Aston Martin DBS Returns with New Style, Less Weight
Aston Martin unveils $300,000 DBS Superleggera, the first Aston to wear the famed DBS name in years.
Until now, there have been only two Aston Martins to bear the name DBS. The first was the OG DBS, made from 1967 to 1972. The intended successor to the DB6, the DBS was first powered by an inline six before gaining its 5.3-liter V8 in 1969. A few decades after came the 2008-2012 DBS V12, a super grand tourer based upon the DB9 backed by the 5.9-liter AM11 V12 and a pair of six-speed auto and manual transmissions.
Today, there is a new DBS. Carfection was one of a few to witness the unveiling of the 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. The $300,000 super grand tourer bowed in New York a few days ago, and is one of seven cars set to debut over the next seven years, as part of Aston Martin’s Second Century Plan according to Bloomberg.
Under the hood of this third-gen DBS is a 5.2-liter turbocharged V12, pumping 715 horses and 664 lb-ft of torque to the rear tires via a ZF eight-speed and mechanical limited-slip diff. All that power launches the DBS Superleggera from zero to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds, and 50 mph to 100 mph in 4.4 seconds; the latter figure Carfection says is “a second quicker than a certain Ferrari 812.”
The DBS Superleggera offers aggressive aero all around, from the gills behind the front wheels to extract more air from the arches, to the rear diffuser to keep turbulence to a minimum. The aero kit gives the new DBS around 400 pounds of downforce and a top speed of 211 mph.
The last time an Aston was dubbed a Superleggera was with the DB6, the third and final Aston to use Italian-style lightweight construction following the DB4 and DB5. The DBS Superleggera is the first time both legendary names have appeared on a single Aston, and its take on lightness is as amazing as it was back in the late Fifties and early Sixties. For the DBS Superleggera, carbon body panels bring the weight to 3,732 pounds, 267 pounds fewer than the DB11, upon which the new DBS is based.
The interior of the DBS Superleggera is not a bad place to be, from the snowflake-quilted seats up front to the flappy-paddle shifters on either side of the steering wheel.
All we can say is we can’t wait to see this out on the highway, blowing away DB11s and 911s alike.
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