“So, just how many DBS V12 coupes were built with the manual transmission?”
It’s not unusual for people to ask the Registrars questions that we don’t know the answers to. It’s also not unusual that we make a bit of an effort to find the answer. On this occasion we actually had to go to an awful lot of effort and put in many hours of research, but in compiling the register of every DBS built, we have managed to answer so many more questions than just the total number of manuals built, and to uncover the truth about the most talked about car of the Gaydon Vertical Horizontal (VH) era. Continue reading “DBS Production Numbers – Which is rarest of them all?”→
The Headlight assemblies in an Aston Martin DB9 are a major part of the it’s great looking front end. We spend all sorts of time polishing and protecting the paint, but we usually ignore the headlights. They are under constant attack from the Sun’s harmful UV rays that are trying to discolor them, and from road debris popping up to try and scratch and chip them. My DB9 is my daily driver here in California and I am out in the sunshine and on the roads every day. I wanted to protect them now before the damage occurs.
The solution to protecting them is quite simple actually. We can apply a Clear Bra of Paint Protection Film (PPF) to them. PPF is a tough, clear, UV resistant film that can be stretched and applied over the curved headlight pod. It filters out the Sun’s harmful UV rays, and is tough and resilient enough to prevent scratches from most road debris. The really good news is that a kit is inexpensive, and simple enough for anyone to install themselves in about an hour. Read on to learn how. Continue reading “Protecting the Headlights of an Aston Martin DB9 using Clear Bra Paint Protection Film”→
Aston Martin began offering a ‘Sport Pack’ option on the early DB9s to spice the model lineup after its initial year or two (read the announcement here). The option included:
Special Wheels with slightly larger tires
Lightweight Titanium Lug Nuts
Thicker Front Anti-Roll Bar
Stiffer Front and Rear Springs
6mm Lower Ride Height
The option when introduced was factory installed. What was nice about this was the Sport Pack option could be retrofit to any DB9 manufactured to date by your local dealer. The factory fitted option went for about $4,700 USD (£2,495) back in late 2006.
Sport Pack Wheel
I’ve been trying to track down the cost if it was fitted by your local dealer. It was sold as the DB9 Sport-Pack Kit that included all the goodies. You can still order it apparently. The kit varies based on model year and LHD vs. RHD. For example, my 2005 LHD Automatic Coupe would be kit Aston Martin part number 4G43-24-10811 available online today for about $8,446 USD. This kit even includes a new steering rack. Later model kits (MY07-09) do not need a steering rack and can be had for a few thousand dollars less. I presume the steering racks unadvertised inclusion on the early models addresses some ‘feel’ issues. These prices don’t include dealer install costs, so I expect a retrofit on an early model to touch $15,000 USD all in. Ouch.
I was intrigued by the idea of tracking down some of the bits for my DB9, and recently I had an opportunity to purchase a like new set of the Sport Pack rims and Titanium lug nuts from one of the readers of this blog (thanks Austin Fritts!).
While I had two full sets of wheels (old and new), I wanted to weigh the difference between the Original and Sport Pack lug nuts and rims. The assumption would be that the ‘Sport’ versions should be lighter right, but by how much? Read on to get the answer. Continue reading “Aston Martin DB9 Sport Pack Option – Is it Worth it?”→
Aston 1936 