Aston Martin is coming good. 2001's
Vanquish may have been exactly the brand image leader the prestige manufacturer
from the British Midlands needed, but the DB9 is the model that will bring
volume back into the brand. To the end of 2003 a grand total of just 20,000
Aston Martins had been built. From 2005, annual production will hit 5,000
units a year.
Such a major change necessitates a total transformation in the company's
structure and philosophy. Maurice Glover's story in the February issue
of Automotive Engineer dealt with the establishment of the new factory
at Gaydon. Bloxham, home of DB7 production, has been sold, and spiritual
home Newport Pagnell produces the Vanquish as well as dealing with owner
servicing and special build requirements.
To get a handle on the DB9 you first need to understand the big production
leap and how that might have been achieved. The obvious solution for the
DB9 - to re-engineer the Vanquish technology into a cheaper, higher volume
product - must have been tempting but does not make long-term financial
sense. Instead, Aston Martin looked forward to the next model, the two-seater
AMV8, as well as the next generation Vanquish, and developed its Vertical
and Horizontal platform strategy that could be used for all three.
The principle is a simple one: an adaptable structure that can have its
overall length, wheelbase and tracks altered to suit various models. There
are common hard points, particularly around the driver area - steering
wheel, dashboard, pedals and H-point - and there is the opportunity to
use common steering and suspension components.
That structure is an aluminium tub supplied by Norsk Hydro, also in the
British Midlands. So far so Vanquish, except the 'V-H' monocoque is a
far more unitary construction than that of the more expensive Aston Martin,
replacing the steel and composite sections with aluminium pretty much
throughout. Bonding is used almost universally, with Dow developing its
new polyurethane adhesive Betamate 2810MV to achieve handling strength
after just ten minutes. All this means that DB9 body assembly take just
30 minutes compared with four hours for the Vanquish.
The company still does not want to lose its 'hand built' reputation, however,
and though there is now a single robot - for applying bonding substrate
- there are bespoke components that could not be massed produced. Henrik
Fisker, director of design, cites the alloy strip around the side glass.
The varying form precludes extrusion, so this component is welded and
polished to produce the vital dynamic effect Fisker was seeking. Likewise
the headlamps are, most unusually, dropped into an aperture in the front
wings - one of the few composite panels - and these have to be fettled
individually to final fit.
Henrik Fisker, Aston Martin's director of design, was responsible for the DB9
On the other hand, it is impossible to ignore - or fail to achieve - the
standards achieved in even budget mass market cars today. Thus shut lines
are a nominal 3.5mm all-round, but as close as 2.5mm around the rear lamps
clusters. Aston Martin reckons the DB9 will achieve 4 stars in the EuroNCAP
tests, though no-one has yet to have a supercar officially ratified by
this body, and it is probably not high on the list of buyers' priorities.
That said, a major benefit of being part of PAG is the resource and knowledge
that lies within the group. Volvo experience and expertise has helped
developed the crash structure, including the airbag system. This is the
first Aston Martin to offer DSC.
While it seems increasingly difficult to keep any new model's weight in
check, the DB9, at 1,775 kg for the automatic transmission model, has
a shell that's 25 per cent lighter than the DB7. A carbon composite propeller
shaft also plays its part but, of course, the real benefit is the aluminium
construction, which with a torsional stiffness of 27 kNm/deg, is even
stiffer than the Vanquish.
The 6.0 litre V12 is still built by Audi-owned Cosworth Technology, but
production will transfer to Köln and a Ford-owned facility by mid-2005.
It is familiar from the DB7 and the Vanquish, but each new installation
sees further refinement of the electronic controls systems. Power is 450
ps (335 kW) and torque 570 Nm (420 lb ft). That is 10 ps less than the
Vanquish, although torque is a touch higher.
Differences in transmission are far more marked. The Vanquish's somewhat
controversial 6-speed manual system uses paddle shifts mounted behind
the steering wheel with automatic electro-hydraulic operation of the clutch.
That is the only option. The DB9 offers a conventional 6-speed Graziano
manual gearbox, or a 6-speed ZF auto. The latter has buttons on the facia
to select drive, reverse, park and neutral and also offers a paddle shift
option. Obviously this is different to the Vanquish's, but the net result
one of the most pleasing paddle-shift autos currently produced. The fact
that there is a traditional full auto mode means that the DB9 will surely
have a wider appeal than the more focussed approach of the Vanquish.
Despite what some would say are uncomfortable similarities in appearance
between cars with a price difference of over €70,000, the Vanquish
is the hi-tech face of Aston Martin, the DB9 the traditional. That means
wood and obvious leather. Interestingly, the wood used here is unfinished
with any lacquer, so that it will change colour as it ages, just like
leather. Henrik Fisker feels Aston Martin customers will appreciate this.
He better be correct - there is a lot riding on it.
