The Aston Martin DB9 GT is a wonderful goodbye to a legend

[MUSIC] > This is the final evolution of one of the coolest cars ever made. A car so cool that the world's most popular motoring show gave it, it's own sub zero fridge, one so beautiful it stops passers by. The Aston Martin DB9 is going to die soon and it'll be missed. While it may not be up there dynamically with its competitors, the DB9 got away with it because of its looks, noise and how it made drivers feel. You don't have to be perfect to be popular. In 2015 Aston Martin released this, the DB9GT, the last face it will ever wear. It's six liter V 12 engines pushing out 540 brake horsepower and 457 pound foot. North of 62 runs takes 4.5 seconds and it's top speed is on the fun side of 180. And now a minor confession, even though I loved this car since It came out. Since I could only just about drive, I've never actually driven one. So I think we should learn together. So this, my good friends, is what the DB9. Is like to drive. [MUSIC] When you get to it you notice there's a few things. You sit really high. Like higher than you would in a Vanquish, even a Vantage and I find that a little bit strange. You feel like you're riding on the car more than in it. That said You still can't see much out of it because the wind screen is quite heavily [INAUDIBLE] so your front vision's quite narrow. Your rear view again is kind of minimal. And the car sort of drops off on each edge. It's got all the standard Aston interior. I love the dials. The dials They do look like something off of "The Terminator". It's a very smooth car, this. Its gear box is six feet also and it can be a little bit jerky. I'm not an enormous fan of it, but it works. It can be smooth. You've just got to learn to work with it. The steering is nice and light and very lovely. It does help you place the front wheel, even if you can't see the thing, but the party piece is its enormous engine. Six liter V12, it makes a terrific noise. [SOUND] When you're [INAUDIBLE] around Normandy, it's nice and quiet, just for [INAUDIBLE], but when you press the sport button, or when you [INAUDIBLE] pedal, it sings. It sings the song of the Aston Martin, and it's a song I like to listen to on the [SOUND] At the turn of the century, Aston VB7 was getting a little bit long in the tooth. It needed a change. That change was called the VB9. Penned by Heinrich Fiskar and one Ian Callen, the DB9 was an evolution of the DB7 that preceded it, but also more. Cleaner lines, stunning design, and a perfect use of Aston's hallmarks made it stand out. It was the first car to use the Aston Martin VH Platform as well. It came with the six litre V12 that pumped out 450 brake horsepower and 420 pound foot. Not bad, it also made all the right noises thanks to said engine. I remember when it came out, I was about 17 years old and naturally I was impressed by big, shiny, fast things that made lots of lovely noises but the DB9 was different it was a bit more refined it was that and the Vanquish of the day, that made me think a little differently. They made my younger self realize that there was more to the Aston than the DB5 with Sean Connery draped over it. Though the DB7, a car that I thought was a bit 90s, because it was, wasn't the be all end all. Aston Martin had changed. Of course since then I've learned much more, but it's that fragile time of that vanquish and the DB9 that turned me, and I suspect many others on to Brittain's finest. [MUSIC] As time went on the DB9 evolved, it spawned a racecar the DBR9 that at the 2007 Le Mans took a GT1 class victory, which in turn spawned it's own special edition road car the DBR9LM In 2009, Aston produced its 50,000th road car. Guess what that was. A DB9. As the decades switched, the DB9 got a facelift and some more power. Also, a bigger brother, the [UNKNOWN] which came with a sharper look and a bit more everything. At the time, the DBS was at the top of the range and Aston wants its buyers to have more choice. DB9 for the soft core, Vorlage for the middle, and DBS for the top. The Vorlage, however, only lasted for about 18 months. And only sold around 1000. [SOUND] In 2012, after a previous power hike to 470, the DB9 got a full refresh and even more power. It's new face is reminiscent of the [UNKNOWN] that went before. Its power upgrade to [INAUDIBLE] horsepower was very welcome. Now personally, I only prefer the look of the pre-facelift DB9. I think it just looks a little bit nicer. That said, I am the kind of guy that fears change. Just a couple of years ago, there was talk of a successor, then the Bond Special DB10 was released. A car only for him. It was a pretty one too. The DB9s time was up. After so long it was bound to happen, but still a part of me will be hugely sad to see the old girl go. It's been said that the DB9 ushered Aston Martin into the modern era. Away from ownership woes and [INAUDIBLE] into a world where words like luxury and [INAUDIBLE] are becoming more and more common place. [INAUDIBLE] has come and gone. The [INAUDIBLE] has been launched [INAUDIBLE] and the [INAUDIBLE] well, still going strong. It's also been officially cool thanks to way to many surveys than I care to mention. The next car, DB11, will be what ever it is. Stunning and brilliant probably, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for the DB9. It's looks, when it first came out, were a revelation, to me at least, and it's final evolution Well it's simply stunning. It's a car that inspired legions of new Aston Martin fans and still kept the diehards happy. This has been the Aston Martin DB9. And it's been great. [MUSIC]