Yes, the world debut of the Aston Martin DB11 is planned for tomorrow, and yes, official information on the British interloper isn’t available at the time of writing. But would you look at the thing? My, how much Aston Martin has pushed the envelope with the DB11.
The DB11 doesn’t follow the grand tourer design recipe of the DB9. For all intents and purposes, the Aston Martin DB9 is a pretty thing that established the aesthetic principles of the British marque into the 21st century. As a modern interpretation of the Jaguar XK-based DB7, the DB9 delivered the right type of eye candy for both old and new customers to the Gaydon-based sports car company.
All of that has changed with the Aston Martin DB11, though. It is a thoroughly different beast compared to the DB9, one that isn’t trying to keep loyalists happy. I'm not a big fan of the Hyundai i20-like C-pillar design, but that's just me. Its “take it or leave it” visuals remind me of Aston Martin in the 1970s, an era when Aston Martin started experimenting in terms of design. The outlandish Lagonda 4-door luxury saloon and the no-nonsense V8 Vantage come to mind.
More than that, the DB11 is a departure from the cookie-cutter design blueprint Aston Martin has used in the Noughties. Yes, the wide grille is there, the haunches too, but other than that, everything is different. Just look at the shape of the LED headlights or the rear light clusters shaped to enclose the integrated rear spoiler. Blimey!
Love it or hate it, the DB11 is the new face of Aston Martin, that Aston Martin, which will manufacture a crossover in the foreseeable future. Better still, the DB11 is powered by an all-new 5.2 twin-turbo V12 with nigh on 600 horsepower on tap. Now that’s a hell of a way to announce the end of Ford Motor Company's legacy on Aston Martin.
More information and photographs of the DB11 will be released tomorrow, straight from Geneva.
All of that has changed with the Aston Martin DB11, though. It is a thoroughly different beast compared to the DB9, one that isn’t trying to keep loyalists happy. I'm not a big fan of the Hyundai i20-like C-pillar design, but that's just me. Its “take it or leave it” visuals remind me of Aston Martin in the 1970s, an era when Aston Martin started experimenting in terms of design. The outlandish Lagonda 4-door luxury saloon and the no-nonsense V8 Vantage come to mind.
More than that, the DB11 is a departure from the cookie-cutter design blueprint Aston Martin has used in the Noughties. Yes, the wide grille is there, the haunches too, but other than that, everything is different. Just look at the shape of the LED headlights or the rear light clusters shaped to enclose the integrated rear spoiler. Blimey!
Love it or hate it, the DB11 is the new face of Aston Martin, that Aston Martin, which will manufacture a crossover in the foreseeable future. Better still, the DB11 is powered by an all-new 5.2 twin-turbo V12 with nigh on 600 horsepower on tap. Now that’s a hell of a way to announce the end of Ford Motor Company's legacy on Aston Martin.
More information and photographs of the DB11 will be released tomorrow, straight from Geneva.