Replacement for the DB11 grand tourer packs a 671bhp V8 and has the Bentley Continental GT and Ferrari Roma in its sights Might this be the most significant facelift that any grand-touring sports car has ever had? The Aston Martin DB12, which we first sampled in France in July 2023, isn’t quite all-new, but the shift in approach that it represents definitely is – and might be quite easy to overlook.This is really the first of Gaydon’s major model introductions since Lawrence Stroll bought control of the company. The Aston Martin DBX SUV was still an Andy Palmer-era Aston, after all.While there have been other low-volume, special-series introductions since, the DB12 is the first big-ticket Aston model to be designed and developed entirely under the Canadian's ownership; and also since the arrival of key Ferrari expats Amadeo Felisa and Roberto Fedeli into the leading CEO and CTO roles.This car should tell us exactly how and where ‘the new Aston Martin’ really wants to progress and do things differently than it has previously.On first acquaintance, the car felt like a big step on from its predecessor, addressing weaknesses that Aston Martin has suffered with for a long time but retaining the company’s defining dynamic strengths. Now, on its native British roads, can it seal the deal?