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Exclusive: Aston Martin DB9 Successor (DB11) Spied Testing Mercedes Twin-Turbo V12 Engine

So far the media, ourselves included, believed the upcoming Aston Martin DB9 replacement (DB11) would keep the atmospheric V12 Ford currently supplied to the British brand. Underneath that, the GT was expected to add the AMG twin-turbo 4-liter V8. As it turns out, we had an incomplete picture.
Aston Martin DB9 Sucessor testing Mercedes twin-turbo V12 engine 42 photos
Photo: SB-Medien
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Remember the DB9 successor spyshots we talked about earlier this week? Our spy photographers, who spotted the prototype on the Nurburgring, have now confirmed that this is powered by a twelve-cylinder engine.

Add the intercooler switches shown in the interior spyshots of the prototype and you come to an interesting conclusion - Mercedes will supply twin-turbo V12 engines to Aston Martin.

While we can now be certain of that, we can’t know for sure where these forced-fed hearts will land. Sure, the most obvious expectation is to see them on the DB9 successor they’re currently being tested on. But with the British marque currently working to reinvent its line-up, we’ll have to do some waiting until we find out.

We’ll remind you the Germans currently have three twin-turbo six-liter V12s. The first is the one on the 600 models, which delivers 530 hp. This is followed by the 630 powerplant found in the 65 AMG models and, of course, by the 730 hp heart the Germans build for the Pagani Huayra. Gentlemen, place your bets.

Come to think of it, the twin-turbo vee twelve move makes full sense. First of all, the 6-liter naturally-aspirated unit we expected to act as the more powerful unit for the DB9 replacement comes from Ford. The contract only lasts until 2018, roughly two years after the new Aston will make its public debut.

Sure, the agreement could be extended, but in today’s charged world, a 568 HP V12 doesn’t make all that much sense - we’re talking both sheer grunt and emissions here.

We’ll be back on this lavish mechanical topic as soon as we get our hands on new info.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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