Aston Martin DB11: 7 things you didn’t know

1. This is the first time Aston Martin has produced a turbocharged engine for one of its road-going sportscars. The 5.2-litre V12 has two turbos and shuts down six cylinders under gentle loads to boost economy.

2. The engine is built at Aston’s plant in Cologne, which is part of the vast Ford factory there. The Vantage replacement that arrives next year will use the same 4.0-litre V8 engine as smaller AMG Mercedes.

3. James Bond drove what Aston called a “DB10” in his last outing, Spectre. It was a one-off produced for the film, but you can see strong similarities between it and the production DB11.

4. The turbocharged engine is reckoned to be around 25 percent more economical than the old V12, despite having more power and torque.

5. The car we drove was a development prototype and its chassis software hadn’t been finalised, meaning that starting it required the use of a laptop to upload the right settings every time it started.

6. The DB11 has a very advanced “aeroblade” system that directs air through pipes to the back of the tailgate, creating downforce and meaning it doesn’t have to have a messy pop-up spoiler.

7. The Bridgestone Potenza tyres fitted to the DB11 are called S007s. Very James Bond.