- Aston Martin feels that nothing can replicate the feel of the V8 and V12 engines
- An upgraded twin-turbo V12 has been in development for the DBS successor.
- Aston Martin scrapped a V6 engine program last year
Aston Martin is committed to big-capacity engines and says buyers are the reason why it’s keeping the powerful V8 and V12 engines around longer than initially planned.
In February, the British carmaker gave the Vantage a thorough refresh and, in the process, squeezed an additional 153 hp and 85 lb-ft (115 Nm) out of its Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8. It’s also confirmed a new twin-turbo V12 will premiere in the latest-generation Vanquish, serving as a replacement for the DBS. This engine will be good for 824 hp and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque.
Read: Aston Martin Cancels Plans For Mid-Engined Vanquish
The release of these powerful new engines comes just four years after Aston Martin said it was developing a potent V6 that would replace its V8s. That project was killed last year. During a recent interview with Car Throttle, Aston Martin product and market strategy boss Alex Long said V6s don’t have the same emotion as V8s and V12s.
“It’s not just about going as fast as I can,” he said. “I do want some emotion on the way, I want some real sound and rumble, and I want to know and think and say it’s a V8 or a V12 because V8s [and] V12s have generally been reserved for very special and interesting products whereas V6s very much aren’t in the premium segment.”
Long added that there has been “a real resurgence for [the] V8” since the Covid-19 pandemic and notes that many Aston Martin customers own an EV for daily driving but want something else that’ll provide them with a more raw driving experience.
“These cars don’t cut the mileages … it’s often not the only car in the household,” he said. “So there are very many Aston customers who will also own an electric car in the household but they’ll want still sound, noise, vibration and so on from a supercar that’s a V8.”
Aston Martin isn’t the only carmaker to share this sentiment. Reports suggest Mercedes-AMG will not fit the new CLE 63 Coupe and Convertible with its 2.0-liter hybridized four-cylinder as initially planned and instead install its beloved 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8.
