Aston Martin DB9

Aston Martin DB9
Overview
Manufacturer	Aston Martin
Production	2004–2016
Assembly	Gaydon, England
Designer	Henrik Fisker
Body and chassis
Class	Grand tourer
Body style	2+2 seat 2-door coupé 2-door convertible
Layout	FR layout
Platform	Aston Martin VH platform
Related	Aston Martin DBS Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin DBRS9 Aston Martin Rapide Aston Martin V8 Vantage Aston Martin V12 Vantage Aston Martin Virage Aston Martin Vanquish Aston Martin DB10
Powertrain
Engine	5.9 L V12
Transmission	6-speed 626HP automatic[1] 6-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,743 mm (108.0 in)[2][3]
Length	4,709 mm (185.4 in)[2][3]
Width	1,880 mm (74.0 in)[2][4]
Height	1,270 mm (50.0 in)[2]
Chronology
Predecessor	Aston Martin DB7
Successor	Aston Martin DB11

The Aston Martin DB9 is a grand tourer first shown by Aston Martin at the 2003 Frankfurt Auto Show. Available both as a coupe and a convertible known as the Volante, the DB9 was the successor of the DB7. It was the first model built at Aston Martin's Gaydon facility.

The DB9, designed by Henrik Fisker, is made largely of aluminium. The chassis is the VH platform, also found in the Aston Martin DBS. The engine, on the other hand, is the 6.0L V12 from the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. It has a top speed of 295 km/h (183 mph) and a 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) time of 4.1 seconds.

The DB9 is rated well by car critics, who appreciate the car's interior and exterior design. In spite of comments regarding the DB9's weaker engine and handling, reviewers liked the car's ride and driving experience. Some also held issue with the DB9's small rear seats, cargo space and poor satnav.

The 2012 version has seen many improvements to the design, the engine and the overall driving experience. It now has the most powerful engine yet with peak power of 517 PS and 620 Nm of torque. It also comes with carbon ceramic brakes as standard.

Production of the DB9 ended in 2016 being replaced by its successor, the DB11.^[5]

Aston Martin Racing has adapted the DB9 for sports car racing, producing the DBR9 for FIA GT1 and the DBRS9 for FIA GT3. These two cars are lightened DB9s; the interior features are removed and the aluminium body panels are replaced by carbon fibre panels. Additionally, the engine has been tweaked in both the cars to produce more horsepower. The DBR9 has won in several events, including its debut event.

Development and design

Pre-facelift Aston Martin DB9 (France)

The DB9 was designed by Henrik Fisker, and was first revealed at the 2003 Frankfurt Auto Show.^[6][7] The letters "DB" are the initials of David Brown, the owner of Aston Martin for a significant part of its history.^[8] Although it succeeded the DB7, Aston Martin did not call the car the DB8 due to fears that the name would suggest that the car was equipped with only a V8 engine (the DB9 has a V12).^[9] It was also reported that Aston Martin believed that naming the car "DB8" would indicate a gradual evolution and misrepresent the car.^[10]

The DB9 is the first model to be built at Aston Martin's Gaydon facility in Warwickshire, England. In a 2007 interview, Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez stated that, though Aston Martin was traditionally a maker of more exclusive automobiles, he believed Aston Martin needed to be more visible and build more cars.^[11] At launch, Aston Martin planned to build between 1,400 and 1,500 DB9s per year.^[12]

The DB9 was facelifted July 2008. This facelift was mainly the increase in engine power, to 350 kW (476 hp) and a redesigned centre console. Externally, the DB9 remained virtually unchanged.

Interior

The interior of the Aston Martin DB9

The DB9's interior is made with leather and walnut wood. In newer editions, the leather is additionally given hand-stitched accents and joins. On the dashboard, satnav and Bluetooth are standard in later models (options on earlier models). Later models also offered a Dolby Prologic sound system can be connected to satellite radio, a six-CD changer, an iPod connector, a USB connector, or an auxiliary input jack. This sound system can be upgraded to a Bang & Olufsen stereo.^[13]

The coupe comes standard with two front seats and rear seats. A seating package, which removes the back seats and replaces the front seats with lighter seats made of Kevlar and carbon fibre, can be chosen.^[14] The boot is 187 L (6.6 cu ft) in the coupe or 136 L (4.8 cu ft) in the Volante.^[13]

Exterior

Made to follow Aston's DB7 model, the DB9 is, according to Aston's initial press release, "a contemporary version of classic DB design elements and characteristics".^[15] It retains the traditional Aston Martin grille and side strakes, and the design attempts to keep the lines simple and refined. The boot of the car is pronounced, like that of the DB4 and DB5. At the front, DB9 is without a separate nose cone, and has no visible bumpers.^[15] The exterior skin is largely aluminium, though the front bumpers and bonnet are composite.^[16]

For the 2013 model year revision, Aston made minor changes to the bodywork, including enlarging the recessed headlight clusters with bi-xenon lights and LED daytime strips, widening the front splitter, updating the grille and side heat extractors, updating the LED rear lights with clear lenses and integrating a new rear spoiler with the boot lid.^[14]

Facelifted Aston Martin DB9 (Singapore)  Facelifted Aston Martin DB9 (Japan)

Engine

The Aston Martin DB9 was initially launched equipped with a 6.0L V12 engine, originally taken from its sister car, the V12 Vanquish. The engine provides 569 N·m (420 lbf·ft) of torque at 5,000 rpm and a maximum power of 444 hp (450 PS) at 6,000 rpm.^[6] The DB9 can accelerate from 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 4.7 seconds and has a top speed of 299 km/h (186 mph). The engine largely sits behind the front-axle line to improve weight distribution.^[12] Changes to the engine for the 2013 model year DB9 increased the horsepower to 503 hp (510 PS) and torque to 620 N·m (457 lbf·ft). The car's 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) time decreased to 4.50 seconds and the new top speed is 295 km/h (183 mph).^[17]

The DB9 can be equipped with either a six-speed conventional manual gearbox from Graziano or a six-speed ZF automatic gearbox featuring paddle-operated semi-automatic mode.^[16] The automatic gearbox increases the 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) time to 4.9 seconds, though the top speed remains the same. The gearbox is rear-mounted and is driven by a carbon-fiber tail shaft inside a cast aluminium torque tube.^[12]

Chassis

The DB9 is the first Aston Martin model to be designed and developed on Ford's aluminium VH (vertical/horizontal) platform which also underpins Aston Martin's flagship DBS. The body structure is composed of aluminium and composites melded together by mechanically fixed self-piercing rivets and robotic assisted adhesive bonding techniques. The bonded aluminium structure is claimed to possess more than double the torsional rigidity of its predecessor's, despite being 25 percent lighter.^[12]

The DB9 also contains anti-roll bars and double wishbone suspension, supported by coil springs. To keep the back-end in control under heavy acceleration or braking, the rear suspension has additional anti-squat and anti-lift technology. Later versions of the car also features three modes for the tuning: normal, for every-day use, sport, for more precise movement at the cost of ride comfort, and track, which furthers the effects of the sport setting.^[14] Early models had just 2 modes, 'normal' and 'sport'.

Wheels

The DB9 initially launched with 483 mm (19 in) wheels with a width of 216 mm (8.5 in) in the front and 241 mm (9.5 in) in the back.^[2] They were fitted with Bridgestone Potenza 235/40ZR19 up front and 275/35ZR19 is the back. The brakes are large Brembo six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston calipers in the back. Carbon ceramic brakes were an option.

These were later changed to 20 in (508 mm) wheels with widths of 216 mm (8.5 in) in the front and 279 mm (11 in) in the back.^[18] The tyres are Pirelli P-Zero with codes of 245/35ZR20 and 295/30ZR20. The brakes are carbon-ceramic with six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston calipers in the back.^[19]

Variants

DB9 Volante

Aston Martin DB9 Volante (USA; pre-facelift)

Aston Martin DB9 Volante (Australia; facelift)

The Aston Martin DB9 Volante is the convertible version of the DB9 coupe. The chassis, though stiffer, uses the same base VH platform. To protect occupants from rollovers, the Volante has strengthened the windshield pillars and added two pop-up hoops behind the rear seats. The hoops cannot be disabled and will break the car's rear window if deployed. In an effort to improve the Volante's ride while cruising, Aston Martin have softened the springs and lightened the anti-roll bars in the Volante, leading to a gentler suspension. The retractable roof of the Volante is made of folding fabric and takes 17 seconds to be put up or down. The Volante weighs 59 kilograms (130 pounds) more than the coupe.^[20]

The coupe and Volante both share the same semi-automatic and automatic gearboxes and engine. The car is limited to 266 km/h (165 mph) to retain the integrity of the roof. Like the coupe, the original Volante has 569 N·m (420 lbf·ft) of torque at 5,000 rpm and a maximum power of 456 PS (450 hp) at 6,000 rpm. The 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) is slowed to 4.9 seconds due to the additional weight.^[20] On newer models, like the coupe's, the Volante's horsepower and torque have increased to 517 PS (510 hp) and 620 N·m (457 lbf·ft) respectively.^[19]

DB9 LM

To commemorate Aston Martin's GT1 victory at the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin released the DB9 LM (Le Mans) in the first quarter of 2008. The DB9 LM comes standard with the DB9's optional sports pack and is only available as a semi-automatic coupe. The LM is painted Sarthe Silver, named after the Circuit de la Sarthe, where Le Mans is run, and has red brake calipers, a chromed mesh grill, and a special black leather interior, with red stitching and the Le Mans track stitched on the central console. The car is also fitted with the DBS clear rear lights.^[21] Only 124 DB9 LMs were authorized, one per dealer. However, some dealers did not take their allocation with the result that only 69 DB9 LM's were finally built by the factory.^[22]

DB9 Carbon Black, Morning Frost, and Quantum Silver

Following the success of several special edition models of other Aston Martin cars, like the V12 Vantage Carbon Black and DBS Carbon Black, Aston Martin announced three special edition models of the DB9 in 2011: the DB9 Carbon Black, Morning Frost, and Quantum Silver. All three models are denoted by a sill plaque bearing their respective names.^[23] All three models have the same 6.0L V12 engine as the base DB9, which produces 477 PS (470 hp). All three models are available both as a coupe and a Volante.^[24]

The DB9 Carbon Black, as its name suggests, has a black paint finish and matching interior. This includes a black center console and interior door handles on the inside, and black grills, a black tailpipe, and black 483 mm (19 in) 10-spoke wheels on the outside. The interior also has numerous add-ons to make the car more sporty, including silver stitching for the leather and a polished glass gear stick. The exhaust has been modified to create a different sound to add to the sporty feel. The Carbon Black is only available as a six-speed semi-automatic.^[25]

The DB9 Morning Frost's paint finish is a pearlescent white. However, on the inside, the Morning Frost is fitted with metallic bronze leather and a black center console and interior door handles. On the outside, the Morning Frost has silver 483 mm (19 in) 10-spoke wheels, silver brake calipers, and silver grilles. Like the Carbon Black, the DB9 Morning Frost has a six-speed semi-automatic transmission.^[26]

The DB9 Quantum Silver uses a silver paint scheme also found on the Aston Martin DBS in Quantum of Solace, hence its name.^[27] Inside, the Quantum Silver shares the black center console and leather. On the outside, it also has black grills and 483 mm (19 in) wheels.^[24] The Quantum Silver has the same semi-automatic transmission as its counterparts, and shares a modified sports exhaust with the Carbon Black.^[23]

Motorsport

The DBR9 which won its class at the 2007 and 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans.

DBR9

The DB9 has been adapted for use in sports car racing by Aston Martin Racing, a collaboration between Aston Martin and Prodrive. Called the DBR9, the car debuted in 2005. It retains the DB9's 5.9 L V12 engine basic parts, but the car has been extensively modified to decrease its weight as well as to improve performance. Most of the car's aluminium body panels have been converted into carbon fibre panels, and several external features, like a front splitter and a rear wing, have been added to increase the car's downforce. Inside, the DB9's interior has mostly been scrapped to save weight. Likewise, though the suspension's layout remains the same, it has been improved to racing specifications. The brakes are upgraded to Brembo carbon-carbon disks and six-piston calipers. The transmission in the DBR9 is a Xtrac six-speed sequential manual, containing a Salisbury friction-plate limited-slip differential, and the prop shaft is also made of carbon fibre. The engine modifications allow the car to develop 634 PS (625 hp) and 746 N·m (550 lbf·ft) of torque; that power, in addition to the lost weight, allows the DBR9 can go from 0 to 161 km/h (100 mph) in 6.4 seconds.^[28]

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.^[29][30][31]

DBRS9

Aston Martin DBRS9

Aston Martin Racing also developed a different car following FIA GT3 regulations. Called the DBRS9, the car shares carbon fibre bodywork and the chassis and suspension layout of the DBR9.^[32] While the engine has also remained the same, it has been tuned to develop 527 PS (520 hp). The DBRS9 can be equipped with either a six-speed H-pattern gearbox or a six-speed sequential box and has a 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) time of 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 314 km/h (195 mph).^[33]

The DBRS9 competed in several endurance races, including the 24 Hours Nürburgring, Spa 24 Hours, and Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race.^[34][35] The car additionally raced in the FIA GT3 European Championship for which it was designed before being replaced by a GT3 version of the V12 Vantage in 2011.^[36]

The DBRS9 was made available to consumers and included an adjustable driver's seat and steering.^[37]

Reception

Car critics have generally rated the DB9 coupe and Volante well, praising the car's luxurious interior and exterior design. On the British automotive show Top Gear, the DB9 is thought of highly. Notably, on the show's "Cool Wall" segment, the presenters called the DB9 "too cool" for the wall and gave it its own category, dubbed the "DB9 Sub Zero Fridge", a mini-refrigerator containing the car's card.^[38] While reviewing the Volante, Richard Hammond called the interior of the DB9 "one of the best known to man". He felt that the car was less stiff than the coupe, however, to the point that the car was "wobbly".^[39]

Both Edmunds.com and Road and Track critiqued the DB9 for not having as good handling as other sports cars, noting that the car isn't stiff enough. However, Edmunds noted that while the Mercedes-Benz SL600 and SL55 AMG were objectively better cars, the DB9 was more desirable.^[40] When compared directly against other cars, like the Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet and the Ford GT, the DB9 was ranked poorly, though the reviewer noted that comparing it against faster cars "highlighted its shortcomings".^[41] Likewise, when compared to the Bentley Continental GT, Mercedes-Benz CL600, and Ferrari 612 Scaglietti F1, the DB9 ranked poorly again, though reviewers said that "despite its problems, the DB9 would be their personal choice".^[42] The issues with stiffness were largely fixed by later iterations of the DB9, however, as noted by Autoweek and Edmunds.^[43][44]

The DB9's interior has been called "regal"^[19] and "dazzling",^[45] with Edmunds saying, "[w]ords like 'rich' and 'crafted' just don't cut it, though 'decadent' and 'sculpted by the Almighty himself' get close".^[46] Critics liked the comfort of the almost racecar-like driver's seat.^[47] Reviewers complained about the back seats however, with Forbes saying "think of it more as a padded parcel shelf".^[9] Likewise, reviewers complained that the space for cargo was limited, though many quipped the small back seats could help hold luggage.^[48] Another common complaint was car's poor satnav system, which Automobile Magazine called the car's "Achilles heel", noting that "selecting a route is painful at best".^[49] Newer models contain a much improved satnav system sourced from Garmin.^[17]

References

Notes

1. "Aston Martin Automatic Gearboxes". JT Automatics Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
2. "2007 Aston Martin DB9 coupe specifications". Car and Driver. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
3. "2009 Aston Martin DB9 coupe specifications". Car and Driver. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
4. "2010 Aston Martin DB9 coupe specifications". Car and Driver. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
5. Campbell, Peter. "Aston Martin losses double after investment drive". Financial Times. Retrieved 24 October 2016. (subscription required)
6. "Aston Martin DB9 – 2003 Frankfurt Auto Show.". Car and Driver. September 2003. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
7. Feast, Richard (14 November 2004). "2005 Aston Martin DB9: Under the Beauty, an Up-to-Date Beast". New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
8. Vaughn, Mark (4 February 2013). "DB9 Is Fine". Autoweek. 63 (3): 32–33.
9. Gorzelany, Jim; de Paula, Matthew. "2008 Aston Martin DB9 Reviews". Forbes Autos. Archived from the original on 28 June 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
10. "Aston Martin DB9 Overview". Car Gurus. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
11. Weaver, Alistair (19 March 2007). "Inside Line Q&A: Aston Martin's Dr. Ulrich Bez". Edmunds: Inside Line. Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
12. Robinson, Peter (October 2003). "Aston Martin DB9 – Car News". Car and Driver. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
13. "2011 Aston Martin DB9 Interior". U.S. News. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
14. Cupler, Justin (19 September 2012). "2013 Aston Martin DB9 Review". TopSpeed. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
15. "Aston Martin DB9 in Depth". World Car Fans. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
16. Robinson, Peter (June 2004). "Aston Martin DB9 – First Drive Review". Car and Driver. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
17. Jurnecka, Rory (30 January 2013). "First Test: 2013 Aston Martin DB9". Motor Trend. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
18. "The New DB9 – Specifications". Aston Martin. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
19. Harley, Michael (6 February 2013). "2013 Aston Martin DB9 Review". Autoblog. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
20. Hutton, Ray (September 2005). "Aston Martin DB9 Volante – First Drive Review". Car and Driver. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
21. Phillips, Tom. "Two more Astons for Frankfurt show". Autocar. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
22. Siler, Steve (September 2007). "2008 Aston Martin DB9 LM and V-8 Vantage N400". Car and Driver. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
23. Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (22 December 2010). "Aston Martin Rounds Out The Year With Three New DB9 Special Editions". Motor Authority. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
24. Garlitos, Kirby (23 December 2010). "2011 Aston Martin DB9 Quantum Silver". TopSpeed. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
25. "2011 Aston Martin DB9 Carbon Black". TopSpeed. 22 December 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2013. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
26. "2011 Aston Martin DB9 Morning Frost". TopSpeed. 22 December 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2013. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
27. "Aston Martin Celebrates 2010 - 'The Year of the Specials'". Aston Martin. 22 December 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
28. Gillies, Mark (February 2007). "Aston Martin DBR9 – Sport". Car and Driver. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
29. "Aston Martin announces driver line-up for 12 Hours of Sebring". Aston Martin. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
30. "Aston Martin at the American Le Mans". American Le Mans Series. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
31. "First FIA GT Championship win for DBR9". Aston Martin. 5 December 2005. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
32. "Aston martin Racing DBRS9 completes first 3000 km of testing". Aston Martin. 18 November 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
33. "Aston Martin DBRS9 Race Car". Chicago Auto Show. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
34. "Superb 4th place finish for Barwell Aston Martin DBRS9 in Spa 24 Hours". Aston Martin. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
35. "Barwell Motorsport to contest Merdeka 12 Hours with Aston Martin DBRS9". Aston Martin. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
36. Timmins, Ben (25 August 2011). "Aston Martin Replaces DBRS9 with V12 Vantage GT3 Racer". Motor Trend. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
37. "Aston Martin DBRS9 to compete in Belcar Race series". Aston Martin. 5 October 2006. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
38. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond (9 May 2004). Top Gear. Series 4. Episode 1. BBC.
39. Richard Hammond (12 June 2005). Top Gear. Series 6. Episode 3. BBC.
40. "2008 Aston Martin DB9 Review". US News. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
41. Winfield, Barry (August 2005). "Aston Martin DB9 vs. Ferrari F430, Ford GT, Lamborghini Gallardo, M-B SL65 AMG, Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet". Car and Driver. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
42. Hutton, Ray; Quiroga, Tony; Robinson, Peter; Webster, Larry (August 2004). "2005 Aston Martin DB9 vs. Bentley Continental GT, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti F1, M-B CL600". Car and Driver. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
43. Rendell, Julian (2 September 2010). "2011 Aston Martin DB9 Volante, an AW Flash Drive". Autoweek. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
44. "2012 Aston Martin DB9". Edmunds. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
45. Mead, Sue (10 August 2004). "2005 Aston Martin DB9". Autobytel. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
46. Brauer, Karl (18 March 2005). "2005 Aston Martin DB9 First Drive". Edmunds. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
47. Frankl, Nicholas (9 March 2005). "Review: Aston DB9 – Million Dollar DB". The Auto Channel. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
48. "2011 Aston Martin DB9 Interior". US News. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
49. "Review: 2009 Aston Martin DB9 Coupe". Automobile Magazine. April 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2013.

Bibliography

• Holmes, Mark (2007). Ultimate Convertibles: Roofless Beauty. London: Kandour. pp. 12–15. ISBN 978-1-905741-62-5.

External links

• Aston Martin DB9 – Official Aston Martin webpage
• Aston Martin DB9 at the Internet Movie Cars Database