New Aston Martin Virage

New Aston Martin Virage: Fits between the DB9 and DBS

You might be wondering what’s new, but this really is a new model from Aston Martin. Called the Virage and available in both coupe and topless Volante form, it revives the famous old name last heard in the 1990s. Virage is derived from the French word viragem, which means bend or curve.
Although it looks similar to Aston’s recent models, the Virage is a new model that sits between the DB9 and range topping DBS made famous by Agent 007. In the UK, the Virage will be priced from £150,000, sandwiched between the £125,000 DB9 and the £175,000 flagship. Volante models will cost about £10,000 extra.

Built on Gaydon’s bonded aluminium VH platform, the Virage is powered by the familiar hand-built 6.0-litre V12, but with 490 bhp and 570 Nm of torque, as opposed to the DB9′s 470 bhp and the DBS’ 510 horses. Through its carbon fibre prop shaft, the engine is mated to a new six-speed ZF automatic transmission, which Aston brands Touchtronic II. Weight balance in this front engined, RWD car is exactly 50:50.
The Virage’s dynamics have been tuned to deliver an engaging yet more refined driving experience, where the driver can extract max performance with greater ease. The new Adaptive Damping System (ADS) intelligently ‘reads’ the road – it now selects up to five different stiffness settings within normal mode, and a further five stiffer settings within sport mode. A ‘Sport’ button on the dash allows for sharper throttle response and quicker gear changes. It also prevents auto shift up. Carbon Ceramic Matrix brakes are standard.

Inside, one will be “greeted by the aroma of seven hides of the finest Bridge of Weir leather”. Inspiration has been taken from luxury leather goods to produce a pinstripe welt which flows down either side of the fascia and along the seat and door. Apparently, each Virage will have 70 man hours of expert craftsmanship lavished on the interior alone.