Reviving the DBS nameplate last used in 2012 and the Superleggra moniker that denoted lightweight versions of the Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera styled DB4, DB5 and DB6s, the Marek Reichman penned DBS boasts styling traits from the DB11, Vanquish S and ultra-rare One-77, with most of the body being made from carbon fibre.
Aside from the more curved focused design, the Superleggra debuts Aston Martin’s new aerodynamics setup known as Aeroblade, which consists of the front splitter, airdam and double rear diffuser helping to produce 180kg of downforce at top speed, the mentioned figure being the highest of any production Aston to date.
As earlier reported, the DBS’s underpinnings are more of an evolution of DB11s, with forged double aluminium wishbones at the front and a multi-link configuration at the rear, standard Adaptive Damping, a five millimetre drop in ride height, model specific front and rear cambers and bushings, as well as a mechanical limited-slip differential with Dynamic Stability Control, Dynamic Torque Vectoring and carbon ceramic brakes utilising a six-piston caliper setup at the front and four at the rear.
Riding on standard 21-inch Y-spoke forged alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli PZero rubber, with similarly sized lightweight forged twin spoke alloys being optional, the DBS’ dynamic prowess can be changed using the three mode drive selector, with settings being GT, Sport and Sport Plus, which according to Aston Martin “have been tuned to offer the greatest level of mode differentiation of any current Aston Martin production car”.
Inside, the DB11’s genes are most prominent with a similarly styled interior, boasting so-called Sport Plus seats and steering wheel, infotainment system with Bluetooth, USB, satellite navigation, Wi-Fi and DAB+ digital radio, Park Distance Display with Park Assist, a 360-degree camera system, keyless entry and Tyre Pressure Monitor.
The biggest departure from the Vanquish S however is up front, where the long-serving normally aspirated 6.0-litre designated 5.9-litre V12 has been dropped in favour of the DB11’s Mercedes-AMG derived 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12, tuned to produce 725 pferdestarke (PS) or 533kW with torque rated at 900Nm.
Hooked to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox, Aston Martin claims that the DBS Superleggra will complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.4 seconds, 0-200km/h in 6.4 seconds and top out at 339km/h.
In its home market, the DBS Superleggra will command a price tag of £225 000 (R4 028 681) with delivers set to commence during the third quarter of the year. Expect it to become available in South Africa towards the end of 2018 or in early 2019.
