ASTON MARTIN has lifted the wraps from what the luxury sports car maker describes as its most compelling production 'DB' to date.

Beneath the bonnet of the new £140,000 DB9 GT, which made its public debut at last weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed, is an uprated 6.0-litre V12 engine boasting a hefty 547PS.

The all-alloy, 48-valve 5,935cc mid-mounted V12 powerplant is mated to a Touchtronic II six-speed transmission with an electronic shift-by-wire control system.

It means the grand tourer can fire from 0-62 in 4.5 seconds and on to a potential top speed of 183mph.

There's double wishbone suspension all round and the three-stage Adaptive Damping System offers Normal, Sport and Track modes.

Design touches on the new DB9 include a black painted splitter and diffuser, revised headlights and tail lights and new ten-spoke 20-inch alloy wheels.

Black anodised brake calipers and a GT engraving on the aluminium fuel filler cap further distinguish the new model.

Inside, the 2+2 seating configuration remains, however the seats now carry GT embroidery on the fluted leather while interior options include centre console finishes like Ice Mocha, Duotone leather seats, door inserts and head linings and a One-77-inspired steering wheel design.

Updates to kit include the arrival of the AMi II touch-sensitive Aston Martin infotainment system, which debuted on the flagship Vanquish model but now includes better text messaging, vehicle status info and extended background themes.

Aston Martin is also upgrading other models, the Vantage and Rapide S four-door four-seat sports cars benefiting from colour, trim and equipment enhancements, the Vantage Coupe and Roadster models gaining a new touch-sensitive centre console fascia.