AUTO CAR MANUAL

The DB9’s interior is an intimate, elegant space that spoils occupants with myriad sybaritic delights, including terrific seats, a dazzling 700-watt sound system, lustrous metal-faced gauges, and thick, pillowy lining for the soft top. Every surface and material that one can see or touch is worthy of the DB9’s aristocratic mission. The center-stack controls, for example, are set within an arcing slab of rich, glowing wood; our test car had mahogany. The speaker grilles are rendered in perforated metal, the column-mounted shift paddles in magnesium, and the lower console in zinc. And everything that’s not wood or metal—including both of the pointless rear seats—wears a coat of hand-stitched leather of such surreal softness and consistency it’s as if the bovine donors had spent their precious time on this earth soaking in barrels of Oil of Olay.

The 4100-pound DB9 Volante is a proud GT, not a super-sports car. Built on Aston Martin’s lauded VH architecture, the Volante has always been pretty rigid, but some reinforcements were added this year to the front sheer panel, contributing another 10 percent of torsional stiffness. New Bilstein shocks, redesigned upper control arms, and retuned bushings were installed in all DB9s for 2009, and although tuning for the coupe focused on sportiness, the Volante’s setup prioritizes refinement.

The latest Aston Martin DB9 also incorporates a series of chassis developments for both the Coupe and Aston Martin DB9 Volante derivates. Bilstein dampers are introduced in addition to revised upper suspension arms and retuned suspension bushes to deliver improved ride quality; aiding greater refinement in the Aston Martin DB9 Volante and an enhanced sporting feel in the Coupe. The Aston Martin DB9 Volante also benefits from revisions to the front shear panel which increases torsional rigidity by 10%, further improving refinement.

The Aston Martin DB9 manages to combine all facets of style, quality and usability of a traditional Aston Martin without relying on retrospective detail or design. Accordingly, styling changes to the revised Aston Martin DB9 are subtle, reflecting the car’s timeless design and understated elegance.

Exterior styling changes include the introduction of a new standard 19” 10-spoke alloy wheel, new door mirrors and a revised anodised aluminium five-bar grille. In the cabin changes include a new centre console constructed from die cast zinc with a painted iridium silver finish and the introduction of a new Emotion Control Unit (ECU) – first seen on the Aston Martin DBS in 2007. The ECU – constructed from glass, polished stainless steel and polycarbonate – replaces the key used previously for the Aston Martin DB9.

The innovative Aston Martin DB9 introduced an exciting new era for Aston Martin. The 2+2 sports car set new standards in its class due to its astonishing combination of technology, agility and design. The car marked the beginning of a new era for Aston Martin and became the first car to be hand-made at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

Sales of the Aston Martin DB9 started in spring 2004, and to date, more than 10,000 examples have been produced and delivered to customers around the world – surpassing the Aston Martin DB7 as the most successful Aston Martin of all time.

Tags: Aston Martin | Aston Martin DB7 | Aston Martin DB9 | Aston Martin DB9 Coupe | Aston Martin DB9 Volante | Aston Martin DBS | Coupe | Emotion Control Unit | Geneva | polished stainless steel | Sports Car | Stainless Steel | Technology | Warwickshire

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