This is the new Aston Martin Virage, a GT with a V12 engine to sit halfway between the DB9 and DBS. He will be officially unveiled to the public, along with Aston Martin Vantage S at the Geneva Motor Show 2011 next week.
Aston Martin Virage, huh? How does it differ from the DB9 and DBS? The numbers are easy to understand, so let’s start with the numbers produced by the 6.0-liter V12 shared among the trio, the DB9 has 470bhp and £ 442 m, the DBS 510bhp and £ 420 m, and Virage is well between the two with 490bhp and £ 420 m 0-62mph? 4.8 seconds for the DB9, the DBS to 4.3, and 4.6 for the new Virage.
There’s no word yet on pricing, but expect the Virage coupe costing about $ 150k and the convertible version of the ten thousand more – DB9 Touchtronic equipped will set you back £ 128k (the Wheel is $ 137k) and hard and the Bonnet-versions of a DBS automatic is £ 179k and £ 188k respectively.
Forget the numbers – what is special about the new Aston Martin Virage? It’s subtle, but according to Aston “Virage’s technology capitalizes on DBS and unites it with the comfort and refinement found in the DB9 and Rapide. Expect something suitably sporting more than the DB9 recently revised, but not as agile as the DBS, the Virage does without that car’s body panels, carbon so coupe is 90 pounds heavier than the DBS, and the drop top version Volante is 80 kg more. But Aston is also talking about levels of correspondence in the Rapide continent passing through a series of adjustments NVH.
Aston two Touchtronic automatic transmission is standard but a Sport button on the dash sharpens throttle response, accelerates the shifts and becomes the “box does not upshift even when you’re hitting off the limiter. There is a new Adaptive Damping System (ADS ), also with Normal and Sport, but with five settings within each mode that the car constantly switches between adapt to different conditions. carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, and Virage has the same size tires and Pirelli P Zero DBS.
What about the visual tweaks? There’s a new grille, which is apparently inspired by One-77, a new front fender clean cut, and a new vision for Aston strake side with six LEDs. Tweaked new sills and a rear bumper round off the external changes. Inside is finished in full leather (with pipe) and a very welcome addition in the form of a sat-nav system developed with the new Garmin, replacing the unit, Volvo outdated products. Unfortunately, the dash still has a multitude of small and impossible to use the buttons.
