DB9 roars like a lion on the track

British sports car maker Aston Martin is revving up its presence in Thailand, recently staging a driving event at the Bira International Circuit in Pattaya. 

The one-day event – which was organised by Aston Martin Bangkok, a subsidiary of the Master Group Corporation that is also the official importer of Rolls-Royce cars in the kingdom – gave Thai auto journalists a chance to put some of these exotic cars to the test in a safe driving environment. 

I first drove an Aston Martin in a media event held in Palm Springs late last year, but speed limits and public roads meant that there is a certain safety limit you need to adhere to. In order to fully enjoy a sports car with as much brute power, closed circuits are the ideal place to get these babies to show their full potential. 

Offered for laps at Bira were the DB9 featured today, along with the Vantage V8 and Vantage V8 S. Although we didn’t get to spend much time with the cars due to the large number of participants queuing up, it did offered a glimpse of the driving pleasure and the performance they had to offer. 

Unfortunately for safety reasons, the circuit was divided into four stations with various speed traps, and although drivers were not required to bring the cars to a full stop at the start of each station, the safety cones dramatically slowed down the cars, preventing anyone from really experiencing the full potential of these speed monsters at this wonderful (but deceitful) track. At the same time it also prevented unskilled drivers from making mistakes and damaging these expensive cars, which were also later offered for potential customers to drive in the following days. 

Nevertheless towards the end of the day, I bugged the organisers for some extra laps as the two-lap encounter with each car was far from enough to satisfy my hunger for excitement. 

The car I chose was the DB9, priced at Bt18.5 million and the costliest car on the track that day. Although many would say that this isn’t a totally “new” car, with it having been around for a decade, the latest DB9 has gone through a good amount of improvements. The engine is more powerful, the suspension is stiffer and much of the body panels have been redesigned. And the design is gorgeous – you can’t deny that the DB9 looks awesome no matter how long it has been around. In fact, in another 10 or 20 years it would still look great. 

The car is powered by a 6.0-litre V12 that pumps out 517 horsepower and 620Nm. Acceleration from 0-100km/h is claimed at 4.6 seconds and top speed at 295km/h. While the figures aren’t eye-popping by today’s standards, the DB9 isn’t a supercar in that sense. It is actually a British Grand Tourer that is intended for you to drive daily without suffering from back pains. Getting in and out can be carried out like a conventional car – you don’t have to crawl in and out like you do with a Lambo. You can still wear a tuxedo and head to a party without wrinkling it, and emerge out of the car looking perfectly handsome. 

This is a car you can drive for 300 kilometres and arrive at your destination without feeling totally exhausted, ready for the next activity that awaits. That’s probably why James Bond loves it. 

The 2+2 interior features high quality craftsmanship along with luxury-grade materials that’s really worth the high price you have to pay for the car. You get everything, including a high-end audio system (yes, with Bluetooth). 

Take it to a circuit and it probably lags behind the supercars, but you’d still be surprised how much excitement it can generate. Press the sport button (it’s made from real glass) and the behemoth V12 engine roars like an adult lion as the control valve opens up. The suspension stiffens and the steering also becomes more direct, while shift points from the ZF 6-speed automatic become quicker. The suspension is adaptive, offering normal, sport and track modes thanks to its Adaptive Damping System. 

So now I’m ready to hit the Bira circuit and I cruise out of the pit lane. The first lap is a warm-up, of course, getting the Pirelli P Zero tyres and carbon ceramic brakes to get up to temperature, before flooring the throttle as I exit the final corner before the long straight. As I mentioned, the track is set up with cones all over, and in many cases the racing line has been replaced with safety lines, which totally spoiled the drive. For example, on the long sweeper leading to the IRC I had to steer the car three times instead of locking the steering at hitting the apexes, the banks on the first and second chicanes were inaccessible and there’s an additional lane change in between them. “Hell, we’re professional motoring journalists not customers,” I mumbled angrily. 

But at least I was the only one that dared ask them for additional laps and they gave it to me, so I had to make the most out of it. 

The engine revved up sweetly with its beautiful note, and each time I clicked the paddle shifter the gearbox shifted up with a bang. The steering was direct as it should be and the aluminium suspension held on to the track without suffering from any scary moments. At the end of the straight the ceramic brakes did its job perfectly with lots of stopping power and great feel. I was able to get deeper and deeper into the negative camber corner as each lap passed. 

At this point I knew the organisers were now getting nervous, and after the fourth lap they signalled me in. “Okay, okay,” I mumbled again, this time like a child finding out that play time is over. I slowed down to let the brakes and tyres cool and entered the pit lane once again. The organisers were of course happy the car was safe and sound, I was happy I got to drive the extra laps (despite those dreadful safety cones) and the day ended successfully for Aston Martin, which became the first sports car brand in a long time to be brave enough to host a driving event for the media at Bira Circuit. 

 

Aston Martin DB9

 

Engine: 48-valve V12

Displacement: 5,935cc

Bore and stroke: n/a

Compression ratio: n/a

Max power: 517ps/6,500rpm

Max torque: 620Nm/5.500rpm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Ratios: n/a 

0-100km/h: 4.6 secs

Top speed: 295km/h

Suspension (f/r): double wishbone, stabiliser/double wishbone, stabiliser

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: n/a

Brakes (f/r): vented disc/vented disc (carbon ceramic)

Dimensions (mm)

Length: 4,720

Width: 2,061

Height: 1,282

Wheelbase: 2,740

Track (f/r): n/a

Weight: 1,785kg

Wheels: 20-inch alloys

Tyres: 

front 245/35 ZR20, rear 295/30 ZR 20

Fuel tank capacity: 78 litres

Price: Bt18.5 million

Official importer: 

Aston Martin Bangkok