Have you noticed that most sports car brands are the perfect mirror of their countries?
For example, you look at Ferrari or Lamborghini and you get the perfect image of Italians: untimely, brave and expressive. Characteristics that manifest themselves from the lines of the bodywork to the shrill sound of the engines of Italian models (che macchina!).
Opposite the Italian we have the Americans, less refined, more brutal, just like their muscle cars (f*ck yeah!). We also have the Germans, known for their pragmatism and objectivity (Ich weiß nichts auf Deutsch!), as illustrated by Porsche.
Finally we have the English. Refined, discreet, attentive to detail but still with a measured and controlled dose of madness. The new Aston Martin DB11 is the epitome of all these features. Just look at him (like a sir!).
In the meantime, I'll pretend I forgot to mention the Japanese, okay?
Very British indeed
Elegance. More than betting on dramatic lines, Aston Martin's design department wanted to make the DB11 – successor to the legendary DB9 – an elegant and discreet car. Or at least as much as it is possible to be discreet when producing a 2+2 coupé that is 4739mm long and just 1271mm high. And while we're talking about shapes, let me compare the DB11 with feminine beauty: if the DB11 were a woman, it was a beautiful woman dressed in a tight, elegant, discreet silk dress. Just the right neckline. The right measure always has more impact, don't you think?
This commitment to elegance is clearly visible in the aerodynamic solutions adopted. Rather than resorting to a massive rear aileron to keep the rear to the ground (a mini-skirt), Aston Martin developed a system they dubbed the Aeroblade (a classic haute couture dress). A system that consists of manipulating the air flow through ducts placed next to the side windows, channeling it to a small rear diffuser capable of generating downforce at higher speeds.
Although elegant, all its lines show muscle. All surfaces reveal what is hidden under the bonnet produced in a single piece of aluminum: a powerful V12 5.2 liter twinturbo engine capable of developing 605 hp of power and 700 Nm of maximum torque. Numbers that make this Aston Martin DB11 the most powerful model from the brand based in Gaydon, Warwickshire.
The sound? The sound of the engine on this DB11 (although it is no longer atmospheric) is exciting, full-bodied and melodious as only the best British engines know how to be. In contrast to the Italian V12 engines, which scream at the top of their lungs for more revs, this V12 born in the land of Her Majesty has a more composed sound. It has a body! And if the sound is memorable, the performance is nothing behind: 322 km/h top speed and 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds.
From the Winch to the Blue Lagoon
We depart from The Oitavos hotel towards Guincho.
With “our” Aston Martin DB11 still in GT mode (more discreet) everything went smoothly and smoothly. The time still shrouded in morning fog called for a composition by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies to make the most of the relaxed and fluid way the DB11 ripped through the landscape. As we crossed the waterfront, at the very end, we could hear the bubbling of the V12 engine as if to remind us that despite driving in GT mode we were still behind the wheel of something (very) special… and powerful. The DB11 knows how to be discreet.
In short, I arrived at Guincho beach feeling like a real Bond… James Bond – unfortunately, I lacked the Bond Girl. Not for lack of seats (there are four) but for lack of better costume between the seat and the steering wheel. Anyway, you can't have it all. Arriving at Guincho, I remembered that a few minutes away I had the Serra de Sintra and the mythical road to Lagoa Azul at my disposal – a place that was once inhabited by some mythological creatures known as Group B. Have you heard about it? I forgot GT mode and turned on Sport+ mode! Legend has it that doing that road in GT mode is equivalent to 10 years of bad luck. I didn't want to risk it...
Now the Blue Lagoon…
With the selection of the Sport+ mode, forget about the calmness of the V12 engine. Braaaaa paaaa, blop, blop, braaaaa! And so on, again and again, for kilometers covered in a few seconds. Every transition on the competent 8-speed ZF gearbox (congratulations, it looks fabulous!) corresponded to an immediate punch in the stomach. The straights became remnants of tar devoured at speeds I cannot mention here.https://www.instagram.com/p/BJxn1R_jJp5/
The Aston Martin DB11's dynamic handling is exemplary, and better than that: affordable, or at least as affordable as a car with a V12 engine and rear-wheel drive can be. It is never a difficult car to control or with inopportune reactions, not least because it wasn't to populate track-days or to chase that hundredth of a second that Aston Martin developed this model. Rather, it was to travel along highways at speeds inimical to the points on the driver's license and to take advantage of the most beautiful mountain roads in Europe (and beyond). So a real GT!
Maybe that's why the brakes, despite being powerful, aren't exactly sharp. The braking power is there, but it only really comes out in the last third of the pedal stroke. Once again, I admit that Aston Martin engineers have deliberately tuned the braking in this way so as not to frighten the most unsuspecting.
Beautiful on the outside, familiar on the inside
There is no doubt that the Aston Martin DB11 is an elegant car. Although always noticed (everyone looks!), its presence does not shock anyone, it is acceptable and no one is inhibited from being behind the wheel in traffic. Can we say the same for most models of Italian houses? I don't think so.
Jumping into the interior, we are greeted by the best materials you can find in a production model, although in my humble opinion the interior design is not as pure and well accomplished as the exterior. On the other hand, all the commands looked familiar to me. Where have I seen these buttons? I already know! It was on the Mercedes-Benz models. The DB11 is the first Aston Martin model to take advantage of synergies between the German brand and the English brand – a partnership that will also extend to engines.
verdict
If the Aston Martins of the future are going to be like that, then the historic British brand has an exciting future ahead of them – after a few troubled years. The Aston Martin DB11 represents everything a self-confessed car lover aspires to in a GT of this level: exclusivity, beauty, discretion (more or less…), exciting to drive when you want and practical when you need it. Were it not for the price exceeding 290,000 euros and it was very welcome in my garage. In Portugal, 4 units have already been sold. No wonder. It's a real dream car.
Going down to earth and forgetting about the dream cars, do you accept to visit Madeira at the wheel of the new Mégane Sport Tourer? Click here.