Automotive Intelligentsia 2011-2012 Sports Car Guide

Introduction

Welcome to the second edition of what, back in 2009, was the first-ever eBook sports car guide. We at Automotive Intelligentsia are proud to present this updated 2011-2012 Sports Car Guide, devoted once again to the makes and models that turn heads, snap necks and make hearts race.

Whether your accounts are flush and you’re in the market for one of the raciest rides on the road, or you’re just stopping by to kick the tires, you’ll enjoy this testament to what are both test beds of advanced technology and rolling works of automotive art.

From rough-and-tumble muscle machines to the world’s most elegant and sophisticated exotic sports cars, we’re looking at a broad spectrum of performance-minded models that carry sticker prices ranging from just over $20,000 to an unobtainable $2 million. You’ll find photos and specs, along with fun facts and inside information on all the makes and models represented.

We’re highlighting vehicles new to this edition, like the Aston Martin Virage, Ferrari 458 Italia, Honda CR-Z, Koenigsegg Agera, Lamborghini Aventador, Lexus LFA, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Morgan Aero SuperSports and the Spyker C8 Aileron. We’re also covering modern classics like the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette, Ford Mustang and Shelby Cobra GT and the venerable Porsche 911, as well as affordable sporty cars such as the BMW 1 Series and Mazda MX-5 Miata.

Most of the 46 new-car profiles that follow are based on hands-on familiarity drawn from well over two decades of experience driving the latest and greatest automobiles on Earth. Wherever possible, we’ll help place each make and model in perspective with regard to it’s own heritage and according to similar offerings from other automakers. Of course once one reaches up into the rarified realm of the truly exotic sports cars, all semblance of practical evaluation goes out the window, with true apples-to-apples comparisons between cars that are sold largely for the sake of status and exclusivity virtually irrelevant.

One disclaimer: All prices quoted are manufacturer’s suggest retail prices (MSRP) and are deemed current as of this writing; all specifications and photos have been supplied by the automakers, with most specs applying specifically to base models. However, note that prices, specifications, equipment and performance references given for any model on the following pages are subject to change by their respective manufacturers at any time.

As we are want to say, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Aston Martin DB9

Aston Martin’s DB9 is arguably the raciest entry in the stored automaker’s line of exotic luxury sports cars. It combines classically sleek exterior lines with longstanding British heritage and thoroughly modern powertrain and chassis technology. The DB9 is the modern-day version of James Bond’s classic gadget-laden DB5 coupe from early 007 films starring Sean Connery, like Goldfinger and Thunderball.

A relentlessly posh ride that coddles its occupants with British club-like comfort, the DB9 rewards enthusiastic drivers with an aggressive nature yet maintains its upper-crust character over a wide range of road conditions. Over 14,000 DB9s have been built to date, making it one of the most successful cars in Aston Martin’s storied 95-year history.

For model-year 2011 the DB9 receives a number of modest styling enhancements that include a revised front bumper, along with a newly standard Adaptive Damping System (see below). A limited-production Morning Frost edition features a specific pearlescent white exterior paint treatment along with 10-spoke silver diamond-turned wheels, silver brake calipers, magnum silver grilles, and a metallic bronze leather interior with Piano Black trim. Carbon Black and Quantum Silver editions are inspired by the latter-day 007 movie Quantum of Solace, and include a performance-tuned exhaust system, 10-spoke forged gloss black painted diamond-turned wheels, black grilles, graphite tail pipes, a semi-aniline leather roof lining, coarse silver stitching and polished glass switchgear.

The low-slung DB9 replaced the former DB7 in the famed British automaker’s line for the 2004 model year. It remains available as either a two-seat Volante convertible or a 2+2 coupe that comes with a small back seat that’s best thought of as an auxiliary cargo area. Legend has it the automaker didn’t want to confuse buyers by simply calling it the DB8, in that it packs a 12-cylinder engine (why in that case they then didn’t just call it the DB12 remains unknown). The DB part of the name stands for David Brown, who owned Aston Martin in what’s considered by many to be its heyday, from 1947 through 1972.

Designed by noted stylists Ian Callum and Henrik Fisker, the car’s aluminum bodywork is appropriately handsome, with a broad deep front grille and large oval headlamps. Graceful compound curves run rearward to a short rear deck, with a steeply raked windshield and low roofline. The car’s swan wing doors open upward slightly (by 12 degrees) to help make entry and exiting a bit easier.

Pressing a clear glass button on the dashboard engages a 470-horsepower 6.0-liter V12 engine with a sufficient roar. It drives the rear wheels via either a six-speed-manual transmission or a ZF-supplied six-speed automatic that can be shifted manually via racecar-like steering wheel-mounted paddle-shift controls. The car’s top speed is claimed to be upwards of 180 mph with a 0-60 mph time that clocks in at just under five seconds.

The DB9 is constructed from a lightweight, yet rigid, aluminum-bonded unibody frame with a rear-mounted transaxle that helps the car achieve an ideal 50:50 front-to-rear weight ratio. There’s a sophisticated double-wishbone suspension and beefy 19-inch wheels and tires at all four corners (with 20-inch rims and rubber optional), with an Adaptive Damping System on hand that automatically adjusts the suspension stiffness in real time to maintain crisp cornering abilities while preserving a fairly plush ride over bumps and pavement irregularities. Engaging the system’s Sport mode further accentuates the car’s handling, albeit at the expense of a slightly harsher ride. Dynamic Stability Control helps ensure that all four wheels stay firmly planted to the pavement during extreme or emergency handling situations.

Inside, the driver faces both electroluminescent backlit displays and more-conventional instruments that, like the body and frame, are crafted from aluminum. Unlike most vehicles, the DB9’s tachometer runs counter-clockwise (said to be done for the sake of easier visibility) and does not feature a conventional red line to indicate the engine’s rpm limit. Here, the limit varies according to such factors as outside temperature and how recently the engine was started; a red warning light indicated when the current red line has been reached.

A well-trimmed leather-clad cabin comes with luxury items like a hard-drive-based navigation system, Bluetooth hands-free cell phone interface, iPod interface, front parking sensors, side-impact airbags and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. A 1,000-watt Beosound audiophile sound system from noted home component maker Bang & Olfusen is optional, as are myriad interior trim treatments for the sake of customization.

The Volante’s well-insulated fabric roof retracts in seconds and hides itself under a hard tonneau cover. A hidden roll bar deploys instantaneously to protect occupants if the vehicle senses a roll over is about to occur.

While the current DB iteration lacks some of the handy accessories fitted in 007’s original movie version from the 1960’s, including a front-firing machine gun, passenger-ejection seat, smoke screen and oil slick dispensers, and front and rear retractable ramming arms, at least one then-futuristic feature that was included in James Bond’s DB5 is now commonplace, namely a mobile telephone.

Aston Martin DB9 Quick Facts

Engine 6.0-liter V12

Horsepower 470 @ 6000 rpm

Torque 443 @ 5000 rpm

City/Highway MPG 11/17

Transmission 6-Spd Manual, 6-Spd Automatic

Drive Rear

Wheelbase 107.2 in

Overall Length 185.5 in

Width 74.0 in

Height 51.2 in

Curb Weight 3,880 lbs

MSRP $187,615 – $201,115

Did You Know?

In the original Ian Fleming James Bond novels, secret agent 007 drove a 1933 Bentley convertible, and not an Aston-Martin DB5 as was depicted in the early films.

Aston Martin DBS

Both elegant and aggressive, the Aston Martin DBS coupe assumed the flagship position formerly held by the V12 Vanquish when it debuted for the 2008 model year, and brought a famed nameplate from the late 1960’s and early ‘70’s back into the line. It offers a stunningly modern take on its predecessor’s old-money British sports car styling, albeit with aluminum, magnesium alloy and carbon-fiber composite body panels and lightweight aluminum underpinnings to minimize the car’s sheer mass.

Available as a closed-roof coupe or Volante convertible, the DBS eschews prototypical exotic sports car excess in favor of a more organic wide-track look. Up front, broad and narrow upper and lower front grilles are flanked by elongated oval headlamps that flow upwards nearly horizontally into the muscular front fenders, and all the way rearward across the car’s low-to-the-ground fastback profile. Purists will note that the trademark Aston Martin air vents remain located on the front fenders, just rearward of the wheel wells. A limited-production Carbon Black coupe edition ramps up the car’s appearance inside and out, with added exclusivity. There are no major changes to the line for 2011.

Like the Vanquish, the DBS packs a hand-assembled V12 engine, a 6.0-liter version that brings a full 510 horsepower to the pavement. While that’s 10 fewer horses than the old Vanquish could muster, the DBS is slightly quicker off the line, due in large part to its lightweight construction, and is able to reach 60 mph in a little over four seconds. (While that’s certainly more than quick enough for most motorists it’s actually a bit slower than some of the hottest cars in the exotic segment, certainly those in the DBS’s upper-$200K price range.) The car’s exhaust is specially constructed to deliver a quieter aural experience at lower speeds, with special by-pass valves at open at 4,000 rpm to generate an exhilarating exhaust note for more-aggressive operation.

Not only is the V12 front mid-mounted, which means it essentially resides behind the front wheels, the DBS’s transmission is fitted at the rear axle; this combination yields a nicely balanced front-to-rear-weight distribution that places 85 percent of the car’s weight positioned between the wheelbase. This translates into added stability and agility through the curves. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, with a quick-shifting six-speed Touchtronic automated manual alternately available. The latter can be left to its own devices or taken through the gears manually via steering wheel-mounted magnesium paddles.

To help further its superior handling prowess, the DBS rides on lightweight 20-inch alloy wheels and Pirelli P-Zero performance tires, and features a racing-derived suspension with an Adaptive Damping System that automatically adjusts the car’s ride and handling characteristics according to five driver-selectable operating modes. A Track mode automatically sets the dampers in their firmest positions for peak cornering abilities, through at the expense of a rougher ride than most wealthy buyers would tolerate over pockmarked pavement.

Similarly, the DBS’s Dynamic Stability Control system, which normally works to help keep the driver from spinning out during extreme handling maneuvers, includes its own Track mode that lets accomplished drivers slide a bit through the turns by allowing added wheel spin before intervening.

The assignment of bringing all 510 of the V12’s horses to a controlled stop goes to the DBS’s carbon ceramic antilock brakes, which are both stronger and lighter in weight than conventional binders.

The weight-reduction initiative further finds its way into the DBS’ cockpit, and goes so far to include touches like carbon fiber door pulls and carpeting that’s woven from lightweight materials. The leather-upholstered interior is otherwise both rich and handsome, with white-on-graphite gauges and aluminum controls that carry the look of precision, like a fine timepiece. A sapphire starter button glows red when the keyfob is inserted into a slot in the dashboard.

Owners can choose between the standard sport seats or ultrathin racing-type seats that are better suited to competition in gentleman racer series. There’s ordinarily a small storage area located behind the coupe’s front seats, which can be fitted with a small rear bench seat at a buyer’s request (it’s standard with the convertible). Since rear legroom would be virtually nonexistent in this case, we’d expect this addition would be more for looks – turning it into an upholstered cargo space – than sheer practicality.

The DBS Volante’s convertible top nicely protects occupants from both the elements and road noise via a layer of Thinsulate material. The five-piston hydraulic pump that operates the top is itself encased in a cocoon of noise and vibration-reducing materials to ensure that the 14 seconds it takes to raise or lower the roof is maintained with serenity. The top stores neatly beneath a hard tonneau cover. Twin roll bars instantaneously spring into position to protect passengers’ heads in a rollover collision.

As one might expect, the DBS offers the requisite array of upscale amenities, including a 13-speaker custom designed Bang & Olufsen audio system with iPod integration, a Bluetooth hands-free cell-phone interface and a GPS navigation system.

Overall, the Aston Martin DBS is an exotic supercar that falls somewhere in between posher coupes from Bentley and Rolls-Royce and more-ferocious ones from Ferrari and Lamborghini, It pays homage to its British roots with upper-crust accommodations, spirited acceleration and dynamic performance that would once have been reserved for the race track.

Aston Martin DBS Quick Facts

Engine 6.0-liter V12

Horsepower 510 @ 6500 rpm

Torque 420 @ 5750 rpm

City/Highway MPG 11/17

Transmission 6-Spd Manual, 6-Spd Auto Manual

Drive Rear

Wheelbase 107.9 in

Overall Length 185.9 in

Width 75.0 in

Height 50.4 in

Curb Weight 3,737 lbs

MSRP $273,000 - $286,500

Did You Know?

Aston Martin vehicles have long been associated with James Bond movies, and the DBS is no exception. The original DBS was featured in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, while the latest iteration co-starred as 007’s ride of choice in the 2006 film Casino Royale and the subsequent 2008 installment, Quantum of Solace.

Aston Martin Vantage

As the old saying goes, the English are different. Nowhere is this more