Aston Martin confirms new 5.2-litre V12 twin-turbocharged engine

Aston Martin has confirmed that it is building a brand new 5.2-litre, twin-turbocharged V12 engine, with the forthcoming DB11 set to be the first production model to use the power plant.

The existence of a new V12 engine has been rumoured for some time, but has now been confirmed via a short video issued by the British manufacturer.

Geneva Motorshow update: Aston Martin reveals the tech spec and pricing for the forthcoming DB11

The video focuses on the engine’s components, before zooming out to show the engine cover reading ‘V12 5.2 Twin Turbo’ and finishing with a message saying ‘Coming Soon’.

Aston Martin sources haven’t confirmed that the new DB11 will definitely use the unit, but it seems logical that its most crucial new car in a decade would. Indeed, a DB11 test mule on British registration plates has been spied and on the DVLA’s website the car is listed as having a 5200cc engine.

There is no official word on power output from the new engine, although it seems likely that it could surpass the 568bhp served up by the ‘AM29’ V12 used in the Aston Martin Vanquish.

A maximum power output in the region of 600bhp is possible from the new engine. That would make it Aston Martin’s most powerful series production V12s, surpassed only by the tuned powerplants used in special edition models such as the One-77 and Vulcan.

Future Aston Martin moders are also set to receive a supply of twin-turbocharged V8 engines built to the Gaydon company's specifications by AMG. That raises the prospect of naturally aspirated units eventually being phased out from Aston's model range.