Aston Martin DB11 Coloring Page: Free Printable PDF

Aston Martin DB11: History & Fun Facts

A New Chapter After the DB9

Aston Martin launched the DB11 in 2016 as the replacement for the DB9, which had been in production for 12 years, making the DB11 the first entirely new grand tourer design from the company in over a decade.

The DB naming tradition traces back to David Brown, the businessman who owned Aston Martin from 1947 to 1972 and lent his initials to a line of cars starting with the DB2, giving the DB11 a nameplate with more than 60 years of history behind it.

The Hidden AeroBlade Aerodynamics

Rather than mount a visible rear spoiler, the DB11 channels air collected near the C-pillars down through hidden ducts inside the rear bodywork, releasing it through a slot near the trunk lid to create downforce without disrupting the coupe's smooth roofline.

Aston Martin called this the AeroBlade system, and keeping it invisible from most angles let the DB11 maintain the smooth uninterrupted silhouette customers expected from the brand's grand tourers, rather than adding a wing that would clash with the car's formal styling.

A Mercedes-AMG Partnership for Power

Aston Martin's long relationship with Mercedes-AMG, formalized through a technology-sharing agreement in 2013, brought a twin-turbocharged V8 into the DB11 lineup alongside the brand's own twin-turbo V12, giving buyers a choice of engines for the first time in the DB line.

That partnership gave Aston Martin access to a modern turbocharged engine platform without developing one entirely from scratch, letting the smaller British manufacturer focus its own engineering resources on chassis tuning and the car's styling instead.

Side Strakes That Trace Back Decades

The vent shapes behind the front wheel on the DB11's fenders, called side strakes, echo a styling detail Aston Martin has used on GT models since the 1980s, including the Virage and later DB7, functioning as heat extractors for the front brakes.

Carrying that detail forward onto the DB11 gave the new grand tourer a visual link to earlier Aston Martin models, a design thread the brand has kept even as the rest of the car's shape modernized considerably.

Built at the Historic Gaydon Factory

Aston Martin builds the DB11 at its Gaydon facility in Warwickshire, England, the company's main production site since 2003, where skilled workers hand-finish leather interiors and paintwork to a level most large-volume automakers don't attempt.

That hand-built approach keeps DB11 production numbers far lower than a mainstream luxury coupe, with each car taking considerably longer to assemble than a comparable model from a bigger manufacturer.

Volante and AMR Performance Variants

Beyond the standard coupe shown in this outline, Aston Martin expanded the DB11 lineup with a folding-roof Volante convertible and a sharper AMR performance version with more power and a firmer suspension tune aimed at drivers who wanted a harder edge.

Those variants let the DB11 cover a wider range of buyers, from those wanting open-top touring comfort to those chasing a more focused driving experience, all while keeping the same long-hood silhouette at the center of the design.

The End of an Era for Aston Martin's V12

Aston Martin has signaled the DB11 generation marks one of the final chapters for its long-running V12 engine before the brand shifts toward hybrid and electrified powertrains in future models, making the car a bridge between Aston Martin's traditional engineering and its next generation.

That transition gives the DB11 a specific place in Aston Martin's history, built at the point where naturally engineered combustion performance was giving way to hybrid assistance across nearly the entire grand tourer segment.