Driving: Aston Martin’s DB11 V8 p5
1 April 2022
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For this review I was blessed with the twin turbo-charged 4-litre V8 (Aston Martin’s first foray into the world of turbos) which produces a hefty 503bhp and, while I will get within to the engine, the performance and the interior, I must really start from without by commenting on the paintwork. It’s not something I usually reflect on overmuch but this was just too good not to mention.
I usually ascribe myself, slavishly, to the Henry Ford school of thought whereby I can have my cars in any colour I like so long as they’re black. Aston Martin, in their wisdom though, sent me this car in what they call ‘Hyper Red’ (a £3,995 option) and, my word, it is just about the most beautiful thing I’ve seen. When the rains came and droplets glistened on the hood in the pallid sunshine, Cezanne himself couldn’t have captured the refraction and twinkling.
This is, of course, merely an ephemeral sidenote to the more serious point of the vehicle. However, it’s a damn good way to tickle my tastebuds and build me up for what’s to come. The outer hallmarks of Aston Martins have always been the long nose, low roofline and the short overhang at the back balancing the instantly recognisable grille in the nose. In this the DB11 doesn’t disappoint. It couldn’t be anything other than what it is – an Aston Martin.
The evolution of the DB11 has been interesting. Its concept was the DB10 seen in 2015’s 24th iteration of the Bond franchise – Spectre. The original V12 variant was somewhat lumpen and wallowy with, not unexpectedly, a rather high fuel consumption. That engine was ‘retired’ – not really, it went into development to re-emerge, blinkingly, into the sunshine as the much better DB11 AMR (Aston Martin Racing) – and the V8 was launched using the same engine as the Mercedes AMG-GT.
