Now in its tenth year, the Aston Martin DB9 is the spiritual descendant of the beautiful DB5—an iconic sports car best known as James Bond's ride in Goldfinger. The "DB" refers to David Brown, Aston Martin's owner for much of its history, who thrived on a unique combination of performance and elegance in his automobiles.
Assembled at Aston Martin's new factory in Warwickshire, England, the current DB9 has a 510-horsepower 6-liter V12 crafted from aluminum. It might not be the quickest car in its lofty class, or the top-speed leader, but it's faster than its predecessor with a 0 to 60 mph time of about 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 183 mph.
Carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes are now standard, and Aston Martin recently tweaked styling of the DB9's front fascia and rear trunk lid. The chassis has also been stiffened to prompt better performance.
