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Engine Upgrades
for DB9(2004-2012)/ DBS / V12 Vantage/ Rapide / Virage / Vantage Zagato

The arrival of the DB9 in 2003 with the new AM04 V12 engine continued the line of new era V12s that had started with the DB7 Vantage. The AM09 engine, a considered update from the DB7, heralded the beginning of significant evolutions of the V12 most notably into the mighty AM10 that powered the V12 Vantage.

It is these evolutions that Bamford Rose can deliver for owners of older models as well as providing their renowned upgrades for all Generation I V12 engines.

Bamford Rose Phase 2 V12 Engine Upgrade

Phase Two of the Bamford Rose V12 Engine Upgrade comprises of our bespoke exhaust manifolds, our secondary catalyst upgrades and our high lift camshaft upgrade each of which is further detailed in the adjacent tabs. The Bamford Rose airbox upgrade is also incorporated into the upgrade (for applicable models).

Finally to complete the package a three-position switch (fully open, standard automatic or fully closed for those early morning starts) for manual control of the exhaust bypass valves is included.

Bamford Roses’ secondary catalysts are more efficient, gas flow optimised with high quality 200 cell bricks for optimised for better performance. The catalysts are offered both baffled and unbaffled catalysts so you can tune your V12s exhaust note to taste.

At Bamford Rose, the upgrade of the catalysts is not simply a bolt-on job. As well as fitting the catalysts, the engine ECU is also revised and the spark strategy mapping altered appropriately.

The alteration takes account of the different gas flow characteristics from the 200 cell free-flow catalysts (compared to the factory OEM 900/400 cell catalysts) optimising performance by running the 200 cell catalysts at the correct temperature. Finally, it also ensures that the engine diagnostics are recalibrated to ensure that no false emissions warnings are raised.

Manufactured to motorsport standards, this ultimate package dramatically improves engine responsiveness and boosts performance throughout the rev range. The upgrade delivers an increase of c+70 bhp (c+80bhp DB9/Rapide) and c+60 Nm to engine power and torque respectively as well as a significant weight saving. The package also has the secondary benefit of insuring against the expensive risk of primary catalyst ingestion into the V12.

This package is suitable for all Generation I V12s for £6500 (excluding VAT).

Images


Phase 2 for gen I V12

[BAMFORD ROSE PHASE 2 ENGINE UPGRADE DYNO RESULTS]

Videos


Do upgraded catalysts cause emissions faults?

What are the different sound characteristics of upgraded catalysts?

Bamford Rose Secondary Catalyst Upgrade

Available on their own to fit (see adjacent performance package tabs for fitment here at Bamford Rose) our secondary catalysts are manufactured to motorsport standards. The catalysts are more efficient, gas flow-optimised and constructed with high quality 200 cell bricks optimised for better performance. The catalysts are offered for delivery in either baffled or unbaffled style so you can tune your V12 exhaust note to taste.

This upgrade is available as a part to fit yourself for £1,150 (excluding VAT and delivery).

Images


Baffle and unbaffled cat

Fitted catalyst

Bamford Rose Exhaust Manifold Upgrade

One of the largest compromises made to get the Aston Martin V12 VH era cars into production, one very familiar to Bamford Rose team members working on the factory car programme at the time, was to use a “made to a price” manifold that fulfilled all global emissions standards.

This factory exhaust manifold fitted to both to all Generation I V12s, whilst cost-effective for the factory is horrifically gas-flow restrictive, significantly compromising performance.

Our handmade sports exhaust package recovers the performance loss introduced by the compromised OEM part, delivering improvements to both power and torque and an engine which pulls considerably stronger over the entire rev range until the redline. The improvement in gas flow also allows better flywheel performance – the car revs much more freely and quickly to the redline. An additional benefit is that these bespoke manifolds are a significant 18 kg lighter than the factory versions. Finally, the deletion of the primary catalyst is insurance against the expensive risk of primary catalyst engine ingestion (See V12 service for further details).

Bamford Rose has achieved substantial performance gains by paying meticulous attention to design and manufacture detail of the manifold. The standard 6-3-2-1 factory manifold has been significantly improved by introducing:

  • Tuned equal length primary pipes of 6-1 construction.
  • A Bespoke Bamford Rose designed sequential collector cone enabling uncompromised exhaust gas scavenging.
  • Higher quality, 2mm gauge 316-grade stainless steel pipework with laser cut flanges.
  • Ensuring that all joints and bends in the manifold are fully purge-welded
  • (a gas is used to protect the weld seam until it has cooled to the point that oxidation does not occur, thus prevents cracking, corrosion and deformation).

As part of the Bamford Rose uncompromising development approach, the complete exhaust system has been arduously tested around the world-famous Millbrook proving ground circuit. This durability testing created a thermal cycle which would accelerate the onset of any potential error state modes such as cracking. The durability has been further proven under road mileage accumulation tests where city driving, motorway cruising or spirited country lane driving have all been tested to make certain no error states occur as a result of the new manifold.

Images


[MISSING IMAGE LINK IN SPREADSHEET]

V12 Manifold on car

V12 Manifold

[EXHAUST MANIFOLD ENGINE UPGRADE DYNO RESULTS]

V12 Manifold construction

Bamford Rose High Lift Inlet Camshaft Upgrade

The Bamford Rose high lift camshaft upgrade replaces the existing OEM inlet camshafts with a set of very high-quality bespoke cams. These bespoke cams have a 1.7mm (c+17%) increased inlet cam profile (11.5mm vs 9.8mm OEM). The higher lift on the cam lobe increases the inlet valve stroke enabling more air to enter the combustion chamber for better performance across the rev range to the benefit of c+15 BHP, c+10 Nm.

This upgrade is suitable for all Generation I V12 cars for £1500 (excluding VAT).

Images


High lift Cam

[V12 HIGH LIFT CAM ENGINE UPGRADE DYNO RESULTS]

Bamford Rose Inlet Airbox Upgrade

The Bamford Rose airbox upgrade offers a modification to your V12 airbox to improve airflow to the engine; helping it breathe more effectively at higher revs.

The modification is similar to that found in the Vantage S, which the team at Bamford Rose helped develop during their time at Aston Martin. It is, however, passively vented and not valved as on the Vantage S. As an added benefit the airbox modification also slightly enhances the aural characteristics of the V12 engine adding a subtle menacing edge throughout the rev range.

This modification is suitable for DB9 and Rapide delivering c+5bhp benefit for the OEM DB9 manifolds and c+10bhp for cars upgraded to the DBS inlet manifolds.

Available as part of any of the Bamford Rose performance upgrade packages.

Videos


Bamford Rose Airfilter Upgrade

Inlet Manifold Upgrade to DBS

Upgrade to DBS inlet manifolds. These manifolds change the characteristics of your V12 engine; for a slight reduction in low down torque (c-30 Nm), the power band is raised and more power (c+20 BHP)can be found at the across rev range – especially at the top. This is especially effective when combined with other Bamford Rose engine breathing modifications and a change in the final drive to balance out the slight loss of torque.

This modification is suitable for DB9 and Rapide and is especially suited to those wishing more spirited performance from their V12. £POA

Images


DB9 Inlet Manifold

DB9 Inlet Manifold

Final Drive upgrade

Upgrade to the DBS final drive changing from the 3.154:1 in the DB9 / Rapide to the 3.46:1 final drive from the DBS. This changes improves acceleration and take up at the lower end nicely balancing the engine breathing change that providing extra power at the top end.

This modification is suitable for DB9 and Rapide and is especially suited to those wishing more spirited performance from their V12. £POA

Phase One of the Bamford Rose V12 Engine Upgrade comprises of a primary catalyst delete (from the OEM exhaust manifolds), the Bamford Rose secondary catalyst upgrade and the Bamford Rose airbox upgrade (for applicable models). Additionally, a three-position switch for manual control of exhaust bypass valves (fully open, standard automatic or fully closed for those early morning starts).

At Bamford Rose, the upgrade of the catalysts is not simply a bolt-on job. As well as fitting the catalysts, the engine ECU is also revised and the spark strategy mapping altered appropriately.

The alteration takes account of the different gas flow characteristics from the 200 cell free-flow catalysts (compared to the factory OEM 900/400 cell catalysts) optimising performance by running the 200 cell catalysts at the correct temperature. Finally, it also ensures that the engine diagnostics are recalibrated to ensure that no false emissions warnings are raised.

This cost-effective package significantly improves engine responsiveness and delivers a benefit of c+40BHP / c+30 Nm (c+45 BHP for those with the addition of the airbox modification) to your V12 engine. The package also has the secondary benefit of insuring against the expensive risk of primary catalyst ingestion into the V12 (see our V12 service page for further details).

This package is suitable for all Generation I V12’s for £2,250 (excluding VAT).

Here at Bamford Rose our secondary catalysts are manufactured to motorsport standards.

The catalysts are more efficient, gas flow-optimised and constructed with high quality 200 cell bricks optimised for better performance. The catalysts are offered for delivery in either baffled or unbaffled style so you can tune your V12 exhaust note to taste.

Baffle and unbaffled cat

Fitted catalyst

Do upgraded catalysts cause emissions faults?

What are the different sound characteristics of upgraded catalysts?

The Bamford Rose airbox upgrade offers a modification to your V12 airbox to improve airflow to the engine; helping it breathe more effectively at higher revs.

The modification is similar to that found in the DBS, which the team at Bamford Rose helped develop during their time at Aston Martin. It is, however, passively vented and not valved as on the DBS. As an added benefit the airbox modification also slightly enhances the aural characteristics of the V12 engine adding a subtle menacing edge throughout the rev range.

This modification is suitable for DB9 and Rapide delivering c+5bhp benefit for the OEM DB9 manifolds and c+10bhp for cars upgraded to the DBS inlet manifolds.

Air Filter Upgrade

Phase Two of the Bamford Rose V12 Engine Upgrade comprises of our bespoke exhaust manifolds, our secondary catalyst upgrades and our high lift camshaft upgrade each of which is further detailed in the adjacent tabs. The Bamford Rose airbox upgrade is also incorporated into the upgrade (for applicable models).

Finally to complete the package a three-position switch (fully open, standard automatic or fully closed for those early morning starts) for manual control of the exhaust bypass valves is included.

At Bamford Rose, the upgrade of the catalysts is not simply a bolt-on job. As well as fitting the catalysts, the engine ECU is also revised and the spark strategy mapping altered appropriately.

The alteration takes account of the different gas flow characteristics from the 200 cell free-flow catalysts (compared to the factory OEM 900/400 cell catalysts) optimising performance by running the 200 cell catalysts at the correct temperature. Finally, it also ensures that the engine diagnostics are recalibrated to ensure that no false emissions warnings are raised.

Manufactured to motorsport standards, this ultimate package dramatically improves engine responsiveness and boosts performance throughout the rev range. The upgrade delivers an increase of c+70 bhp (c+80bhp DB9/Rapide) and c+60 Nm to engine power and torque respectively as well as a significant weight saving. The package also has the secondary benefit of insuring against the expensive risk of primary catalyst ingestion into the V12.

This package is suitable for all Generation I V12s for £6500 (excluding VAT).

Here at Bamford Rose our secondary catalysts are manufactured to motorsport standards.

The catalysts are more efficient, gas flow-optimised and constructed with high quality 200 cell bricks optimised for better performance. The catalysts are offered for delivery in either baffled or unbaffled style so you can tune your V12 exhaust note to taste.

Baffle and unbaffled cat

Fitted catalyst

Do upgraded catalysts cause emissions faults?

What are the different sound characteristics of upgraded catalysts?

The Bamford Rose airbox upgrade offers a modification to your V12 airbox to improve airflow to the engine; helping it breathe more effectively at higher revs.

The modification is similar to that found in the DBS, which the team at Bamford Rose helped develop during their time at Aston Martin. It is, however, passively vented and not valved as on the DBS. As an added benefit the airbox modification also slightly enhances the aural characteristics of the V12 engine adding a subtle menacing edge throughout the rev range.

This modification is suitable for DB9 and Rapide delivering c+5bhp benefit for the OEM DB9 manifolds and c+10bhp for cars upgraded to the DBS inlet manifolds.

Air Filter Upgrade

One of the largest compromises made to get the Aston Martin V12 VH era cars into production, one very familiar to Bamford Rose team members working on the factory car programme at the time, was to use a “made to a price” manifold that fulfilled all global emissions standards.

This factory exhaust manifold fitted to both to all Generation I V12s, whilst cost-effective for the factory is horrifically gas-flow restrictive, significantly compromising performance.

Our handmade sports exhaust package recovers the performance loss introduced by the compromised OEM part, delivering improvements to both power and torque and an engine which pulls considerably stronger over the entire rev range until the redline. The improvement in gas flow also allows better flywheel performance – the car revs much more freely and quickly to the redline. An additional benefit is that these bespoke manifolds are a significant 18 kg lighter than the factory versions. Finally, the deletion of the primary catalyst is insurance against the expensive risk of primary catalyst engine ingestion (See V12 service for further details).

Bamford Rose has achieved substantial performance gains by paying meticulous attention to design and manufacture detail of the manifold. The standard 6-3-2-1 factory manifold has been significantly improved by introducing:

  • Tuned equal length primary pipes of 6-1 construction.
  • A Bespoke Bamford Rose designed sequential collector cone enabling uncompromised exhaust gas scavenging.
  • Higher quality, 2mm gauge 316-grade stainless steel pipework with laser cut flanges.
  • Ensuring that all joints and bends in the manifold are fully purge-welded
  • (a gas is used to protect the weld seam until it has cooled to the point that oxidation does not occur, thus prevents cracking, corrosion and deformation).

As part of the Bamford Rose uncompromising development approach, the complete exhaust system has been arduously tested around the world-famous Millbrook proving ground circuit. This durability testing created a thermal cycle which would accelerate the onset of any potential error state modes such as cracking. The durability has been further proven under road mileage accumulation tests where city driving, motorway cruising or spirited country lane driving have all been tested to make certain no error states occur as a result of the new manifold.

V12 Manifold

V12 Manifold construction

V12 Manifold on car

The Bamford Rose high lift camshaft upgrade replaces the existing OEM inlet camshafts with a set of very high-quality bespoke cams.

These bespoke cams have a 1.7mm (c+17%) increased inlet cam profile (11.5mm vs 9.8mm OEM). The higher lift on the cam lobe increases the inlet valve stroke enabling more air to enter the combustion chamber for better performance across the rev range to the benefit of c+15 BHP, c+10 Nm.

High lift Cam

The original OEM manifold design incorporated a big primary catalyst to pollutants created at low speeds/revs. This catalyst is very gas restrictive and at high revs, it would overheat of it wasn’t for the ECU being configured to run the engine very rich.

As part of Bamford Roses comprehensive engineering of this upgrade, the ECU is also recalibrated to remove the previous need to run the engine rich and protect the primary catalyst. The ECU calibration can be returned to the optimum for best power. Which result not only in better performance but better efficiency. This results in improvements in fuel efficiency. In the real world 17-22 mpg would be typical for the car; obviously dependant on driving style; with the upgrade 26-29 mpg is a more typical real-world figure. So with Bamford Rose not only do you get extra power but better efficiency too.

High lift Cam

Available on their own to fit (see adjacent performance packages for fitment here at Bamford Rose) our secondary catalysts are manufactured to motorsport standards.

The catalysts are more efficient, gas flow-optimised and constructed with high quality 200 cell bricks optimised for better performance. The catalysts are offered for delivery in either baffled or unbaffled style so you can tune your V12 exhaust note to taste.

This upgrade is available as a part to fit yourself for £1,150 (excluding VAT and delivery).

Baffle and unbaffled cat

Fitted catalyst

The Bamford Rose high lift camshaft upgrade replaces the existing OEM inlet camshafts with a set of very high-quality bespoke cams.

These bespoke cams have a 1.7mm (c+17%) increased inlet cam profile (11.5mm vs 9.8mm OEM). The higher lift on the cam lobe increases the inlet valve stroke enabling more air to enter the combustion chamber for better performance across the rev range to the benefit of c+15 BHP, c+10 Nm.

This upgrade is suitable for all Generation I V12 cars for £1500 (excluding VAT).

High lift Cam

Upgrade to DBS inlet manifolds.

These manifolds change the characteristics of your V12 engine; for a slight reduction in low down torque (c-30 Nm), the power band is raised and more power (c+20 BHP)can be found across rev range – especially at the top. This is especially effective when combined with other Bamford Rose engine breathing modifications and a change in the final drive to balance out the slight loss of torque.

This modification is suitable for DB9 and Rapide and is especially suited to those wishing more spirited performance from their V12. £POA

DB9 Inlet Manifold

DBS Inlet Manifold

Upgrade to the DBS final drive changing from the 3.154:1 in the DB9 / Rapide to the 3.46:1 final drive from the DBS.

This changes improves acceleration and take up at the lower end nicely balancing the engine breathing change that providing extra power at the top end.
This modification is suitable for DB9 and Rapide and is especially suited to those wishing more spirited performance from their V12. £POA

Secondary Catalyst Delete

For those looking to enhance the aural experience for their V12, Bamford Rose is pleased to offer a secondary catalyst delete with straight-through pipes.. This change delivers c+7 BHP and is suitable for all Generation I V12 vehicles at £500 (excluding VAT).

Secondary cat delete pipes

Secondary cat delete pipes

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