The ancient Greeks had many gods, gods for the rising sun, a god for rest and relaxation, even a goddess of the flour mill. Seeking to understand the world around them, the ancients invented mythological beings in a vain and ultimately spurious attempt to prevent great ills befalling their souls in the present and in the afterlife. One God the Greeks did not invent is the God of Government Bailouts, this God really is omnipresent and really is an omnipotent being, we know it as the modern European Union.

The Aston Martin DB9 is no myth nor is it designed to subjugate mere voters, launched in 2004 the DB9 retains the fresh almost unimpeachable visual perfection that still makes it one of the most desirable of GT’s, a GT supercar that has seemingly been defined by God and sculpted by Angels. It may depend on what your belief system is, the ancient Romans assimilated many of the Greek Gods into their own prayer structure, or perhaps Shintoism might be a better way of understanding the DB9’s almost spiritual harmony.

God, an omnipotent master forger, an omniscient presence, a supernatural creator of worlds, the lord protector of humankind, overseeing the journey earth and its inhabitants undertake in an aureole and continuous celestial dance in the burning cauldron of deep space. This mysterious being, who has no physical form, is able to make wonders out of light and dust. Actually the word God is derived from the Proto-Germanic ‘gudan’, over the years this evolved into the popular lexicon we know today as ‘God, meaning to invoke.

“The Aston Martin DB9 is no myth nor is it designed to subjugate mere voters, launched in 2004 the DB9 retains the fresh almost unimpeachable visual perfection that still makes it one of the most desirable of GT’s, a GT supercar that has seemingly been defined by God and sculpted by Angels.”

No other GT or supercar can match the DB9’s exterior elegance, a powerful lesson in automotive design it has a magnetic allure yet leaves one speechless in admiration and after many years in production it has never looked better. The Carbon Black Special Edition tested adds a number of cosmetic features over the standard DB9 which received a minor facelift for 2011.

Step into the cabin and it instantly exudes quality, echoing the traditional craftsmanship of Aston’s past, yet retaining a luxurious ambiance and conveying a driver focused element. The interior is almost as elegant as the exterior, from the sweeping center console to the almost bejeweled switch-gear which has come under fire for being difficult to use, in reality it isn’t. The Carbon Black Edition gets a unique exterior black paint finish with equally unique 19 inch, 10-spoke forged alloy Gloss Black wheels and a sports exhaust with graphite tailpipes. The black theme continues inside, the interior is wrapped in the finest leather, even the roof lining. With the polished glass switch-gear and piano black finish to the interior surfaces it all increases the feeling of opulence.

One has to insert the emotion control unit, otherwise known as the key fob, into the center console to fire up the engine, even this simple act has a drama filled sense of occasion as momentarily the air is filled with a sharp, menacing snarl. The beating heart that is the 6.0 litre V12 engine is a majestic powerplant. With 470bhp and 600Nm of torque the DB9 covers 0-60 in 4.6 seconds, propelling its 1.750kg of mass so swiftly that at first your senses are overwhelmed by the speed. As you shift through the gears, above 3.500 revs, the noise is simply intoxicating. Again it overshadows the car’s top of the range Bang & Olufsen sound system for the DB9 soundtrack is rich and pure, a mechanical operatic tenor it sings from one gear to next filling the world with symphonic glory.

“The brief for a GT car is to transport its occupants vast distances in luxurious comfort and style, and this is where the DB9 excels, traversing the UK’s motorways is such an easy task, it will quietly flow at 90mph all day returning a comfortable and compliant ride.”

The six speed automatic transmission is rear mounted, for better weight distribution, and can be left to function as a traditional automatic or you have the option of using the magnesium mounted paddle shifts. Automated paddle shift technology usually finishes second place to manual and dual clutch transmission but the Touchtronic II Automatic on this DB9 feels just as good. Gear changes are smooth and instantly on demand, press the sports button, and gear changes and engine mapping become even sharper. The paddle shift transmission is better than Aston’s manual gearbox, it allows you to focus more attention on driving without taking away the involvement. The 600Nm of torque is delivered smoothly, its flexible and versatile no matter which gear you select.

The brief for a GT car is to transport its occupants vast distances in luxurious comfort and style, and this is where the DB9 excels, traversing the UK’s motorways is such an easy task, it will quietly flow at 90mph all day returning a comfortable and compliant ride. The spacious cabin cocoons its occupants from the outside world, the glass has been thickened a few millimeters to reduce cabin noise, in sixth-gear the engine is so quite below 3,500 revs that you could be fooled into thinking the beating heart had stopped altogether. Whereas the DB9 is perfectly suited to long distance travel its true calling is blasting through the sweeping unpredictability of country roads where the roar of the V12 haunts the surrounding area like a distant and active volcano.

There have been issues regarding the handling, its too stiff apparently, that is true however the DB9 rides slow and fast bumps with reassuring composure whilst returning excellent feedback. The weight of the steering is just right not too heavy, not too light, as you enter a medium speed corner the DB9 comes alive relaying what is going on with the chassis, the tyres and levels of available grip. Cornering is flat, concise, accurate and the brakes are able to cope easily with the car’s mass. Approach a downhill bend, as you brake going into the corner the rear end becomes ever so slightly loose as the mass of the car is projected forward. This rear end looseness is very minute, not at all unsettling and neither is it unstable, it seems only to occur in downhill braking zones.

In fact it doesn’t even require any correction, there is more than enough predictability and just enough play to boot it out of the corner with a bit of power oversteer, if required. Overall the DB9 has a very well balanced set up considering its GT brief. Indeed driving through country roads seemed too easy a task, you really need to drive it on a track to fully understand its true abilities and this is where the functionality of the Adaptive Damping System (previously an option) comes into play. The DB9 is a majestic ‘big bang’, it can transport you in luxurious comfort one minute and the next it can turn into an explosive supernova of speed being composed and charismatic. With the Virage and DBS the DB9 is now the opening act but what an opening act it is.

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