Aston Martin will replace the DB9 at some point later this year, most likely in Q3. We can’t be certain because the Gaydon based company hasn’t revealed any detail other than confirming the DB9 will be replaced. That isn’t good enough for one enterprising photographer who decided to take it upon himself to see what is actually going on. We presume he drove up to Aston Martin’s HQ in Gaydon, a typically British and quaint parish village in the rolling countryside of Warwickshire not far from Leamington Spa. Just off Junction 12 of the M40. And like a few of us here at DCB Towers who have driven through Gaydon you will regularly see Aston Martins being put through their paces on the open roads nearby by Aston Martin’s engineers. If you stop for a bite to eat you will hear one before you see it. Anyway, the DB10 could have been a thoroughly nice replacement for the DB9 but the DB10 was a one off edition built exclusively for the James Bond Spectre movie. And it also gave Aston a blaze of publicity in return. So the DB11 will be the official replacement and on its predictably stylish shoulders will rest the tradition of Aston using a monsterous V12. In the era of turbo-charging engines to lower emissions, it is quite possible the DB11 will have a bi-turbo V12 powering the rear wheels. Our sources say it will be a 5.2-litre twin-turbo which will have an immeasurable amount of power and torque. Expect at least 700bhp at minimum. More importantly Aston Martin will end the use of Ford derived engines that has underpinned the current DB9 and switch to Mercedes derived engines and electronic components. The DB9 has a relatively advanced chassis construction forged from a bonded aluminium architecture. The next chassis is expected to be an evolution of the current technology. Will Aston Martin head down the carbon-fiber route for the chassis and use composite materials for the body panel? Its highly unlikely as Aston Martin’s cash strapped accounts department probably couldn’t stretch the next generation budget that far. However if Aston did surprise us doing so would make the DB11 a lightweight terminator and lower those pesky emissions a little further too. Expect Aston Martin to reveal the DB11 at the Geneva Motorshow during the first week of March.