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The Aston Martin DB9 was the first car to be produced at the
company’s modern facility in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The innovative
DB9 heralds an exciting new era for Aston Martin as it reflects the
direction that the company is taking with all future models.
Using a radical new aluminium bonded frame, the 2+2 DB9 is one of
the most sophisticated and technically advanced sports cars in the
world. It successfully balances the attributes of a sports car with
features normally found on luxury cars.
The Aston Martin DB9 is a modern interpretation of a traditional
Aston Martin sports car, representing a contemporary version of
classic DB design elements and characteristics.
“We wanted an elegant, beautiful car – in keeping with Aston Martin
tradition,” says Director of Design Henrik Fisker. “I was of course
acutely aware that Aston Martin is renowned for its superb styling.
It has launched some of the most beautiful sports and GT cars ever
seen.”
 Key traditional
Aston Martin features incorporated into the DB9 include the
distinctive grille, side strakes and clean, crisp, uncluttered
lines.
“Aston Martins are not edgy cars – they don’t have sharp surfaces or
pronounced power domes,” says Fisker. “The bodywork is elegant and
gently curved, like a supremely fit person, with great muscle tone.
But it is not like a body builder, who is bulky and out of harmony.”
The side profile is very clean, with a single-sweep roofline. There
is a pronounced boot – a noticeable feature of the DB4 and DB5 – and
the haunches on the rear wings are wide and curvaceous.
“A great deal of time was spent on the detailing,” says Fisker. “In
particular, we wanted to cut down on fuss. There are very few cut or
shut lines. Each of the headlamps is set in single apertures in the
front wings.”
Nor is there a separate nose cone, another typical source of sports
car design fussiness. The aluminium bonnet runs all to the way to
the leading edge of the car. “This accentuates the length of the
bonnet and the power of the car,” says Fisker. All front cut lines
emanate from the grille.
The DB9’s bumpers are invisible. The front number plate is part of
the crash structure and computer modelling has enabled Aston Martin
to use ‘hard pressure zones’ to cope with bumps.
“We wanted the DB9 to look like it was milled out of a single solid
piece of aluminium,” says Fisker. “No fussy detailing and a minimum
of shut lines have helped.”
The side strakes – an Aston Martin DB signature – are made from
metal. The door handles are flush with the body opening the unique
‘swan wing’ doors, which rise at a 12-degree angle for improved
access.
There are no visible gutters on the roof panel, and no visible drain
channels at the front or rear windscreens. Nor are there any plastic
‘dressing’ plates.
“The way the car sits on the road is crucial,” says Fisker. “A
sleek, long look is what we wanted.”
The wide track and long wheelbase are further advantages. Compared
with the outgoing DB7 Vantage, the DB9’s wheelbase is 149mm longer,
yet the track is 52mm wider at the front. Yet overall length and
width are only marginally increased.
“The 19-inch wheel has taken into account the optimal size for this
car’s design and dynamics,” says Fisker, “although different wheel
styles will be available.”
This low bodywork, relative to the wheels, is possible because of
the suspension design. The front suspension uses wishbones that
‘fit’ within the diameter of the wheels. This narrow spacing,
between top and bottom wishbones, means the bodywork can be low
because there is no high suspension to clear. It also improves
camber stiffness, improving handling.
“The DB9 had to have the best quality and most luxurious cabin in
the 2+2 sports car class,” says Fisker. As with the exterior, the
design is simple and elegant and a premium quality look and feel are
crucial.
Technology and Materials
“The latest technology is also essential, and that’s exactly what
the DB9 customer gets,” says Fisker. “But in an Aston Martin, the
technology is aimed at increasing the driving pleasure. There are no
computer gimmicks. You don’t buy an Aston Martin to play games on
the in-car computer, or to send emails.” Aluminium is used for door
handles, on the dashboard, in the instrument cluster, and for some
trim panels. The most distinctive use of aluminium is probably in
the instruments. The dials are made from aluminium, and are of
noticeable ‘three dimensional’ design. They are flood lit, not back
lit – making them especially attractive and clear at night.
There are 20 new leather colours, supplied by Bridge of Weir in
Scotland. The hides are particularly soft and supple. The leather
skins the seats and is used widely throughout the rest of the cabin.
“We spent a lot of time considering how best to use wood,” says
Interior Designer Sarah Maynard. “Today wood is typically used as an
appliqué, strips of highly polished veneer simply adding decoration
to the car. We wanted the wood in the DB9 to look more structural,
as it does on avant-garde modern furniture. We also wanted to use
large pieces of wood, rather than little strips – again, as in top
furniture.”
Maynard adds: ‘Wood is used in two places only: on top of the centre
of the dashboard and, if the customer chooses, for the door caps.
Three types of wood are offered: walnut, mahogany and bamboo. The
wood is one piece, so it looks completely different from burr
strips, and can be oiled rather than high gloss. Glossy wood
invariably looks like plastic.”
Maynard, a former fashion designer, attended numerous international
fashion, furniture, leather and fabric fairs, as she, Fisker and the
design team conceived the cabin.
Her favourite cabin design feature is the clear glass starter
button. “It seemed wrong to us that most car starter buttons – the
first point of contact between driver and engine – is a plastic
button. We wanted something better so decided on crystal-like glass.
The Aston Martin logo is sand etched into it. It’s lit red when the
ignition is on, and afterwards changes to light blue. I think it’s a
really cool piece of
design.”
Aerodynamics
A great deal of effort has been put into ensuring that the DB9 is
stable at high speed and has excellent front-to-rear lift balance.
Aerodynamic performance was tuned using Computational Fluid Dynamics
(CFD), at Volvo’s studios in Sweden. This is one of the most
advanced and effective ways of ensuring good drag figures and
excellent stability.
Aston Martin also used England’s Cranfield University’s
state-of-the-art 40 percent model wind tunnel, which is widely used
for motor sport.
Just as much effort was put into the underside, as the top side. A
full undertray reduces lift and drag, and wheel arches are carefully
profiled to allow for good airflow. Even the exhaust silencer has
been shaped to be as aerodynamic as possible.
The designers of the DB9 balanced beauty with aerodynamic
performance. Sharp corners and chiselled profiles can reduce Cd
figures, but can also lead to bland and unsightly styling. Pushing
wheels out to each corner, in the Aston Martin tradition, improves
stability and handling but also means ‘Coke bottle’ curves down the
car’s sides, which can have an effect on the Cd figure. The DB9’s
drag coefficient is 0.35, similar to that of the Vanquish.
“A low Cd figure was not an absolute priority,” says Fisker. “The
goal was superb styling with high speed stability and great
front-to-rear balance.”
DB9 SPECIFICATION
BODY
Two door coupe or convertible body style with 2+2 seating. Extruded
aluminium bonded body structure. Aluminium and composite body
panels. Extruded aluminium door side impact beams. Xenon gas
discharge projector headlamps (dipped beam), halogen projector
headlamps (main beam) with power wash LED rear lamps.
ENGINE
All alloy, quad overhead camshaft, 48-valve, 5935cc 60° V12
Mid-front mounted, rear wheel drive. Engine management system with
Neural Net misfire detection system. Fully catalysed stainless steel
exhaust system with active by-pass valves. Compression ratio10.3:1.
Maximum power 335kW (450bhp) at 6000 rpm. Maximum torque 570 Nm (420
lb ft) at 5000 rpm. Acceleration (Coupé manual) 0-60 mph in 4.7
seconds. 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. Acceleration (Coupé automatic)
0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds, 0-100 km/h in 5.1 seconds. Maximum speed
186mph (300km/h).
TRANSMISSION
Rear mid-mounted ‘Touchtronic 2’ six-speed gearbox with electronic
shift-by-wire control system. Rear mid-mounted six-speed manual
gearbox. Limited-slip differential. Final drive ratio 3.07:1 (auto),
3.54:1 (manual).
STEERING
Rack and pinion, Servotronic speed-sensitive power-assisted
steering, 3.0 turns lock to lock. Column tilt and reach adjustment.
WHEELS & TYRES
Lightweight aluminium alloy wheels. Front 8.5J x 19. Rear 9.5J x 19.
Bridgestone tyres Front: 235/40 ZR19. Rear: 275/35 ZR19.
SUSPENSION
Front: Independent double aluminium wishbones incorporating
anti-divegeometry, coil over aluminium monotube dampers and
anti-roll bar. Rear: Independent double aluminium wishbones
incorporating longitudinal control arms, coil over aluminium
monotube dampers and anti-roll bar.
BRAKES
Radial-mounted four-piston monobloc calipers. Anti Lock Braking
System(ABS), Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD), Emergency
Brake Assist (EBA), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Traction
Control. Front: ventilated and grooved steel discs 355mm diameter.
Rear: ventilated and grooved steel discs 330mm diameter.
INTERIOR
Full grain leather interior. Walnut facia trim. Driver and front
passenger dual-stage air-bags. Front occupant side air-bags.
Automatically deployed roll-over bars (Volante). Ten-way
electrically adjusted seats (including height, tilt and lumbar
adjustment). Heated rear screen. Automatic temperature control.
Organic electroluminescent(OEL) displays. Trip computer. Alarm and
immobiliser. Remote-control central door locking and boot release.
Battery disconnect switch. Battery conditioner. Tracker Horizon (UK
only).
IN-CAR ENTERTAINMENT
Linn 128W system with radio and 6 CD autochanger.
OPTIONS
Powerfold mirrors. Bright finish grille. Reversing sensors. Mahogany
facia trim. Bamboo facia trim. Matching wood door trim. Personalised
sill plaques. Heated front seats. Heated front screen. Alarm upgrade
(tilt and movement sensors). Satellite navigation system. Satellite
navigation system with optional Traffic Messaging Channel (TMC).
Integrated GSM telephone. Cruise control. Tyre pressure monitoring +
Fire extinguisher. First aid kit. Smokers’ pack. Linn 260W system
with Limbik 5.1Linn 950W system with Dolby Pro Logic II.
DIMENSIONS
Length 4710 mm. Width 1875 mm. Height (Coupé) 1270 mm. Kerb weight
(Coupé) 1710 kg (manual), 1800 kg (automatic).
FUEL CONSUMPTION
(Coupé automatic) Litres/100km (mpg): Urban 24.9 (11.4), Extra Urban
11.7 (24.2), Combined 16.5 (17.1).
CO2 EMISSIONS
(Coupé automatic): 394g/km. |
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Broughtons of Cheltenham Broughtons of Surrey
Broughtons of Pangbourne
01242 515374
01932 359600
0118 97663633
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