Cars

Italdesign (butter)flies into Geneva

We’ve been ogling the grainy, leaked images of the Aston Martin DB11 for several weeks now, but little could be deduced… until now that is, as Aston Martin has just revealed the car at Geneva. While the car’s new design architecture is perhaps not as radical a departure as people had anticipated, a closer look reveals myriad changes, both above and below the surface.

Unlike its competition-derived GT3 RS, Porsche has chosen a back-to-basics route for its latest iteration of the 991-gen 911, choosing to focus on an engaging driving experience rather than point-to-point prowess. Using the naturally-aspirated 493bhp 4.0-litre flat-six from the RS, paired to a manual six-speed gearbox (there is no dual-clutch option) that feeds the rear wheels, it produces 339lb ft of torque at an unusually high 6250rpm, hinting at peaky power delivery reminiscent of its forebears. And while we’re talking of nods to historic 911s, just look at those seats …

Back to the future

We’ll let the headline figures speak for themselves: 1,480bhp developed from a heavily redeveloped version of the Veyron’s quad-turbocharged W16; 1,180lb ft of torque between 2,000 and 6,000rpm; a limited (yes, limited) top speed of 261mph; and an eye-watering, before-options price tag of 2.4m euros. ‘We left behind us all the parameters we were familiar with, and defined new ones that had not existed before’. That they did – the Chiron is the most powerful and fastest production car in history, a mantle we suspect it will hold for some time.

The Porsche 911 is recognised as the most successful road-going sports car of all time. It quickly made its name in motor sport, and on-going development for motor sport has always kept it up to the mark. The 911’s competition success began soon after the start of production, when Herbert Linge drove a modestly powered production 911 to a remarkable 5^th place in the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally. In 1966, the 160HP Porsche 911 S was introduced and after that there was no holding back.

Design-wise, the new car marks a natural progression from its coupé predecessor of 2013, which in turn took inspiration – and its name – from the 1952 Alfa Romeo C52 that became colloquially known as the ‘Disco Volante’. In following this route, Touring has essentially created the first open car in its recent history, for which it has developed a two-piece roof in conjunction with Alfa Romeo’s own engineers.