New-look Aston Martin DB9

Despite the fact that few people would think that the Aston Martin DB9 really needed a facelift, that’s exactly what it’s getting for 2011. The elegant DB9 has held up well over the last seven years, so the changes have been kept pretty discreet. The lower front grille has been reshaped and new mesh inserts have been added, while the rocker panel crease now sweeps up into the rear wheel arches.

Mechanically, the DB9’s 6.0-litre V12 powertrain has been carried over, as has its displacement. The most significant upgrade for 2011 is the adoption of an adaptive damping system similar to the one already available on the DBS and Rapide. This improved handling offered by the damping system, has rendered the previously available Sport Pack redundant. Production of the upgraded models has already started and customers should be getting the new cars in the coming weeks. We saw the car on Frankfurt number plates at Le Mans in the VIP Hospitality and it looked refreshed – the wheels in particular looked really nice on the new car.

Jaguar XKR 75

Jaguar’s latest addition to celebrate its 75th birthday is the Jaguar XKR 75. Limited to just 75 examples, these will sell like hotcakes.

The exterior features a stunning new Stratus Grey Finish, optional body graphic runs, red brake callipers and 20-inch gloss Vortex forged lightweight alloys. The interior has been dressed up too with charcoal leather and contrasting ivory stitching. Sounds good but there’s more to the XKR 75 than a fancy finishing though. Jaguar engineers have increased the power and torque of their 5.0-litre supercharged engine to 523hp and 483lb ft respectively, to deliver even greater performance. Top speed is electronically limited to 174mph (280km/h), but the XKR 75’s 0-60mph acceleration time is reduced from 4.6 to 4.4 seconds.