A couple of weeks after being spied for the very first time, Aston Martin’s V8-powered DB11 prototype has been filmed doing the rounds at the Nurburgring.

While on the surface the black and white car looks identical to the production-spec DB11, it has in fact been installed with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine from Mercedes-AMG.

If reports are to be believed, this engine will be welcomed into the Aston Martin range by the DB11, acting as the entry-level powertrain for the model.

If that’s the case, horsepower will probably sit around the 500 hp mark, similar to the Mercedes-AMG GT S which uses the same engine. This will leave the 600 hp, twin-turbo V12 to top out the range.

Following its introduction with the DB11, the engine will be fitted as standard in the next-generation Vantage, due to launch next year.

Although we know the engine comes from AMG, we don’t yet know what changes, if any, will be employed by Aston to give it a unique character.

VIDEO