I have a 2014 DB9 which I absolutely love but I really dislike the slow-to-act zf auto. It borderline ruins the car which is so well rounded in every other way in my opinion. With prices going through the roof for a DBS, and far beyond my means, I am considering doing a manual swap for my car but I have not found any information anywhere about this being done to a DB9.2. Im sure it is cost prohibitive if purchasing new parts, but since this car originally was designed with a manual in mind, if I were to source used parts, how complicated would it be? Does anyone have any leads or info that would help?

 

VAP velocity can upgrade engine/gearbox ECU...
soft in Normal mode and punchy in Sport mode

 

Thanks but I am not looking at a quicker shifting auto... I am looking at an old school stick.

 

Start by perusing a parts diagram for the DB9.2. I've casually looked and I could easily rack up $10-15K in parts (even in used prices) in my head without even considering all the little things that come up in the middle of a project like that. At the end of the day you'd have to convince a dealer to 'code out' the auto transmission and reprogram the ECU to operate without it. That to me seems like the deal-breaker even if you decided to move forward.

 

Thanks and will do. When a good manual DBS costs well in excess of 150k, it seems that even if this is a 20k job, Im surprised more people haven't looked into this.

 

Looking at what happens with Ferrari auctions, a $20k gated manual conversion will sell for at least $30k more than flappy paddle versions. So, math checks out with F cars. Might need to factor in the cost of shipping to a place with AMDS that would be willing to tinker.

 

Think Steel Wings in Ivyland PA might tackle this job. They do all sorts of restoration of AM.
They also have an AMDS

 

Your DB9 was never designed for a manual trans. The first two generations were (2004-2008 and 2009-2012). Your 3rd gen car has a completely different ECU than the earlier cars and such there isn't any off the shelf ROM you can flash even if you mechanically made all the changes. It will need custom programming, which very few people can do.

Manual DB9s exist but they are very very rare. You can buy a manual DBS any day of the week but to get a manual DB9 is much more difficult. A blue 2005 6spd sold for $50k just yesterday on Ebay. A more powerful 2nd gen car (2009-2012) is near impossible to find. In fact, I can only find one LHD car for sale globally. Its in Belgium and they want €114,900 for it.

There is a 6spd DB9 volante on copart now if you want the parts to convert your car; Lot 60275420

But your engine likely won't even start without the auto trans controller hooked up and functioning.

My advice is to get an earlier DB9 and ask a body shop to make the cosmetic changes you want to make it look like your later model.

 

Aston Martin will convert if you send it back to the UK. They already do this on the V12 Vanquish and can do it on the DB9. It's just a question of check and pen. If they do the conversion, it has more pedigree in the future. I'd guess around 40K?

Could also ask an Aston specialists like Chiltern Aston Centre on doing the conversion.

I don't think the DB9 is as suited for a manual as the paddles and see why the paddles were a much more popular choice.