Aston Martin DB11 Archives

Aston Martin DB11 wins Golden Steering Wheel Award

Aston Martin’s DB11 has just been crowned ‘Most Beautiful car 2017’ by winning the prestigious Golden Steering Wheel award from Axel Springer. The car features cutting edge technology that has been wrapped into a silhouette that is worthy of praise. It’s smooth and elegantly designed contours make it look aggressive yet classy.

The jury of the Golden Steering award was made up of designers, engineers, racers, celebrities and journalists from across Europe. There were 20 entrants for the competition, all of which entered the car market this year. And the DB11 managed to standout enough to take home the prize.

Aston Martin President and CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer, received the award from Marion Horn (Editor in Chief BILD am Sonntag) and Tom Drechsler (Editor in Chief AUTO BILD) at the awards ceremony held at the Axel Springer SE headquarters in Berlin.

Speaking of the award, the delighted CEO of Aston Martin, said, “We aspire to make the most beautiful cars in the world and are incredibly proud of the Aston Martin DB11, a car that spearheads our Second Century plan. Exceptional design runs through the bloodline of the DB models and every part of the DB11 is crafted to create the most beautiful DB to date.”

Designed by Marek Richman, the DB11 is grand tourer that was built since last year and has effectively replaced the ever popular DB9. Available as either a 2-door Coupe or Convertible, the DB11 is offered with either a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 or a Mercedes-AMG 4.0-litre V8 engine.

Both powerplants are mated with an 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox, which allow them to achieve their respective speeds. The V12 powered car has 600bhp and 700Nm of torque, which allow it to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds. The V8 powered (503bhp and 675Nm of torque) car accomplishes the same feat in 4.0 seconds.

Aston Martin recently forged a partnership with Mercedes-Benz, allowing it access to a plethora of engine options and cutting edge technology. Utilizing these new tools, the British automaker might be able to reduce R&D costs but produce the same beautiful cars.

Aston Martin DB11 Volante finally unleashed

Aston Martin has unveiled the DB11 Volante , the convertible version of the DB11 Coupe that was launched last year. Engineered to be the best open-top supercar created by Aston Martin, it boasts a convertible fabric roof that has been designed to withstand close to 10 years of abuse without breaking a sweat.

Like its Coupe brethren, the Volante is constructed from an all-new bonded aluminum structure, which is 26% lighter and more rigid than is predecessor’s. Adding to that, it is said to offer better performance and handling abilities without sacrificing refinement and luxurious that are expected of a gran tourer.

Aston Martin has given the car the same single-piece aluminium bonnet and ‘Curlicue’ aerodynamic feature from the DB11 Coupe, which improves airflow and reduces weight. Then, there are also new wood/carbon fibre veneer panels on the seat backs, ultra-slim ‘light blade’ tail lights and newly designed forged alloy wheels.

Under the hood is the 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 engine that delivers close to 510bhp, which is coupled with a smooth shifting 8-speed automatic transmission. Drivers will be able to alter the Volante’s behaviour by adjusting its 3-stage powertrain and chassis modes.

These systems coupled with dynamic torque vectoring, allow drivers to adapt the vehicle’s behavior to the various roads and weather conditions. But, much to the dismay of purists, the DB11 Volante is fitted with an electric power steering as apposed to the tried and tested hydraulic setup.

That said, the stand out feature of the Volante has to be its sophisticated fabric roof. It is an all-new 8-layer design that is fitted with insulation materials that help reduce ambient noises especially tha of weather and wind. It only needs about 14 seconds to fully fold into the rear and a mere 16 seconds to come back up – all done with just the remote key.

Due to the construction method and the way that this fabric roof is able to fold neatly away, the the car has 20% more boot space in the rear compared to the outgoing DB9 Volante. This makes the new vehicle a more practical grand tourer, and one that can be used on a daily basis.

Aston Martin President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Andy Palmer, said, “For many of our customers, indeed many generations of Aston Martin customer, the Volante has always offered something very special: a unique combination of elegant style, innate sporting ability and sensory engagement that lifts it above other open-top cars.”

He then added that, “The new DB11 Volante captures those qualities perfectly and promises the kind of pleasure and enjoyment that can only come from driving an open-top Aston Martin.”

Aston Martin has announced that the first round of deliveries will take place towards the first quarter of 2018, which is still a long way off, but judging from the looks alone, we doubt Aston Martin will have any problems selling this particular car.

Aston Martin DB11 is the first to receive Mercedes-AMG engine

Aston Martin’s DB11 will be the first receipient in the company’s line up of a Mercedes-AMG engine, which is the fruition of the partnership between the German manufacturer and the Gaydon based supercar maker.

Buyers will now be able to order their Aston Martin with either the existing 5.2-litre turbocharged V12 or the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from Mercedes-Benz. The latter weighs about 115kg lighter than the former, which should offer the DB11 better agility especially when meandering through corners. It’s power output is rated at close to 510bhp and 675Nm of torque, which will allow the car to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.0 seconds and on to a top speed of 301km/h.

Speaking of the latest addition, Aston Martin Chief Technical Officer, Max Szwaj, said, “As an engineer I find the DB11 a fascinating car. One with great depth of character and ability. Of course the V12-engined variant is an icon – an ultimate, if you like, but the V8 is very much its own car. One with a distinct and carefully crafted character that’s truly seductive.”

Despite it being a Mercedes-AMG sourced engine, Aston Martin’s engineers have fettled with it and added their own personal touch to ensure that the end result, is a powerplant that fits the needs and demands of a true Aston Martin. The calibration carried out included creating new ECU software and reprogramming the engine and throttle mapping to ensure that it offers and feel and sound that the brand is known for.

Several changes were made to the DB11 in order for the new V8 to fit in perfectly. They include a bespoke air intake, exhaust and wet sump lubrication systems, as well as new engine mounts. Together, they allow the engine to sit as low as possible to optimize the centre of gravity.

Most of the weight is centered within the wheelbase and as a result, should increase the car’s ability to react to sudden changes in steering input. And to fully support this, detailed revisions were made to the suspension bushing, geometry, anti-roll bars, springs, dampers and ESP software.

Looking at the exterior, there subtle design changes that tell it apart from its V12 powered sibling, and they include a unique alloy wheel finish, dark headlamp bezels and a pair of bonnet vents as apposed to the quartet that is featured on the V12 model. The vents are painted in either black or titanium-finish mesh – unique to the V8 variant.

As for the interior, there are no distinctions between the two variants as both get the same stuff, which, depending on what’s chosen, include the Options Pack, Designer Specification packages and a suite of Q by Astion Martin.

These Mercedes-AMG powered DB11 cars should go on sale towards the fourth quarter of this year but, one of them will make an appearance at next month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

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