Aston Martin->ke13 hasn't made a GT version of every single one of its DB cars, and with the DB9->ke210 having been around for more than a decade already, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to assume it wasn't happening this time. But Aston has indeed just announced that the DB9 GT will be making its official debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.->ke3879 The car is mildly more powerful than the standard car (although, to be fair, it is significantly more powerful than pre-2013 DB9s). And it has had little tweaks all over.

The difference between this and the standard car isn't as dramatic as the difference between the DB4->ke3836 and the legendary DB4 GT, but neither has it been with any of the other GT versions of GT cars, and the DB4 GT was the exception rather than the rule. But the DB9 GT looks fantastic, and is an excellent way for Aston to breathe new life into a car that's starting to show its age more that a little. In fact, the GT comes with some modernizing touches which the DB9 frankly was in need of. Good to see it isn't stagnating.

Updated 08/07/2015: Aston Martin's latest DB9 GT will be making its global debut at the Pebble Beach Automotive Week->ke2839 starting August 13. The car has been described as both the most powerful, but also the most compelling production ‘DB’ to date, designed to offer world-class grand touring and hand-built excellence.

Continue reading to learn more about the Aston Martin DB9 GT.

2016 Aston Martin DB9 GT

Specifications

• Make: Array
• Model: 2016 Aston Martin DB9 GT
• Engine/Motor: V12
• Horsepower: 539 @ 6750
• Torque: 457 @ 5500
• Transmission: Touchtronic II six-speed
• [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

Pros

Cons

Exterior

From the outside, it would be difficult to tell the DB9 GT apart from the DB9, assuming that you weren't looking at the badging. The front splitter and rear diffuser are now painted black, and there are new 20-inch wheels over brake calipers that are also painted black. There's also new trim around the headlights and taillights. The carbon-fiber taillight inserts in the pictures are actually an option, but it's one we'd imagine a lot of people would select.

The dark paint and interior colors that Aston Martin has chosen for the car shown here fits in well with all of the extra black that the GT has been given. One wonders how well the black would work with a brighter color, but it wouldn't be the worst thing that ever happened in the world if all of them were sold with dark, subdued colors. The coupe is pictured, but there will also be a convertible version, which will hopefully maintain the high standards of aesthetics.

Interior

Aston Martin put a lot of emphasis on the interior of this new car, and much of that was devoted to talking about the new infotainment system. This system is the AMi II that is already being sold with the new 2014-2015 Aston Martin Vanquish, and has finally started working its way down the lineup. This is a better system than the old one, more powerful and more user friendly in that way that newer electronics are supposed to be.

The rest of the interior is largely unchanged, although there are some new color options which is always nice to see. There's an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel (on the coupe->ke141 only, for some reason), and there are GT emblems embroidered into the seats. The rest is unchanged, but also wasn't in need of changing.

Drivetrain

The DB9 has been in production since 2004, which is quite a while for a high-end performance car. It started life with a 450-horsepower 6.0-liter V-12 borrowed from the Vanquish. This got bumped up to 476 horsepower in 2008, and up to 510 horsepower 2013. The GT takes it a bit further still, up to 539 horsepower. Those aren't hypercar numbers, but the DB9 isn't a hypercar, or even a supercar,->ke177 really. It's a grand tourer, and among the grand tourers in this price range, that is a perfectly respectable amount of power, maybe even slightly on the high side.

Drivetrain Specifications

Prices

Aston Martin will be asking $199,950 for the DB9 GT, which isn't at all a significant increase over the regular DB9 in any way. That's a good thing, because as good as the GT is, it's difficult to imagine anyone rushing out to buy a significantly more expensive DB9 of any kind.

Competition

2015 Ferrari California T

Slightly less powerful than the DB9 GT and making V-8 noises instead of the sonorous noises produced by an Aston V-12, the Ferrari California T is nonetheless a worthy adversary for the DB9 GT. The price is nearly identical, and both come from marques that will impress your neighbors. The difference in performance is negligible as well, and the only significant differences are the styling and the Ferrari's->ke252 folding metal roof. Otherwise, this is essentially a matter of taste.

Read our full review here.

2016 Bentley Continental GT

This is the big seller in this particular market niche, and it's not difficult to see why. It's bigger, more comfortable, and even slightly cheaper than basically all of its competition. All of that luggage space does come at a cost in terms of weight, and the V-8 is slightly less powerful than the Aston's V-12. But this isn't a segment where tenths of a second are quite as critical, and those willing to spend a bit more can always move up to the Continental GT Speed, which is quite a bit more powerful than the DB9 GT. Not everyone wants something so relatively common as the Continental GT,->ke3108 but that once again comes down to a matter of taste.

Find out more about the facelifted Continental GT in our review here.

Conclusion

The DB9 GT might look at first glance like a simple special edition. But the fact that the price is essentially the same as the DB9 tells you everything you need to know about this car. This is something Aston Martin has put out in order to extend the life of the DB9 for a couple more years (at most) before the model is retired completely in favor of a 2017 Aston Martin replacement. There are a lot of little details made a bit better here and there, nothing too dramatic, just updates to the same idea that the car was made with in the first place.

It's really something the DB9 needed, and to be honest, it probably could have used it a couple of years ago. It's still a very attractive car, and the periodic power updates have been handled well and kept it competitive in the performance department, but 11 years is a very, very long time to keep building the same car with only minor aesthetic tweaks. But with the GT likely to be the final and best version of the DB9 to be sold, it's well worth one last look, and those buying with investment in mind are sure to be thinking that this will be the most valuable as a classic as well.