Aston Martin’s Engine Plant (AMEP) in Cologne, Germany, has started full production of the DB11’s new twin-turbo V12 engine.

In charge of assembly is a team of over 100 trained employees, in the 12,500 square meter hall, which is divided into four areas for different parts of production, but in order to achieve “high levels of quality and consistency“, as Aston explains, each unit will be put together by a single technician.

It takes 8 hours to build one V12 engine in the AMEP facility, which has a production capacity of 8,000 units a year, and once completed, each powerplant undergoes cold and hot testing, prior to shipment.

“AMEP is one of our great success stories and one of the jewels in the Aston Martin crown. To have the ability to design and then manufacture our own high-performance engines in-house is something very special. It gives us ultimate control of quality and that all-important character for which Aston Martin cars are renowned“, said the brand’s President and CEO, Andy Palmer.

Sporting 5.2 liters in displacement, the 12-cylinder unit benefits from intelligent cylinder bank activation and stop/start technology. It equips the most powerful production DB model ever, the DB11, pushing out 608 PS (599 HP) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque, which translates into a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 322 km/h (200 mph).

Deliveries of the new Aston Martin DB11 will commence this fall. Prices start from $211,995 in the USA, £154,900 ($226,280) in the UK and €204,900 ($232,275) in Germany.

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