Aston Martin prematurely kills the Virage to make room for DB9 successor

Aston Martin Virage

Whoa there, it may be out last year but Aston Martin prematurely killed the Virage coupe and Volante to make room for the DB9's replacement. Now who would have thought of that but whatever, some say that the replacement for the DB9 will sport One-77 designs as seen on the new Vanquish. Seems like that the Aston Virage is going to be a rare collector's item in the near future.

Scoop: http://paultan.org/2012/09/04/aston-martin-virage-to-be-replaced-by-new-db9/

All about the Virage

Is that a DB9 or a DBS? Talk about Star Confusion!

Top Gear's James May claims that the all new Aston Martin Virage has the comfort of the DB9 infused with the raw power of the DBS. We understand why and the new Virage is sort of a middle-class Aston Martin. Why did he called this a middle-class Aston Martin? Simple. Even when these three have the same 5.9L V12 engine and 420lb-ft of torque, they have different attributes. The DB9 produces 450HP of power while the DBS produces 510HP of power and the Virage produces 490HP, which makes the Virage in the middle. Eh? Remembering what James May said?

We think that's the Virage!

There is just one thing that James May never told and its the weight, which makes the new Virage on the bottom. The DB9 weighs 3,880lbs while the the DBS weighs 3,737lbs and the new Virage weighs 3,935lbs, which makes the new Virage the heaviest of the three. This is just one thing why James May never mention this and he got so upset about the new Virage. Forget about what Top Gear said about it but for a quick summary, the Virage is better than the DB9 but not as good as the DBS, which makes the Virage a middle-class Aston.

Have James May try it on the track...

With the November Speed Pack launched, Forza Motorsport 4 players can now prove James May's sayings wrong with the new Aston Virage but still James is right and we were wrong because the Virage is definitely an "in-the-middle" class Aston but to counter it, tuning is the best ordeal for the Virage owners on FM4. Since it was an A600 class car, you can feel free to use the Virage in playground online games such as Tag Virus Infection, Keep the It, or a little game of Cat & Mouse where you can block off your rival Mouse while keeping your ally Mouse 1st place, well almost.

Which Aston Martin is the Virage?

The Aston Virage is better than the DB9 but not as quick as the DBS. There are other Virage owners in FM4 trying to prove James May wrong by tuning the Virage to be as the quickest of the three but whatever. It takes guts to master the art of the Aston Virage. Oh, and because it made a Top Gear Power Lap Time, feel free to recreate the Aston Martin Virage Top Gear Power Lap Time on Forza Motorsport 4. This will show James May who's the boss, and also Jeremy and Richard.

Aston Martin Virage and Virage Volante

2012 Aston Martin Virage and Virage Volante

Back in 1989, Aston Martin launched the Virage as a replacement to the Aston Martin V8 sportscar. Production is ended in 2000 but in the year 2011, Aston Martin decided to give the Virage another try as the new Virage, the latest debutante in the Aston Martin lineup consisting of the DB9, DBS, V8 Vantage, V8 Vantage S, V12 Vantage, and the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet compact.

On the exterior design, playboys have a high chance to be confused because the new Virage looks more the same as the Aston Martin DB9 or DBS. The front, the rear, the side, everything looks the same but to help them obtain the Virage, look for the Virage badge on it.

This also applies to the interior as well, the new Virage really looks the same as the DB9 or the DBS. To solve this, look for the Virage marking on the interior. Looks like Aston Martin wants us to play the guessing game, figuring out which is the DB9 or the 21st century Virage.

The 21st century Virage comes in two forms, the coupe and the open-top Volante, and both of these variants come with the high-performance 6.0-litre V12 engine that has the power output of 490bhp/6500rpm, torque output of 420lbs-ft/5750rpm, and it comes with the 6-speed Touchtronic Auto transmission. This V12 engine complies with Euro V emission standards.

My Comment:
Reviving the Virage name can be a tough act to follow from the premiere Kuwaiti-owned British sports car maker but despite the revival, the 21st century Aston Martin Virage looks more like a carbon copy of the Aston Martin DB9. Can the Virage replace the DB9? Aston Martin says no because the DB9 still lives on despite the addition of the Virage in the list of Bond cars ready to be commissioned for Her Majesty's Secret Service. If James Bond meets the Virage face to bumper, will he accept the offer from Her Majesty's Secret Service? If he does, this is going to be a wild ride.

I can always think that this is the spiritual successor to the V12 Vanquish...

Photo: Aston Martin