Aston Martin DB9 Sports Pack (December 2007)

Launched: Aston Martin DB9 Sports Pack

Wheels Magazine
November, 2007

From the instant the rocket-launching, tyre-shredding DB5 strafed across the silver screen in Goldfinger in 1964, Aston Martin became cool enough to freeze water. In fact, it's official: Aston was recently voted the coolest brand in Britain, and it's all thanks to Bond.

Er, James Bond.

As achingly gorgeous as Astons generally are, it's the exploits of one fictional superspy and the connotations of cool that overflow from his shaken martinis that really bestows Aston the sub-zero rating. And while joining MI5, escaping the elaborate traps of criminal masterminds and tangling with Pussy Galore may be beyond the realms of possibility, you can indulge your 007 fantasies behind the wheel of this DB9.

And we're here today to talk about the optional $6950 factory 'Sports Pack' - a dynamic upgrade kit designed to tighten body control, reduce roll and generally sharpen the DB9's handling repertoire.

The elegant new five-spoke, forged alloys (secured by titanium wheel nuts) are each 1kg lighter than the standard wheels, reducing unsprung weight. Sprung mass is now controlled by springs that are stiffer by 68 percent at the front and 64 percent at the rear, and the dampers' valving rates have been optimised for faster response. Ride height is also dropped by 6mm, in turn lowering the car's centre of gravity.

The final modification is replacing the plastic-composite undertray with an aluminium panel. The metal tray performs the same function of managing underbody airflow and preventing the DB9 from taking off (unless Q is your mechanic), but Aston's engineers claim it also increases structural rigidity, helping resist the larger lateral loads now transferred into the front end of the car by the uprated suspension set-up.

The cumulative effect is a sharper, tauter, more responsive DB9. Turn-in is crisp, despite the heavy V12 suspended between the chassis rails, and the big coupe stays impressively flat mid-corner and musters immense grip from the 19-inch Bridgestone tyres. Steering response also benefits from the suspension tweaks, responding with a new level of alacrity.

The sports upgrade doesn't, however, include any fettling of the 5.9-litre V12 - outputs remain at 335kW and 570Nm. It's not a torque-laden, eye-bulging monster that squeezes the air from your lungs at full throttle, but it's elastic, rev-hungry and wails like Bond's V12 should.

What's not nearly as impressive is the packaging within the exquisitely built cabin. As almost perfectly proportioned as the AM's exterior is, we're talking about a car that's only 233mm shorter than a Commodore, and 24mm wider. Yet the rear seats are unable to accommodate the adult human body below the knees.

So a true GT the DB9 is not, nor is it a true sports car, lacking the finesse and tactility of Porsche's 911. But if you happen to have a secret space station orbiting Earth with a laser-guided deathray trained squarely between the eyes of George Dubbya, make sure your demands include a DB9 with the Sports Pack.

Why should Bond have all the fun?

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