To the casual observer, Aston Martin cars might all look the same. A long hood. Voluptuous curves over the wheels. That iconic grille. It's a design language that you can trace back through the decades to the 1950s.

Sixty years later that formula is still being obeyed, but it would be a mistake to think that makes this car—the DB11—an anachronism. Underneath its gorgeous aluminum and composite body panels is the most technologically advanced machine yet to wear the winged badge. It's the first all-new Aston Martin in years, and race-bred aerodynamics, a clever twin-turbo V12 engine, and some 21st century electronics knowhow (courtesy of Mercedes-Benz) come together to create a gran turismo that's as much PhD as 007. Over the course of a week and several hundred miles, I came away with the impression that if this car represents the future of the marque, that future will be rosy indeed.

A brief history of Aston Martin

Aston Martin has a long and storied history. As you might expect for a company founded in 1913, it has gone through good times and bad. High points? Racing glory helped cement its reputation, plus a starring role alongside James Bond in Goldfinger spring to mind. But along the way it has changed ownership with some regularity, often after periods of poverty and even bankruptcy that meant its cars were quickly outdated compared to rivals.

Early success came during the interwar period, but for many the company's first heyday was under the ownership of industrialist David Brown, starting in 1947. It was then that his initials began gracing the cars, from successful sports racers that won races at tracks like Le Mans and the Nürburgring to their road-going cousins that now fetch big money on the classic car scene. But by the early 1970s, the company was in trouble once more and in danger of shutting down for good. The elegant six-cylinder DB cars gave way to angular V8s, and a string of owners came and went. With no money to develop new models, the company lost ground to rivals like Ferrari, and sales numbers plummeted.

The 1990s saw Aston Martin under Ford ownership, and things were once again looking up. Budgets were still tight but salvation came in the form of a rejected Jaguar design, that company also being owned by the Blue Oval. That car was the DB7, the first to wear Brown's initials in more than 20 years. Underneath it may have been a warmed-up XJ-S, but it looked like a million dollars and sold well in the US. That gave Ford a reason to open its wallet, and the result was the Vanquish, which debuted in 2001. This was a clean-sheet design and the first car to use Aston Martin's new VH architecture, which used a bonded aluminum chassis that owed plenty to Lotus and its lightweight Elise.

The VH architecture went on to provide the building blocks for an expanded model range, first with the Vantage and then DB9. But Ford soon lost interest with the brand, selling it on to new owners in 2007. (It did keep a version of the iconic Aston Martin grill however, which you'll still see today on Fiestas, Focuses, and Fusions.) Aston Martin's new owners—led by Prodrive's David Richards—soldiered on, evolving the VH cars to develop the DBS, Virage, Rapide, and even (in carbon fiber form) the limited run One-77. But it was obvious that once again the company was having to make do with outdated products. Once again, sales started to evaporate.

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Jonathan Gitlin

Classic looks that marry form with function

Today, Aston Martin is in better health. Private equity backers have given the company the investment it has sorely needed, and 2017 has seen both revenues double and hefty losses transform into decent profits. There's a plan to electrify its range in the coming years, and the DB11 is the first product to emerge from the company's "Second Century" plan.

The DB11 starts with a bonded aluminum chassis, similar to the older VH cars but with less mass and greater stiffness. On top of that is a stunning body, designed by Marek Reichman. The body panels are a mix of aluminum and composites (you'll note I got this wrong in the video above, claiming it was all carbon fiber, for which I apologize). The hood is a single-piece clamshell, and the roofline is a floating design that you can't really see in the pictures or video of our black-on-black test car.

Aerodynamics were a big concern in the DB11's design. This is most readily apparent from the large splitter at the front of the car, which wouldn't look amiss on one of Aston Martin's GTE race cars. But there are a couple of other notable aerodynamic details worth mentioning. The first is also borrowed from Aston Martin's racing program. Called curlicues, these were gill-like vents just behind the front wheels. They take high-pressure air from the front wheel arches and channel it out through the side of the car, reducing lift at the front axle in the process.

The other interesting feature is called the AeroBlade. This sucks in high-speed air at the C-pillars (behind the doors), which then passes through ducts underneath the bodywork, exiting out of a series of slots in the trunk lid. The result is the same as if the car had a large rear spoiler like the ones you'll see on the rear of a Vantage or DB9, just without the bodywork or attendant drag. At high speeds, the AeroBlade's efficiency is increased by an extendable active spoiler that works like a Gurney flap on a race car.

Finally, there's also a flat underbody and rear diffuser, which work in conjunction with that big front splitter to control airflow underneath the DB11, further reducing lift.

Listing image by Jonathan Gitlin