Aston Martin DB9 LM

I think it must be Aston Martin week this week. We’ve had a couple of very nice Astons out to customers this last week, and I did a piece on the V8 Vantage N400 Roadster a few days ago. So I thought, what the hell, we might as well have wall to wall Aston Martins - never a bad thing!

The Aston Martin DB9 LM, a limited edition created to celebrate the Le Mans DBR9 success, has been launched along with the N400 to emphasise the racing pedigree of Aston Martin. As with the N400 this is a very limited edition of just 124 but, unlike the N400, there are no plans for a convertible version.

The DB9 is without doubt the single most successful car Aston Martin have ever made. The press reviews have been unanimous in their praise, and the car has sold in record numbers. But there has been one small criticism from some quarters about its handling. “Too Soft” they say. “A Grand Tourer - Not a sports car”. And actually there is a little truth in that. The DB9 can be a bit too soft at times. It’s not as sharp as a Ferrari, but it was never intended to be. But there was a cure - the Sports Handling Pack - which Aston Martin have very sensibly included in the DB9 LM package.

So what do you get with the DB9 LM? Well, you get a very nice paint job in ‘Sarthe Silver’ (exclusive to the LM), front meshes and rear crossbar finished in ‘Magnum Silver’ and red brake calipers. Inside you get an exclusive Black Leather trim with perforated inserts and ‘Tertre Rouge’ facia trim. But most importantly you get the Sports Pack.

The Sports Pack gives 6mm shorter springs which are uprated by more than 60% front and rear. That gives the LM a much more aggressive stance, and changes its on-road feel massively. It’s no longer the grand tourer. Instead, it’s a sharp, responsive, and sometimes a little harsh, driving machine. It’s a hard-edged DB9, and if you like to drive hard this is a real delight. The engine hasn’t been uprated - but it doesn’t need it. It suits the LM to perfection, and even though it’s just a couple of Mondeo V6s bolted together, it’s become the best engine Aston Martin have ever had, and one of the best in the world.

I’m a huge Aston Martin fan and I’d love to get my hands on one. In reality I will, for a very short while, because we’ll actually have an Aston Martin DB9 LM for sale in February next year. We’ve not let our regular Aston customers know until today, so it’s not been snapped up yet, but it will be. How could you resist?!