There are two distinctive services, Q by Aston Martin-Collection and Q by Aston Martin-Commission. The Q Collection offers a range of exclusive off-the-shelf options that are available when ordering a car and don’t require an additional build lead time. These might be paint and leathers from the exclusive Q collection range, or perhaps an additional carbon fibre tailored detailing. Some carbon fibre parts can also be specified as a Q Accessory after production. This flexible service is extremely popular with customers, with as many as a quarter of the Aston Martin cars featuring some element of Q.

Q by Aston Martin-Commission takes personalisation to an entirely new level. Here, clients can build their very own individual Aston Martin sports car, taking a journey that involves a close collaboration with the design team. These projects are often complex to create and are truly bespoke. Being fully customised, they carry a longer build lead time, but the end results are spectacular.

The Amethyst Red DB9 Volante, pictured above, featured prominently on the Aston Martin stand at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The interior was finished in Obsidian Black over Kestrel Tan with Piano Black facias

The Gen4 VH architecture features significant changes to the underbody structure from the early cars which principally includes the lowering the engine by 19mm. This has mainly been done for compliance with the latest European Pedestrian Protection regulation without resorting to the need for complex deployable systems as seen on current Jaguar sportscars for instance. That said, lowering of the engine has contributed to lowering the centre of gravity of the DB9 as a whole improving handling and driver response. The ‘new’ DB9 Volante has a 30% increase in stiffness over the original Volante model, it is also a useful 15 kg lighter too.

As with the later versions of the previous DB9, the Gen4 DB9 Volante is only available with Touchtronic 2 transmission. Manual transmission was not even an option any more.

Production of the standard DB9 Volante ended in the summer of 2015, the car being replaced by the more powerful DB9 GT Volante.

The launch car, a pre-production prototype, was finished in the special DBS colour of Lightning Silver with Chancellor  Red interior and featured the standard 2+0 seat configuration with the manual gearbox. It was quite some time after production started that the DBS could be specified with occasional rear seats, described as 2+2 and Touchtronic 2 automatic gearbox.

This DBS exactly matched the version seen in Casino Royale; much like a DB9 on which the car is closely based but with considerably more menace, and a 510 bhp version of the familiar V12 engine. Many Aston Martin ‘firsts’ are also attributed to the DBS such as the carbon ceramic brakes, adaptive damping and carbonfibre composite body panels used for the boot enclosure, boot lid, door opening surrounds, front wings and bonnet.

Another pre-production car has survived in the hands of AML. This particular car was shown at Gaydon during Centenary Week and visitors were allowed indeed encouraged to leave messages on the car with permanent marker pens.

Production of the DBS began in late 2007 with the first customers receiving their cars just in time for the spring of 2008.

Starting with the exterior paintwork, the Henley Royal Regatta DB11 is finished in Diavolo Red combined with Satin Scintilla Silver roof and roof strakes available from Q by Aston Martin – Commission.

Full specification of the DB11 Henley Regatta as follows

• Diavolo Red coachwork with Satin Scintilla Silver roof and roof strakes
• Carbon Fibre Body Pack (front splitter, side sills and rear diffuser) and satin finished Carbon Fibre Exterior Pack (Side Strakes, Hood Blades and Mirror Caps)
• 20” Gloss Black Directional wheels with diamond turned faces and a smoked finish
• Carbon Fibre Exhaust finishers, Smoked Tail Lights, Exterior Black Pack and Carbon Fibre Wings Badge
• Metallic Black leather with Chancellor Red on the seats and door panels. Chancellor Red contrast stitching
• Obsidian Black Alcantara headlining and cantrails
• Shadow Chrome Jewellery pack

The heart of the DB11 AMR is a twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12, now developing 630bhp, an additional 30bhp compared with the outgoing DB11 V12, and 127bhp more than the V8-engined DB11. Torque remained unchanged at 700Nm. A 0-62mph time of 3.7sec is an improvement of 0.2sec over the outgoing model while a top speed of 208mph makes the DB11 AMR the fastest model in the series production range at the time.

The handling of DB11 AMR’s chassis was been refined by Aston Martin’s skilled dynamics team, led by Chief Engineer Matt Becker. Their work, which included amongst other things, a new rear subframe and a new front anti-roll bar, has delivered a greater sense of connection without harming the supple ride. Similarly, a new shift calibration for the transmission was chosen and a slightly more vocal exhaust note became available with ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport +’ mode’ engaged.

Visually the DB11 AMR is distinguished by carbon fibre side strakes and bonnet blades together with gloss black splitter, difuser, sills, mirror caps, roof panel and cantrails. Also all brightwork has been lost with darkened headlamp bezels, front grille, exhaust finishers and the tail lamps are smoked as standard.

The dark theme continues inside, with monotone leather and Alcantara upholstery and an optional bold contrasting central lime stripe, while DB11 AMR is treated to a leather sports steering wheel as standard.

To launch the car, AML featured the AMR Signature Edition with distinctive Stirling Green coachwork and front to back AMR Lime Green stripe. This was limited to just 100 cars worldwide priced at £201,995, considerably more than the £174,995 needed for the DB11 AMR in standard form.

In 2021, the AMR part was dropped from the model name and the car became the DB11 V12 Coupe once again.

The DB11 was discontinued in 2023 when it’s place as the GT car in the range was taken by the greatly updated, DB12 Coupe.