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Aston Martin Bids Farewell to DB9 With "Last of 9" Edition

As much as I love the grand tourer of the Aston Martin lineup, it was about time to put the DB9 out of its misery. “Farewell to an icon. The last nine Aston Martin DB9s are now ready for final inspection,” wrote the peeps at Aston Martin in a recent tweet.
Aston Martin DB9 "Last of 9" 46 photos
Photo: Aston Martin
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Nearly 13 years since it made its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the DB9 now called it quits. The decision to stop production of the DB9 will give way at the Gaydon plant for the plusher, more powerful DB11. The DB9 will always be remembered, though, as a pivotal moment for Aston Martin.

In the 1990s, the manufacturer got a breath of fresh air with the DB7. The problem with the Aston Martin DB7 is that it’s based on a platform that debuted in the ‘70s on a Jag. Besides, it was full of switches from the Ford Fiesta. It was a diamond in the rough. The DB9, however, was almost perfect.

Underpinned by the then modern VH Generation 1 platform, stylized by Henrik Fisker, and laden with luxury, the DB9 was the GT to have in the mid-2000s. It also happens to be a sales success. Still, the back seats are a joke and the Volvo-based satellite navigation was a pain to use. Thankfully, though, the DB9 was updated at some point with sat nav from Garmin.

At the end of the day, though, it’s hard to conceal the fact that the DB9 got left behind by its competitors. The biggest defect of the DB9, however, is the long-lasting production cycle. Why would A.M. build the same car for 13 years, ignoring the old bones hiding underneath the prepossessing lines?

Beats me. But anyway, I’ll be sorry to see the Aston Martin DB9 go. As you can see from the attached tweet, the last nine examples of the breed are dubbed "Last of 9" and they’ve been enhanced by the Q division with mother-of-pearl Aston Martin badges. Subtle, but extremely beautiful.

Joyce Hifler once said that “each moment is a pearl and it is up to us to pick the ones with the highest luster.” The passing of time will show us if the twin-turbocharged DB11 has the same kind of luster as its venerable predecessor.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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