The Advanced Aerodynamic Secrets of Aston Martin’s DB11

By Bradley Brownell - December 26, 2016

This Beautiful Video Helps Show How the DB11 Slices Through the Air.

This is one of the greatest depictions of science using aerodynamics to advance a car’s abilities, and it is ultimately surprising that it comes from Aston Martin. Aston has always been a company that lags a little bit behind the curve, like that one friend everyone has who just keeps using their iPhone 4. (“Yeah, the new phones have better stuff, but I just like sticking to what I know.“) The DB9 was introduced 12-years ago, and they’re just now getting around to replacing it, and boy is the new DB11 good!

This aerodynamic exercise is quite entertaining to car-nerds like myself. I’ve always been fascinated with aero advancements, and this Aston has a few cool tricks up its sleeve. The exterior mirrors are crafted to help channel airflow, and the stalks they stick out on are little downforce-inducing winglets. The body is sculpted in a way that it funnels air smoothly over the top of the car, and the pair of hood scallops on either side push the air along the sides of the car, giving it a more slippery aero profile.

Out back, to help the car flow more efficiently, Aston has created something they’re calling the “Aeroblade,” which, according to Motor Authority, is a “virtual rear spoiler” that channels air through a little slit in the rear decklid. A pair of “portals” on either side of the car near the rear quarter windows funnel air underneath the trunk, and fire it more or less vertically to create a channel of airflow that disrupts the air coming over the top of the car. If it makes any sense, this creates something of a Kammback effect that would not have existed otherwise, making the car more aerodynamically efficient. It might all be techno-wizardry mumbojumbo, however, as Aston has also included a more-traditional, retractable spoiler for higher speeds.

In any case, the video below is short, and it is very much worth watching, simply for the gorgeous shots of a beautifully-detailed car design.