We?ve been telling you about Aston Martin?s deal to use the Mercedes-AMG twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 engine for several years, but now we?re seeing the first fruit of the partnership. Not, as originally expected, in the new Vantage?which will come later this year?but rather in the recently launched DB11, where it will serve alongside Aston Martin’s own twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12.
The DB11 V-8 will be revealed at this weekend?s Goodwood Festival of Speed, and although the smaller engine allows a less expensive route to DB11 ownership, it?s hard to describe it using vulgar terms like ?entry level? or ?base.? For starters, it will generate 503 horsepower, 97 hp less than the twin-turbo 12-cylinder but still a more than adequate sufficiency for most people; that?s the same output that Mercedes claims for the S version of the AMG C63 using the engine. Aston claims a 4.0-second zero-to-62-mph time for the new car, just 0.1 second adrift from its official estimate for the V-12, although the V-8?s 187-mph top speed falls 13 mph short of the claim for its big-hearted stablemate.
Aston’s specific changes to the engine from Mercedes-AMG?spec include its own wet-sump oiling system, air intake, and exhaust; new engine mounts; and new ECU software with reprogrammed engine and throttle mapping. The V-8 also pares a considerable amount of mass from the DB, subtracting 254 pounds from the claimed curb weight, dropping this to 3880 pounds. Aston Martin describes the s...