS. Secondly, it looks very different to the new VANQUISH. Obviously it looks similar in areas and shares components. It's a brand theme, like Audi, Porsche, Ferrari etc etc. the only difference is Aston make predominately front engined GT cars whereas others make a bigger variety of models.

Also, why change from a forumla that works? They're still making the best looking cars on sale (imo). Why risk alienating all current customers by creating a design that no one may like? The least of Aston's problems lie in the design department... If it ain't broke...

[killingjoker]

chevronb37 said:

I've just spent 2 weeks touring Europe in a V8 Vantage. I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic reaction from the general public. Everywhere we went the car attracted a huge amount of positive attention from car folk and non car folk alike. At the Belgian GP, people of so many nationalities came over to tell us how lovely the car was and lots of camera phones came out for snaps. At the risk of sounding like a total nob, ladies in Italy loved it.

It's amazing how people you chat to who claim Astons are their favourite cars - or their kids' favourite cars. Several people ended up sitting in the car or going for a ride in it over the course of the trip and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. Compared to my Exige, the level of prestige that badge carries is remarkable.

Whether the company is stuck in a styling ruck is probably a matter of personal taste but you can't argue with the strength of the brand as automotive currency. Among petrolheads and the general public, the cars imbue a huge affection and it was a genuine honour to get to pilot one across the continent - loved every second.

Nailed! Agree totally with this statement. Fantastic looking cars.

...but please Aston, BURN THE PIGLET!

[jdw1234]

chevronb37 said:

I've just spent 2 weeks touring Europe in a V8 Vantage. I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic reaction from the general public. Everywhere we went the car attracted a huge amount of positive attention from car folk and non car folk alike. At the Belgian GP, people of so many nationalities came over to tell us how lovely the car was and lots of camera phones came out for snaps. At the risk of sounding like a total nob, ladies in Italy loved it.

It's amazing how people you chat to who claim Astons are their favourite cars - or their kids' favourite cars. Several people ended up sitting in the car or going for a ride in it over the course of the trip and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. Compared to my Exige, the level of prestige that badge carries is remarkable.

Whether the company is stuck in a styling ruck is probably a matter of personal taste but you can't argue with the strength of the brand as automotive currency. Among petrolheads and the general public, the cars imbue a huge affection and it was a genuine honour to get to pilot one across the continent - loved every second.

Try it again in London.

You might as well drive a Mondeo.

[myhandle]

Zod said:

Er, Bristol made weird, wilfully ugly cars that cost silly money and wouldn't let the press near them. That's why Bristol went bust.

And Bristols were homologated for sale in hardly any countries. Some similarities with TVR - Swordfish, the movie, which is not a very good movie, sees John Travolta driving around the States in a TVR Tuscan. They would have sold plenty from the PR of that movie, but because they were not US-legal, even Travolta's one was on UK plates.

As for the DB9 / Virage business, a lot of this decision is that "Aston Martin DB9" is a very well known car name, like "Ferrari Testarossa" , "BMW M3" and "Porsche 911". "Aston Martin Virage" is not in this category, just as "Porsche 968" , "Ferrari 612" and - BMW please take note in the near future - "BMW M4" - are not.

IE, stick with the famous name. It's hard to build a brand, or sub-brand, and so Aston are probably doing the right thing by sticking with the name everybody has heard of, even those barely interested in cars.

[chevronb37]

jdw1234 said:

chevronb37 said:

I've just spent 2 weeks touring Europe in a V8 Vantage. I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic reaction from the general public. Everywhere we went the car attracted a huge amount of positive attention from car folk and non car folk alike. At the Belgian GP, people of so many nationalities came over to tell us how lovely the car was and lots of camera phones came out for snaps. At the risk of sounding like a total nob, ladies in Italy loved it.

It's amazing how people you chat to who claim Astons are their favourite cars - or their kids' favourite cars. Several people ended up sitting in the car or going for a ride in it over the course of the trip and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. Compared to my Exige, the level of prestige that badge carries is remarkable.

Whether the company is stuck in a styling ruck is probably a matter of personal taste but you can't argue with the strength of the brand as automotive currency. Among petrolheads and the general public, the cars imbue a huge affection and it was a genuine honour to get to pilot one across the continent - loved every second.

Try it again in London.

You might as well drive a Mondeo.

I take your point, but cannot see any fun in driving a sportscar in London. 2,600 miles across Europe encompassing derestricted autobahns, high Alpine passes and verdant Austrian gorges feels more natural territory for such a machine.

I'm an Aston heir not an Aston owner so wanted to offer a relatively non-biased alternative viewpoint of their perception around the place. I'm sure in London they are common as muck but apparently elsewhere they garner decent support from people.

[LuS1fer]

Also, DB8 sounds like a regression and a DB double-digit sounds a bit long in the tooth though arguably a DB8 with a V8 and a DB12 with the V12 is at least logical.

[jdw1234]

chevronb37 said:

jdw1234 said:

chevronb37 said:

I've just spent 2 weeks touring Europe in a V8 Vantage. I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic reaction from the general public. Everywhere we went the car attracted a huge amount of positive attention from car folk and non car folk alike. At the Belgian GP, people of so many nationalities came over to tell us how lovely the car was and lots of camera phones came out for snaps. At the risk of sounding like a total nob, ladies in Italy loved it.

It's amazing how people you chat to who claim Astons are their favourite cars - or their kids' favourite cars. Several people ended up sitting in the car or going for a ride in it over the course of the trip and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. Compared to my Exige, the level of prestige that badge carries is remarkable.

Whether the company is stuck in a styling ruck is probably a matter of personal taste but you can't argue with the strength of the brand as automotive currency. Among petrolheads and the general public, the cars imbue a huge affection and it was a genuine honour to get to pilot one across the continent - loved every second.

Try it again in London.

You might as well drive a Mondeo.

I take your point, but cannot see any fun in driving a sportscar in London. 2,600 miles across Europe encompassing derestricted autobahns, high Alpine passes and verdant Austrian gorges feels more natural territory for such a machine.

I'm an Aston heir not an Aston owner so wanted to offer a relatively non-biased alternative viewpoint of their perception around the place. I'm sure in London they are common as muck but apparently elsewhere they garner decent support from people.

Agree with you.

Sounds like a fun trip!