Hang on, I thought Aston Martin had finished with the DB9?
You thought correct, but this is no Aston - this is a coach built motor based on a DB9, the vision of a small but aspirant company based in Yorkshire. Kahn Design takes a DB9 and then goes to town on the bodywork, beefing it up in what it believes are all the right places and calling the result the Vengeance.
It is certainly eye-catching, isn't it?
Indeed it is. The face is dominated by that one-piece alloy grille, which reminds us of The Silence of the Lambs, while not only are the front wings subtly widened, the rear arches are colossal. Some clever little tricks here help accentuate the Kahn Vengeance's waistline. Those alloys, for instance, styled on roulette wheels and with a body-coloured centre section paired to a diamond-cut rim, have two more spokes at the rear than the front's 16-spoke items. And the tyres wrapped around them are relatively slender 225s at the front... and massive 335-section lawn rollers at the rear.
What else has Kahn done to the DB9 to create the Vengeance?
You'll note round Zagato rear light clusters at the back, while inside the exhaust pipes is a crosshair motif. The roof has been reshaped and inside, a retrim and other sundry bespoke finishes lift the DB9's interior to new heights.
Has Kahn done anything to the 5.9-litre V12?
No, the company quotes the same 4.6-second 0-62mph time and 183mph top speed of the DB9 for the Vengeance.
Go on, then, how much is it and how many will be built?
Ah. On the second score, a mere five have been made, guaranteeing exclusivity and, says Kahn, suggesting that the Vengeance is 'likely to prove a sound investment'; two of them were coupés and the other three were Volante soft-tops.
Like the similarly Yorkshire-based DBA Speedback GT of 2014, which cost north of £500,000 for a car based on Jaguar XKR underpinnings, the Vengeance is at least £360,000. With the all-new Aston DB11 unveiled very close to the Kahn creation at the Geneva Motor Show, it will take a strong individual to choose the Vengeance first and foremost; but bravo to Kahn for putting this striking alternative on the table in the first place.
Matt Robinson - 2 Mar 2016
