Let's talk numbers for a second because this video features quite a collection of them. First off are the two 200 foot skid pads separated by 500 feet that make up the figure eight test on which this Aston Martin DB11, which makes 600 horsepower courtesy of a 5.2-liter V12 that's kept spry by two turbochargers, has to prove itself with. No one is sure what to expect because despite the engine it's packing, the DB11 isn't exactly a track car, which we learned when watching a professional driver trying to launch it.
That's the advantage Aston Martin has carved out for itself because throughout the ages, the British grand tourers haven't exactly been the first picks for those who are obsessed with motor sports (let's pretend for a second that the Aston Martin Vulcan doesn't exist). This makes it so that nobody expects much out of them on the track.
A V12 Vantage S came in last place during Motor Trend's Best Driver's Car competition, but will that be the end of Aston Martin at Motor Trend? Doesn't look like it because now, Motor Trend's Carlos Lagos has gotten the reins of an Aston Martin DB11 for this test, and while it's not competing against a stack of some of the world's finest supercars, Lagos does put the grand tourer through its paces to see just how well it handles. This gives us an idea of how far forward Aston Martin has leaped in the past few years. The DB11 is still a heavy car, but its balance and handling show for the hard work that was done under the body to get the suspension system to handle better than a car in its class should.