The Aston Martin DB9 is a two-door grand tourer car that was produced by the British carmaker Aston Martin in Gaydon, Warwickshire. It was manufactured both as a coupé starting in 2004 and a convertible known as the Volante from 2005, until their discontinuation in 2016.
Succeeding the DB7, which Aston Martin produced from 1994 until 2004, the DB9 was designed by Ian Callum and Henrik Fisker and debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003, while the Volante debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in the subsequent year. The DB9, which is built upon Aston Martin's vertical/horizontal platform, employs extensive use of lightweight materials—including aluminium and composite materials—throughout the body. Over its production, Aston Martin implemented a series of updates to the car; the first two—which occurred in 2008 and 2010—involved minor changes to elements like the headlights, tail-lights, engine and interior. The third and final update occurred in 2012, when Aston Martin completely restyled the front fascia; its largely redesigned headlights gave the DB9 a design reminiscent of the 2011–2012 Virage.
The company's racing division, Aston Martin Racing, adapted the DB9 for sports car racing in the form of the DBR9 and the DBRS9 for the FIA GT1 and the FIA GT3, respectively. They were extensively modified; the interior features were removed and the aluminium body panels were replaced by carbon fibre panels. The engine was modified in both cars to produce more horsepower and torque. Aston Martin released multiple special editions of the DB9, notably the DB9 LM, the DB9 Zagato Spyder Centennial and the DB9 GT. While the car's design was widely praised and considered better than its competitors, reviewers criticized its handling and limited cargo capacity, which they felt were outperformed by its peers.
Name The letters "DB" are the initials of David Brown, the owner of Aston Martin between 1947 and 1972. Although the DB9 succeeded the DB7, Aston Martin did not name the car DB8 due to fears that the name would suggest that it featured a V8 engine—the DB9 has a V12. Reports indicated that Aston Martin held the belief that naming the car "DB8" would suggest a progressive evolution, given that the DB9 marked the introduction of an entirely new vehicle.
Background
In 1994, Aston Martin, which Ford Motor Company owned at the time, began producing the DB7, a grand tourer positioned as an "entry-level" model within the company's lineup. It was the only Aston Martin that used steel monocoque construction, which was designed by Jaguar—a company that Ford also owned at the time. Designed by Ian Callum, the DB7 was available as both a coupe and convertible, the latter known as the Volante. In 1999, Aston Martin began manufacturing the DB7 Vantage, which featured a V12 engine developed by Ford in the United States. It became so popular that it started diverting sales from the six-cylinder model, leading to the latter's discontinuation later that year. The DB7 remained in production until 2004, when Aston Martin had produced about 7,000 examples. At the time, it was the best selling model in Aston Martin's history, though it was later surpassed by its successor, the DB9.
In the late 1990s, Aston Martin developed a model strategy that aimed to introduce various new technologies. Ford made significant investments in enhancing engine and structural technologies to create an entirely new platform, helping to restore Aston Martin's reputation as a desirable luxury automaker. The Vanquish, introduced in 2001 to replace the Virage, was the first car of this new era. Following the rejection of previous product proposals, the replacement for the DB7 was announced as the "DB9". This platform, named "vertical/horizontal", would underpin most mass-produced Aston Martins produced between 2003 and 2016.
Development
In July 2000, Ford appointed Ulrich Bez as chief executive officer and chairman of Aston Martin. The entry-level DB7 was due to be replaced by a car with the project codename "AM802", slated to be a 2+2 grand touring car. During this time, a third project was in development, codenamed "AM305". It was to be a smaller, two-seater car intended to compete with the Porsche 911 and the Ferrari 360. This car became the Vantage in 2005.
Callum was appointed as lead designer for the AM802 project. With the abrupt death of the designer Geoff Lawson in 1999, Callum had to alternate between designing at Jaguar and Aston Martin. Between 2000 and 2001, Bez requested that he work on two cars, the DB9 and what would become the V8 Vantage in 2005. Much of this work occurred at the Jaguar design centre in Whitley. The appointment of Henrik Fisker as lead designer in 2001 allowed Callum to focus principally on Jaguar. When asked by the magazine Car and Driver how much he had contributed to the vehicle, Callum replied, "I would say pretty much 100 percent, including the interior. Maybe not the colour and trim and wood finishes but certainly the surfaces of the car."
Numerous DB9 pre-production prototypes and concepts were tested over various locations globally, amassing over collectively. Aston Martin conducted testing at the Ford Lommel Proving Grounds in Belgium as well as high-speed testing at the Nardò Ring in Italy, the Nürburgring in Germany, the MIRA test track and the Millbrook Proving Ground, the latter two in the United Kingdom. Aston Martin subjected the vehicles to hot-weather trials in Death Valley, the world's hottest location, and cold-weather evaluations within Sweden's Arctic Circle. Further tests occurred in New Zealand, encompassing both summer and winter conditions. Aston Martin deliberately destroyed most of the cars but three were retained and appeared in the film Casino Royale (2006). Following their cinematic appearances, all three vehicles were rendered undriveable.
The car debuted in September 2003 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The official series manufacture of the DB9 coupe began in January 2004 at the Gaydon facility in Warwickshire, England; the DB9 marked the first model built there. In a 2007 interview, Bez stated that, though Aston Martin was traditionally a maker of more exclusive automobiles, he believed that the company needed to be more visible and build more cars. At launch, Aston Martin planned to produce between 1,400 and 1,500 examples annually.
Design and specifications
As opposed to its predecessor with a steel monocoque construction, the DB9, which uses the "vertical/horizontal" platform, employs aluminium extensively throughout its construction. The body structure comprises aluminium and composite materials melded together by mechanically fixed self-piercing rivets and robotic-assisted adhesive bonding techniques. The bonded aluminium structure possesses more than double the torsional rigidity of its predecessor despite being 25 percent lighter. The DB9 also has anti-roll bars and double wishbone suspension supported by coil springs. The rear suspension incorporates additional anti-squat and anti-lift technology to control heavy acceleration or braking. While the DB9's exterior skin mostly consists of aluminium, the front bumpers and bonnet are made of composite materials. Its platform was later adapted for use by the Rapide, DBS, Vantage, Virage, 2012 Vanquish and Lagonda Taraf.
From the outset, Aston Martin intended for the front passenger cabin of the DB9 to incorporate a spacious, comfortable two-seater design; the rear passenger cabin—which also has two seats—was to be used more commonly as stowage space. The car's interior design was inspired by the 2001 Vanquish's but many alterations were made to differentiate the cars; for example, the air vents were mounted lower, leaving space for the pop-up satellite navigation positioned above. Instead of the Vanquish's red starter button, which was often described as "vulgar", Aston Martin opted for a clear glass button engraved with the brand's name, which illuminated blue when the ignition was on and red during engine operation. The DB9's interior is upholstered in leather and has a walnut wood trim. Satellite navigation and Bluetooth were initially optional but became standard in later models. Later models also offered a Dolby Prologic sound system connectable to satellite radio, a six-CD changer, an iPod connector, a USB connector, or an auxiliary input jack. A seating package, which removes the back seats and replaces the front seats with lighter seats made of Kevlar and carbon fibre, was available, deducting . The boot capacity is in the coupe or in the Volante.
The DB9 uses a 5.9-litre V12 engine. The original model's produces a maximum power output of at 6,000 rpm and of torque at 5,000 rpm. The DB9 can accelerate from 0 to in 4.7 seconds and has a top speed of . Its rear-wheel drive layout and front mid-engine design improves weight distribution. The DB9 could be equipped with either a six-speed conventional manual gearbox manufactured by Graziano Trasmissioni or a six-speed ZF Friedrichshafen 'Touchtronic' automatic gearbox featuring paddle-operated semi-automatic mode. The automatic gearbox increases the 0 to acceleration time to 4.9 seconds, though the top speed remains the same. The gearbox is rear-mounted and is driven by a carbon-fibre tail shaft inside a cast aluminium torque tube. The DB9 launched with wheels, with the front ones measuring in width and the rear ones at . Featuring Bridgestone Potenza 235/40ZR19 tyres in the front and 275/35ZR19 in the rear, the car's braking system relies on Brembo four-piston callipers.
Updates In 2008, the DB9 received a facelift. The car was largely unchanged; the updates included stylistic tweaks such as door mirrors resembling those of the DBS model, revised wheels and a grille with new elements integrated into its traditional design. The DB9's 5.9-litre V12 received an increase of and , achieved by increased compression and a deeper sump, reducing friction as the crankshaft moves through its oil bath. The car's maximum speed was raised to and its 0 to acceleration was decreased to 4.6 seconds. The car also received a revised "Touchtronic 2" gearbox with an electronic shift-by-wire control system. Upgrades were made to both the standard and sports pack suspension systems, replacing Dynamics dampers with Bilstein dampers. The change resulted in improved handling, addressing the previously harsh ride quality at low speeds.
In June 2010, Aston Martin implemented another facelift for the DB9. Adjusted by Marek Reichman, the updates involved a refreshed front bumper, clear tail-lights and more defined front wings. A smoother body contour decorates the door sills, extending from the updated front fascia to the rear wings. Aston Martin updated the DB9's Bluetooth system, implemented a tyre-pressure monitoring system and included a new "Double Apex" aluminium trim finish. Buyers could upgrade to a Bang & Olufsen stereo sound system. About revising the styling of the DB9, Reichman quoted that "the beauty of an Aston Martin comes from harmonious proportions, a ground-hugging stance, taut surfacing and a complete and thorough attention to detail[...] The DB9 epitomises these qualities; it is beautiful but subtle—not attention seeking."