Aston Martin's DB9 GT is 540bhp of British V12 goodness

We are relieved. When Aston told us it was cooking up a 'DB9 GT', we had disturbing visions of Gaydon's answer to the BMW 5-Series GT: taller, chubbier, more capacious, probably not a wise idea.

Thankfully, the DB9 GT is not a hatchbacked, big-bummed edition of Aston's V12 sports car. Unveiled today ahead of a Goodwood Festival of Speed premiere, this DB9 GT is in fact a more powerful, more luxurious version of the undeniably beautiful, undeniably quite old DB9.

Let's start with the engine. The naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 now packs a bigger punch, to the tune of 540bhp and 457lb ft of torque, driving the rear wheels via the somewhat clunky Touchtronic II six-speed auto ‘box (no eight-speed ZF-goodness, sadly).

It'll go from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds - 0.1s quicker than the current DB9 - and top out at 183mph. You still also get Aston's three-stage damping and much glorious, free-breathing noise.

There's also a smattering of ‘GT' badges, a new black-painted splitter and diffuser, revised head- and tail-lights, and new 20-inch alloys. Of course, there are plenty of options available.

It's much, much better inside, too, with Aston installing the centre console from the range-topping Vanquish. It's part of a model-wide interior upgrade, and means the DB9 now features better infotainment and a cleaner aesthetic. There's new leather, GT embroidery on the headrests, and an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel.

Sure, it's a minor revision to what's now a rather pensionable car, but you can't complain about how the DB9 GT looks, can you? And don't forget Aston is busy beavering away on the DB9's replacement, scheduled to arrive next year. That car will sit on an entirely new platform, likely utilise Mercedes-AMG's 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 and electrical architecture, and - fingers crossed - look bloody gorgeous.

Prices for this GT start from £140,000. Or about the same as a 503bhp Merc-AMG GT S with all the trimmings. Discuss...