Before offering some shadowy shots of the new car, the video shows some notable past Astons, including the DB5 that gained fame as the preferred ride of James Bond. Aston has used the “DB” prefix for decades in homage to businessman David Brown, who bought the company in 1947 and essentially saved it from the scrap heap.
The DB11 replaces the long-serving DB9. Aston likely skipped a number for the production car to highlight how much of a leap forward it believes the DB11 will be, just as it did when the DB9 replaced the DB7 about a decade ago. The DB10 name was assigned to a special car built for the Bond movie Spectre, which may lend some of its styling cues to the DB11.
Aston’s latest sports car is literally new from the ground up. It debuts a new aluminum platform that replaces the VH architecture used in every current Aston Martin. The DB11 will also get a new 5.2-liter twin-turbocharged V12, and may also be sold with Mercedes-AMG’s 4.0-liter turbocharged V8. Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler is providing technical assistance to Aston, including engines and electrical components.
Like the DB9, the DB11 will serve as the backbone of Aston’s lineup. It will probably spawn multiple variants, just as the DB9 begot the DBS, Virage, and Rapide over its lifespan. The car’s platform and engine will also likely be used in replacements for the current Vanquish and Vantage.
But the DB11 and its relatives won’t be the only new Aston Martins to appear over the next few years. The company is expected to build a production version of the DBX crossover concept from the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, and is working with China’s LeEco to launch a production electric car based on the RapidE prototype.
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