How do you make one of the best-looking cars in the world even more beautiful? For 2011, Aston Martin gave the DB9 a facelift as well as a few other welcome updates.

The first things you’ll notice about the 2011 DB9 are styling updates. It sports a completely revised front fascia, complete with a blacked-out mesh grille that makes the traditional Aston Martin grille look slimmer and meaner. The lower front fascia is all new, with two triangular air intakes flanking a larger central air intake, all of which are slimmer than before despite sitting slightly lower. The hood has also been reshaped with a power bulge hinting at the V-12 power underneath. New headlamp bezels complete the exterior changes to the front of the car.

Moving rearward, a more shapely body line graces the door sills and runs all the way from the new front fascia to the rear fenders. The body line continuation exaggerates the rear fenders, but they remain unchanged. New clear taillights and standard 20-spoke diamond-turned aluminum alloy wheels complete the exterior changes. Several new wheel designs have been added as options, and a bright finish grille is also optional.

“The beauty of an Aston Martin comes from harmonious proportions, a ground-hugging stance, taut surfacing, and a complete and thorough attention to detail,” said Marek Reichman, Aston Martin design director, about revising the DB9’s already beautiful styling. “The DB9 epitomizes these qualities; it is beautiful but subtle — not attention-seeking.”

The interior, by contrast, received minor updates. The DB9’s Bluetooth system has, thankfully, been revised, a tire pressure monitoring system is now standard, and a “Double Apex” aluminum trim finish has been added. Additionally, a top-of-the-line Bang & Olufsen hi-fi sound system is optional.

In addition to exterior and interior revisions, Aston Martin upgraded the chassis. The 2011 DB9 now features Adaptive Damping System from the DBS and Rapide as standard. The system continuously evaluates road conditions and adjusts damper settings accordingly. The two-mode system can be switched from its default ride comfort setting to a firmer sport mode that better controls body motions. The system is so effective that Aston Martin discontinued the Sport Pack upgrade for the DB9.

The 2011 DB9 uses the same 6.0-liter V-12 producing 470 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque as the 2010 model, with a choice of a six-speed manual or the updated six-speed “Touchtronic 2” single-clutch paddle-shift transmission. Production of the 2011 DB9 has already begun, and deliveries are scheduled to start in July. U.S. pricing has yet to be announced, but the coupe starts at £122,445 ($182,775) and the Volante at £131,445 ($196,209) in the UK.

Source: Aston Martin

As sexy as they already are, Aston Martin will reportedly puts its DB9 and Vantage under the knife for significant refreshes in as soon as three years.

According to Autocar, the pair will employ lighter and stronger versions of their existing chassis (NV500 for DB9, NV600 for Vantage). Composite or carbon fiber body panels might even make it onto the next generation, though that might bump up the cost — something Aston Martin is trying desperately to keep to a minimum.

The currently seductive forms are said to take much inspiration from Aston’s extremely rare One-77 supercar. Expect to see each model wearing larger multi-tiered front grilles flanked by slim vertical brake ducts.

Autocar’s insiders further mention that the V-12 and V-8 powerplants will live on as more powerful and fuel-efficient iterations of their current selves. 

Because the DB9 and Vantage will essentially utilize their same respective chassis, they’ll most likely keep today’s wide, low, and sleek dimensions.

Source: Autocar