The most powerful and complete iteration of Aston Martin’s stalwart DB9 will make its world debut at the Festival of Speed.
The new GT version is powered by an uprated version of Aston’s normally-aspirated 6.0-litre V12 engine with 547ps – that’s 30 horsepower up on the regular DB9. Torque stays the same at 620 Nm at 5500 rpm.
Combined with the Touchronic II six-speed transmission, the GT’s performance is boosted, with 0-62mph now delivered in 4.4 seconds, a tenth quicker than before. Top speed is 183mph.
The DB9 also gets a raft of engineering, equipment and styling developments in new GT form, ’calculated to make this the very best of what DB9 can be’, according to the firm.
Upgrades include a revised, more user-friendly version of the touch-sensitive infotainment system from the Vanquish.
The sleek looks, first seen at the original DB9’s launch in 2003, are carried over with a few changes. Spot the GT by its black painted splitter and diffuser, revised headlight and taillight treatments and new 10-spoke 20-inch alloy wheels. Black anodised brake calipers and a GT engraving on the aluminium fuel filler cap also distinguish the new model.
The DB9 GT is priced from £140,000 in the UK.
Aston is also using the Festival of Speed to showcase the latest-spec Vantage and Rapide S models, both with equipment upgrades.
All up it’s going to be a huge Festival of Speed for Aston Martin this year, with the dynamic debut of the motorsport-inspired Vantage GT12 – to be driven up the hill by Aston’s new boss Andy Palmer – and the world first sighting of the new luxury Taraf in action.
Also enjoying the weekend will be Aston’s new chief engineer, the former Lotus chassis guru Matt Becker, who has been charged by Dr Palmer to help define a new generation of Aston models now being developed.
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