Aston Martin DB11 AMR

Aston nails the go-faster grand tourer recipe

- Scott Newman

ASSUMPTION SIMPLY makes an ass out of you and me, or so the saying goes. Correctly, as it turns out. The rhetoric surrounding the Aston Martin DB11 AMR suggests it will be neither fish nor fowl, the sport-ification of its luxury grand tourer like attempting to turn a Paso Fino into a Thoroughbred. In actual fact, the result is a brilliantly entertaining sports GT with a tremendous breadth of ability.

In my defence, the signs weren’t good. The regular V12 DB11 fulfilled its role beautifully, its plush ride and smooth, torquey twin-turbo V12 making it a fantastic way to cover distance. Its weight and soft suspension prevented it being the sharpest of handlers, but it was refreshing to drive a car that clearly prioritised road comfort over ultimate handling precision.

Then came the DB11 V8. Lighter, stiffer and sharper, it was undoubtedly the more dynamic drive, but that lovely loping ride quality was lost resulting in a somewhat confused personality. If you want a sporty V8 Aston, buy a Vantage. So news that Aston was infusing the V8’s character into the V12 to create the more focused AMR wasn’t welcome news. Particularly as the regular V12 was to be dropped.