Production of Aston Martin’s new 600-horsepower, 5.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, V-12 engine has begun with the first unit having already been built in the company’s engine plant in Cologne, Germany. The new engine is internally known as the AE31 and has an official output of 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. It is also expected to take the reins from the 6.0-liter V-12, known as the AE28, as the company’s new flagship powertrain. The AE28 engine has been around since 2003 when Aston Martin relaunched under Ford ownership and debuted the DB9.
13 years later, the British automaker is once again preparing to turn a new chapter in its history and it’s doing so by not only reinventing its lineup, but by offering a new V-12 engine that will be used in a handful of its new models, most notably the DB11. In fact, the first production DB11 is expected to receive the first 5.2-liter V-12 engine that’s signed by Aston Martin. There are no plans to sell that model at the moment, although those plans could change in the future in the event the company decides to allocate it to a loyal customer.
Other than the DB11, the new 5.2-liter V-12 engine is also expected to be used on the company’s new V12-powered Vantage models and the Lagonda SUV. More importantly, Aston Martin is developing the AE31 to be just as durable and long-lasting as its predecessor. Unless something unforeseen happens, the AE31 engine will have a similar, if not longer, life span than the AE28 engine.
The automaker is at least seeing to it that production of the AE31 engine is up to company standards. One engine takes a total of eight hours to build with one engine assembly technician responsible for building each engine following the process through from beginning to end. As soon as the engine is completed, it is subjected to hot and cold testing from inside the same facility in Cologne. Once it passes all of its tests, the engines will be shipped to Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon, UK.
Meanwhile, production of the 6.0-liter V-12 engine and the 4.7-liter V-8 engine will continue in the same facility, which has a production capacity of 8,000 engines a year.
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Why it matters
It’s been a long time coming for Aston Martin, but now that it’s got a new V-12 engine in the mix, it should set itself up quite nicely for the next decade. While most of the key components of the engine are new, there are some features that were lifted from the previous-generation 6.0-liter V-12 engine. Most notable of these features is the 0.84-inch (25mm) bore offset and the 60-degree eve-angle. The bore of the V-12 is also the same at 3.5 inches (89mm) but the stroke is a lot shorter now at 2.63 inches (69.7mm) compared to the previous-generation engine’s 3.12-inch (79.5mm) stroke.
Aston Martin also added a pair of twin-scroll turbochargers, one for each cylinder bank. Likewise, the company retained the port fuel injection and added a cylinder deactivation function that can effectively close an entire cylinder bank to cut fuel consumption. All together, the new V-12 weighs just 33 pounds (15kg) more than the previous-generation 6.0-liter V-12. It would’ve been 77 pounds (35kg) heavier on account of the two twin-scroll turbos and the extra plumbing and intercooler, but Aston managed to shave off the 44 pounds thanks to designs of the block, exhaust manifold casting, and crankshaft.
The full details of the new V-12 engine, including its performance numbers, fuel economy, and emissions figures are still being finalized by the company.
Aston martin DB11
Read our full review on the Aston Martin DB11 here.