Aston's Revised DB9 Debuts

Aston Martin's stunning DB9 Coupe and Volante (Aston speak for

convertible)

have just received an update, which make these

middle-range grand tourers faster, more advanced and generally more

appealing.

Aston's

answer to Bentley's Continental GT and Ferrari's 612 Scaglietti gains

20 extra horsepower for model year 2009, thanks to a reprogrammed

engine management chip and a revised exhaust system, boosting output to

an impressive 470 horsepower. This allows the six-speed manual-equipped

DB9 to hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. The automatic version of the DB9,

with its push-button gear selector, has been reprogrammed to shift

faster so that the combination of the engine and gearbox changes allows

it to tie the manual model in acceleration.

Because of Aston's

growing links with the motorsport world, it has steadily improved the

standings of its road cars in terms of ride and handling. The

new '09

DB9 will feature new bushings and new suspension arms as well as new

Bilstein dampers, plus red brake calipers much like those on the DB9

LM. Also, the Volante gains a much needed front strut tower brace,

which improves structural rigidity by 10-percent.

The rest of

the changes to the new DB9 are purely aesthetic. On the outside it

gains new side-view mirrors, alloy wheels and a new anodized aluminum

grille. On the inside it gains a new pushbutton starter (the Aston

Emotional Control Unit), plus a die-cast zinc center console. Later

this year the DB9 will be available with a Bang & Olufsen sound

system, a partnership recently formed between the two brands.