WARMED-UP DB11
The AMR treatment given to Aston Martin’s 2+2 GT feels like a model update rather than a racy tune-up
Aston Martin Racing. That’s quite a powerful name if you happen to be a car enthusiast. In fact, AMR, as it is also known as, is the racing division of Aston Martin located at the Nurburgring.
So legendary is the German racetrack where you can also find other sporty brands like BMW, Jaguar and Porsche siting their sub-offices there to test disguised prototypes of pending production-ready sports cars before bragging lap times to the public.
And when Aston decides to boost each of its model lineup with a range-topping AMR variant, many would expect to see a performance flagship in the same vein as how Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz churn out RS, M and AMG cars.
Which is why the suits at Gaydon conveniently held the international driving trials of the new DB11 AMR earlier this month at that aforementioned racing circuit, which is also home to major endurance racing events (and currently providing shelter to the next-gen M3 and 911 Turbo, plus other superfast cars from other brands).
But rather than letting motoring hacks stretch the DB11 AMR’s legs on track, Aston has done otherwise by providing preselected routes on public roads around the Nurburgring.
Which isn’t really a bad thing because the available combination of town driving, backcountry roads and autobahn-blasting constitutes to a proper real-world test for any car designed for general road use.
Just a quick recap. The DB11 AMR has been both visually and mechanically upgraded from the regular model to feel spicier to look at and faster on the move.
And that brings us to the first thing about the DB11 AMR. The two key design elements that distinguish the car’s exterior is the use of carbon fibre and glossy black bits in places where chrome would be found in the regular DB11 and some racy fluorescent hues, which could have conversely stood for eco-credentials in a Porsche. Aston says customers of the DB11 AMR can revert to the original trim.
The same goes for the interior where you can find some body-matching colours and a good dosage of suede leather on the seats and steering wheel. And not to be forgotten, there are AMR badges to remind buyers that they are in the most focused DB11.
As for the engine, Aston has decided to tweak the 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 rather than the smaller AMG-sourced V8. Along with the eight-speed torque-convertor automatic, the engine has merely been recalibrated to produce 30hp more, at 639hp. This allows for a 0.2sec quicker time from 0-100kph, slightly higher top speed but same levels of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions than the regular DB11 V12.
While the increase in power cannot always be felt immediately, you can somehow note the slightly higher levels of power intensity when you push the DB11 AMR to its engine redline in the earlier gears.
Yes, this remains a decently quick Aston that’s a better match for the 600hp Portofino rather than the 800hp 812 Superfast from Ferrari. Aston Martin freely admits that they could have squeezed out more ponies from their V12, indirectly pointing to next month’ s launch of the Vanquishreplacing DBS Super leg ger a which will be largely based on the DB11 and rumoured to produce at least 700hp.
But what is noticeable more than the power increase is engine noise. Push the drive mode selector into Sport or Sport+, the motor becomes more sonorous and popping exhaust sounds are created upon throttle lift-offs. In fact, these two modes help bring out life from that V12; GT is like sleep mode whereby it feels a little lazy to respond to the driver’s desires which can’t be a totally bad thing, though.
According to Aston, the settings for the springs and dampers remain the same as in the normal model, but the suspension bushings in the AMR have been revised to improve the handling balance. Apparently, that has certainly given the car more poise over road undulations (which isn’t that common in Germany) to make the ride feel more settled, as well. This setup should
also be applied to the regular DB11 which it isn’t at the moment.
While Ferraris usually feature ultraquick steering, the decision by Aston to leave the DB11’s rack the way it is can be good for another reason. At low speeds, you frequently need more turning effort in the DB11 AMR which, however, compensates for a relatively natural and relaxed feel elsewhere.
And when the DB11 was always more grand tourer than bruiser, this could be the right approach.
Which, in the end, makes the DB11 AMR still a GT and not actually a version to whet the appetite of drivers wanting an utterly focused drive. That’s probably why no track session was provided for the media at the event.
Be in no doubt, though. The improvements made in this particular AMR should also be extended to the normal DB11. In fact, it would have served as a perfect recipe for DB11 Model Year 2018 or maybe an S variant of it, just how Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG or Porsche plug the gap between normal models and their track-capable counterparts.
But here’s another sticking point for punters who are ready to fork another 2-3 million for the DB11 AMR over the donor vehicle. For an extra financial outlay by a similar margin and a wait of just under one month, there’s that DBS Superleggera to ponder about.
Why Aston has left practically no breathing space between two similarly conceived cars remains to be seen. But if that’s the case, it might be better to hold onto the moolah first.