Aston Martin’s DB9 is a sexy car, but it’s long in the tooth, having been around in various forms since the 2005 model year. According to Autocar, we’ll have to wait until 2016 for the next-generation model – whatever it ends up being called. (The picture above is the publication’s guess at the looks of the future vehicle.)
“‘It’ll definitely be a DB,’ revealed Aston design director Marek Reichman, ‘but what number will follow that is yet to be decided.'”
As the automaker did when going from the DB7 to the DB9, it might skip a number and go right to DB11 to suggest what a huge leap forward the new car is. However, some of the corporate brass favor reusing the current name.
Powering the GT will be a twin-turbo 4-liter V8 from Mercedes-AMG. The German company won’t make a bespoke version of the motor or change its internals for Aston Martin, but the engine will receive special engine management and exhaust work. Different boost pressures are a possibility, as well.
In base tune, the eight-cylinder power plant develops 503 bhp and 479 lb-ft. (The V12 in the current DB9 has stats of 510 and 457, respectively.) This output will be transmitted to the road via the new nine-speed auto from the three-pointed star.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
