James Bond may drive an Aston Martin DBS, but the company has just built something he might like to slide his tuxedo’d butt into. The Aston Martin DB9 may not be quite as fast as the Vanquish, but with 450 horsepower under the bonnet it’s no pushover. How do you replace a legend? That’s what Aston Martin had to do when it replaced the DB7 – the car that saved Aston Martin from going bankrupt. Time marches on of course and to build a successor Aston decided to throw as much technology at the DB9 and see what stuck. The first high tech touch is the chassis, which is virtually all aluminium. Like an increasing number of cars these days the DB9 is constructed mostly from aluminum that is bonded and strengthened by self piercing rivets – the car is essentially glued together like a big model kit and then stapled. The advantage over welding is that the bonding gives the car better stress distribution than welding. Also there’s the fact that aluminium is very hard to weld due to its heat conductivity. There is some welding involved joining the upper and lower C pillars, but even here it has been given a high tech edge. Instead of using heat Aston Martin uses a sonsotrobe, which is a vibrating probe that oscillates at 20,000hz, agitating the molecules of the aluminum panels so they form a molecular bond. Because of this the weld is 90 percent stronger than a traditional weld, and Aston is the first car company in the world to use it. The main advantage to aluminum is of course the weight savings, and the DB9 bodyshell is 25 percent lighter than the bodyshell of the previous DB7 but has more than twice the torsional rigidity. To increase weight loss and to ensure the car’s centre of gravity is low the hood, roof and rear wings are aluminum, while the front wings and trunk lid are composite materials. Weight balance is also important and Aston has shuffled components around in the car and used lightweight structures such as magnesian for the steering column and inner door frames to achieve a 50/50 front/rear balance. Suspension is forged aluminium double wishbone at each corner, mounted on an aluminium sub frame at the front and a steel sub frame at the rear. Even the dampers are aluminium bodied, showing just how obsessed Aston Martin is with the stuff. The DB9 has a rear transaxle to help within the weight balance. And it goes further. The wheels are flow formed rather than being cast, saving around one kilogram per wheel. Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society