Navarinoinvestment Dream Car for 2014-Aston Martin DB9 and Porsche 911 GT3

 Aston Martin DB9

Although Aston Martin’s supercars are widely regarded as rolling pieces of art, the consensus is that they all look the same. As the lineup turns over, however, the cars look like a new version of
same. Two years ago, Aston rolled out the One-77 supercar, and the intervening time has seen its visual language applied first to the Virage and then to the new-for-2013 Vanquish. Now it’s the DB9’s turn.
Hi-Po Heroics
With European sports-car manufacturers seemingly having just one high-level response to updating their offerings—add more power—Aston went to work under the DB9’s hood. The previous-gen DB9 churned out 470 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque from its 5.9-liter V-12. The AM11 engine now adds dual variable valve timing, larger throttle bodies, and a new fuel pump, and also gets a revised block, machined cylinders, and a new intake manifold. The result is 510 hp and 457 lb-ft from the same displacement, all fed to a rear-mounted six-speed automatic transaxle via a torque-tube-encased carbon-fiber driveshaft. A limited-slip differential is standard. Sixty-two mph is said to be achieved in 4.6 seconds, and top speed is listed at 183 mph.
The V-12’s output now equals that of the outgoing DBS, a car that was replaced this year by the Vanquish. The so-called “Gen 4” VH architecture was developed for the Vanquish, and the DB9 benefits not only from its attendant engine upgrades, but also the latest iteration of Aston’s adaptive-damping system. The suspension can be set to Normal, Sport, and Track modes, varying stiffness and response. Aston’s latest GT also adds standard carbon-ceramic Brembo brake discs—15.7 inchers in the front, 14.2’s in the rear—that the company claims weigh about 28 pounds less versus the previous steel units; this should help steering response and feel. The calipers (also supplied by Brembo) actuate via six pistons up front and four in the back. You’re probably thinking that the boosted output and improved chassis components make the Virage superfluous; Aston Martin clearly agrees, as it has ceased production of that model “with immediate effect.”
Hot, Hot, Hot
The Virage certainly had visual sizzle, though, and so we fully endorse the DB9’s new stylistic updates. The trunklid spoiler is unique to the DB9 and Aston claims it improves aerodynamic performance, but the look otherwise is largely lifted from the now-deceased tweener car. We’d go into more detail on the styling, but that would sort of be like trying to describe why Charlize Theron is beautiful—trust your eyes on this one, friends.
Automatic bi-xenon headlights, 20-inch aluminum wheels, navigation, a rearview camera, and automatic climate control are baked into every 2013 DB9, and standalone options include a leather headliner, five wheel designs, rear-seat delete in coupes, a 1000-watt audio system, and faux suede on the steering wheel. Overall, the interior doesn't appear to have been updated much beyond materials and a new stitching technique. (In some respects this is just fine, but the radio screen and pop-up nav—swiped from ex-Ford Premier Automotive Group sibling Volvo—are heinously outdated and sad.) Aston is extending the Carbon treatment to the new grand tourer by means of exterior and interior option packs. The former bundles a carbon-fiber front splitter and rear diffuser, carbon-fiber side-mirror arms and caps, and titanium-finished exhaust tips. The interior package throws carbon fiber at the dash trim (walnut is standard), paddle shifters, and door handles.
The 2013 Aston Martin DB9 is available for order now in either coupe or Volante convertible form at a starting price of $187,515, with U.S. deliveries expected to begin in November. View Photo Gallery

2014 Porsche 911 GT3

Just two years in, the new Porsche 911 lineup doesn’t lack for variants, and yet the GT3 still seems more exceptional than all the others, a naturally aspirated hothead stripped of the frivolous and prepped for track duty. It’s also the 911 most willing to slay a few sacred cows. It only comes as an automatic, for one thing, and you’d better get used to hearing that: Porsche hints that all 911s will eventually be PDK only. Also, the GT3’s engine isn’t quite as fabulously special as it once was.
The GT3 has shared core engine components with the 911 GT3 RSR racer since its creation in 1999, ­making it the rare machine that can honestly be described as a race car for the road. But the 2014 GT3 doesn’t use the RSR’s “Mezger” flat-six, named after Hans Mezger, the career Porsche engineer famous for designing possibly the ultimate air-cooled automobile engine, the mighty 917’s flat-12. During development in the 1990s, the 996’s new water-cooled engine was deemed unfit for racing, so the motorsports department continued to improve the original 911’s flat-six, favoring its dry sump and stout bottom end. Porsche would finance this work, in part, by selling that engine in 911 Turbos, GT2s, and GT3s. The Mezger mill, already water cooled for racing applications, became a symbol of superiority for its owners, boasting brand heritage and a motorsports pedigree that added to the GT3’s mythology. The Mezger is a staple of Porsche lore, but its link to the GT3 has been broken by the steady march of technology—or, more specifically, direct injection and the PDK transmission. Though the GT3 Cup and RSR race cars soldier on with the storied engine, the new roadgoing GT3 is powered by a derivative of the Carrera S six.

While the GT3’s new engine can’t claim a 50-year history or race-proven durability, it does move the needle in the right direction on every quantifiable measure. Chiefly, redline comes 600 rpm later than in the old GT3, now at 9000 rpm, and power is up 40 horsepower to a peak of 475 at 8250 rpm. Reassuring Mezger attributes such as titanium connecting rods, forged aluminum pistons, and a proper dry-sump oiling system have also found their way into the new GT3. The real magic, though, is in the breathed-upon cylinder heads, which now use finger followers between the cams and valves. Compared with the standard 911’s bucket lifters, this arrangement increases the contact area between the cam lobe and the follower, but more significant is the follower’s lighter mass, which makes 9000 rpm possible.
Ignore that the Carrera S makes one more pound-foot of torque. In the GT3, it’s all about revs. At 4000 rpm, the six-cylinder shifts its pitch as two resonance pipes open in the intake manifold. The flat-lined torque curve comes alive, the power band takes an even steeper tack, and the raspy, at times tinny, exhaust note swells orchestrally. We would spin this flat-six right past redline if it weren’t for the fuel cutoff.
We’ll need more time to warm up to the two-pedal transmission. The GT3’s sole gearbox, the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, is a merciless machine, with snap-action shifts and the most exacting launch program in a modern car. A 6700-rpm start leads to a 3.0-second run to 60 mph and a lightning-quick 11.2-second quarter-mile time at 126 mph. With improvements of 0.6 second in both tests over the old stick-shift GT3, there’s no debate that PDK is a perform­ance-enhancing supplement with big benefits on the track.
Reconfigured for GT3 duty, the dual-clutch transmission claims shorter, more closely spaced gearing, such that top speed occurs in seventh rather than sixth as in lesser 911s. Smaller shift paddles require a higher effort through a shorter pull, so there’s never any doubt; if the paddle moves, you’re getting a gearchange. Left to its own devices, the transmission smartly interprets gas-pedal movements to consistently choose the perfect gear.
PDK may be the industry’s best automatic, and it’s perfectly suited to the racetrack, yet no 911 is more deserving of a ­manual transmission than a GT3. Naturally aspirated engines like this one are among the last great analog driving experiences, and enjoying this car requires a committed and focused driver. (Hint: If you’re not in the lowest possible gear, you’re in the wrong gear.) A great manual trans should at least be an option here. Alas, Porsche has delivered a self-fulfilling prophecy: No one buys sticks when they’re not for sale.
In the absence of a clutch pedal, Porsche has devised a new “paddle neutral” function that disengages the clutches as long as you’re holding both shift paddles. With stability control disabled, the transmission slams back into the previously selected gear as soon as you release the paddles, regardless of revs. This is useful for burnouts, aggressive oversteer, and imperfect launches, if you are so inclined.

The GT3 doesn’t give up grip willingly, though. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are tenacious, and the GT3’s balance is impeccable. We recorded 1.12 g on the skidpad and stopped from 70 mph in 135 feet with the optional carbon-ceramic brakes. Electronically adjustable dampers are stand­ard, but you won’t find a use for the stiffer of the two settings anywhere other than a racetrack.
The GT3 is helped around corners by a pair of electric motors that take the place of  toe-control links to contribute minor steering inputs at the rear wheels. At low speeds, steering opposite of the front wheels has the effect of shrinking the wheelbase 5.9 inches. Above 50 mph, the rear wheels point in the same direction as the fronts to effectively lengthen the wheelbase for added stability. The GT3 approaches Cayman-like levels of agility in tight corners, obediently following the heavy steering. At 175 mph, the GT3 is as resolute as an S-class at half that speed.

Solid, indeed. The GT3 can barely lay claim to being the lightest 911 despite the carbon-ceramic brakes and the omitted rear seats that help knock off 68 pounds versus an automatic Carrera S. PDK adds mass, and we’ve weighed a manual-transmission 911 that was only two pounds heavier than our test car. Still, the GT3 has the air of a singularly focused track car. It forsakes fuel-saving measures like engine stop-start and PDK’s coasting feature and conveniences such as cruise control. More to the point, the steely ride, massive grip, and hard-working flat-six demand a vigorous pace to extract maximum satisfaction.
The GT3 has loosened its literal tie with the Cup car, but its place in the 911 range is secure. Not as effortless as a Turbo nor as indulgent as a Carrera S, the GT3 is the 911 for the nostalgic among us, even as it parts ways with its past. Its magnetic handling and high-strung engine recall a time when the rear-engined Porsche was more sports car than grand tourer. It’s the 911 that will restore faith to those who’ve lost theirs. View Photo Gallery




Source: Car and Driver