“If it’s good enough for James Bond, it should be good enough for you.”
That’s not an ad slogan Aston Martin would every use, but that doesn’t make it any less accurate. With the emergence of a full trailer for 007’s next adventure (Spectre) emerging earlier today, it’s obvious Bond will be back in a flame-throwing Aston again up there on the big screen. Back in the real world, the automaker recently unveiled its latest consumer edition — the DB9 GT, flamethrowers not included.
The new DB sports essentially the same 6.0 liter, V12 engine that graces much of Aston Martin’s line. But, it’s been tuned to produce 540 horsepower — doing 0-60 in 4.4 seconds with an exhaust note nearing pornography.
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The V12 is an all-alloy, quad overhead cam, 48-valve, 5,935 cc, front mid-mounted engine. It’s harnessed by Aston’s rear mid-mounted Touchtronic II six-speed transmission with electronic shift-by-wire control system. There’s none of that eight or nine gear nonsense here. Six will do quite nicely, thank you.
The new GT will also debut the AMi II touch-sensitive Aston Martin infotainment system, offering a revised menu structure and a cleaner interface. New features include text message integration, vehicle status information and extended background themes for a bespoke appearance.
Externally, the car’s styling remains more or less intact — maintaining that unmistakable Aston Martin design language and adding just new lights and larger wheels. As the saying goes; “If it ain’t broke…” However, it’s doubtful Aston would allow such parochial usage.
It’s supposed to seat four. But, anyone who’s ever driven or ridden in a DB9 knows it’s really a car for two. Those back seats might fit a vent doll. I suspect they’re there for insurance purposes as four seaters cost less to protect than sporty two-seaters.
The DB9 GT will come bespoke to individual buyers, and Aston Martin is currently taking orders — with an MSRP of $199,950 (or more with those flamethrowers).
