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England doesn't have the best reputation in the culinary arts, but that's changing rapidly. The same is true for cars, particularly Aston Martin: The DBS shows that Aston is cooking up truly world-class automobiles.



By WINSTON GOODFELLOW
Photography by THE AUTHOR

To say Aston Martin is on a roll is an understatement. Seven years ago, the company was making 600 cars per annum with what was basically an appealing but antiquated one-model lineup. Now, with the introduction of the DBS, it has three distinct models. All are constructed in a new, modern factory that efficiently turns out 7,000 cars a year.

Aston is also enjoying success in endurance racing. Last June, a DBR9 won its class at Le Mans. The N24, a production V8 Vantage that receives a minor massage, has been competitive in its class at the Nürburgring 24-hour race, with none other than Aston CEO Ulrich Bez at the wheel.

The exclamation point to all this success is the aforementioned DBS. It has 510 horsepower, costs $265,000 and exceeds 190 mph. After spending two days behind the wheel, its clear the 1,000+ orders Aston has on the books are more than justified.

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The Chefs

The genesis came in 2000, when Aston hired Bez. Back then, the company envisioned a three-car lineupthe current DB9, a mid-engine V8 and the not-quite-ready-for-production Vanquish. How this would be accomplished was anyones guess.

The intensely focused, hard-charging German engineer was light years away from the quieter, more genial demeanor of his predecessor, Bob Dover. Stints at Porsche and BMW had Bez questioning everything, considering concepts that shook Aston to its core. He quickly honed in on the V8, asking why Aston was considering a mid-engine road car when there had never been one before. In what seemed to be the snap of Bezs fingers, the engine moved to the front.

We were stunned the first week he was here, says one engineer, echoing the thoughts of many. We had put a lot of work into that car. But he quickly began asking the right questions, and soon everything made sense. After those first few days, I was completely convinced we were going in the right direction.

Indeed they were. Bez and his engineering team soon designed Astons innovative VH (Vertical Horizontal) platform. It now underpins the entire product line, as the platforms extruded aluminum box sections and aluminum castings can be lengthened or shortened as needed.

Bez also focused the companys vision on the future, rather than its legendary past. What I brought was a redefinition of our center and base, he says. This changed (Astons) personality into a forward-looking firm that has the skills to cope with today, and the future.

One who witnessed the Bez revolution up close was David King. He joined Aston in the mid-1990s after a ten-year stint at Jaguar, and was the DBSs chief engineer until early this year. Rather than creating a car from scratch, the DBS was…more of a development exercise, he says. It shows the advantages of the VH platform. Both the DB9 and DBS share the same 107.9-inch wheelbase, as well as major componentry. This approach allowed the engineering team to focus on tuning the powerplant, transmission, suspension, steering and brakes to ensure that the DBS would be the highest-performing Aston available. Though the DBS inherits that mantel from the Vanquish, it is not necessarily a Vanquish replacement; the rumor mill has Aston building a range-topping supercar at some point down the line.

Marek Reichman was responsible for the DBSs muscular exterior design. Aston Martin hired him in 2005, after successful stints at Rover, BMW and Ford. He has an intriguing description of the design brief: Because Aston is well known for elegant, restrained designs, the DBS was to be our most brutal, muscular car. I always thought of it as a tough guy in a dinner suit. Then along came Bond, and there was that association. In many ways, the DBS reflects those two opposites.

The Le Mans-conquering DBR9, with its widened stance, aggressive front spoiler and heavily vented hood, served as a starting point for the DBS; both are toughened versions of the standard DB9. (We) wanted the DBS to look aggressive, low and wide to the ground so when someone sees it in their mirror, they know it means business, says Reichman. Then when it passes and they see the rear, they really understand.

Reichman compares the effort of designing the DBS to an orchestra performance, with him being the conductor and his ten-person design and engineering team the musicians. He would make a loose concept sketch, present it to his stylists and they would interpret it into a finished design. The modelers would then take the next step by making the new sketch three-dimensional. The mathematical and studio engineering team worked with the product engineers, often getting them to realize something they thought wasnt possible indeed was.

But the road to automotive and Bond movie stardom wasnt without bumps. The bright piece of aluminum on the back, Reichman points out, well, those outboard of the trunk lid cost more than the large piece in the middle. So there was a massive battle to get them through. I was also adamant we have carbon fiber on the mirrors feet. Something on the cars sides had to have carbon-fiber elements to tie together those on the front and rear. I showed Uli (Bez) what they looked like with and without carbon fiber and he said, Yes, we should do this. The exterior clay model was completed in October 2005. Twenty-four months later, Aston had several finished cars on hand in France for us to test.


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Ingredients

In order to achieve a 60-horsepower increase over the DB9, Aston bumped the compression ratio of its 5.9-liter V12 from 10.3 to 10.9:1 and designed a new intake system with better top-end breathing. The end result is 510 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, versus 450 at 6,000 rpm in the DB9. The peak torque figure of 420 lb-ft is unchanged, though it is achieved at 5,750 rpm vs. 5,000. As the DBS V12 is a higher-revving engine, Aston redesigned the oil sump for improved windage, which helps ensure no loss of power at high rpm.
According to Aston, it left some ponies on the table. We didnt go all out for the maximum power one can squeeze from an engine, says King. Easy driveability was key, so lower-end torque was especially important. But we also wanted a revvy, sporty top end. (Our goal) wasnt to be as extreme as a Ferrari engine, but to have a European-type of sophistication high up.
Unlike the DB9, which can be had with either a standard or automatic transmission, the only available gearbox in the DBS is a rear-mounted 6-speed Graziano manual. Its connected to the engine via a carbon-fiber driveshaft encased in an alloy torque tube. A limited-slip differential is standard.

The DBS shares the DB9s double-wishbone suspension layout, but features stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, as well as an adaptive-shock system. This last item, supplied by Bilstein, is completely new to Aston. It automatically alternates the shocks between five firmness settings; the driver can also select a track mode that locks in the stiffest setting. In addition, the Bilsteins have less internal friction than the shocks used on the DB9, which is a boon to low-speed ride quality.

Other chassis tweaks include new 20-inch Pirelli P Zero tires that were specifically tuned for the DBS, revised bushings and a steering rack with a different power assist curve to make the steering effort lighter than the DB9.
The brakes are carbon-ceramic discs, another first on an Aston. The massive 15.7-inch front rotors are clamped by six-piston calipers; the 14.2-inch rears, which are larger than the DB9s front discs, are mated to four-piston calipers. Despite their size, the brakes weigh about 30 pounds less than a comparable cast-iron setup. Another roughly 70 pounds is shed through the use of carbon-fiber body panels, specifically the trunk lid, trunk enclosure, door surrounds, front fenders and hood. The removal of the DB9s vestigial rear seats and a few other tricks add up to a sizeable 143-pound reduction in curb weight.


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Appetizers

The DBS is undoubtedly one of todays coolest-looking cars. Its lithe, chiseled and elegant, a bunch of sinewy muscles ready to spring into action. A little over an inch wider and an inch and a half lower than a DB9, it has a much more aggressive presence.

The DBS continues Astons practice of butterfly doors that swing out and upward, allowing for easier ingress and egress. The interior is restrained and sporty, not opulent. Reichman says many of the materials used were based on reducing weight. Some touches are obviousa nice smattering of carbon-fiber accents, for examplewhile others such as the lightweight carpet fibers, youd never notice. The center console has a nice sheen, and the metal ventilation control knobs are lovely to touch.

Still, there are some notable shortcomings. The armrest between the seats on the transmission tunnel is too high, making it difficult to find a comfortable place to easily rest your arm, let alone shift. The plastic headlight and turn signal switchgear are the same ones used on Ford Mustangs, something thats totally out of place in a $265,000 car. Also, legroom is severely limited, especially on the passenger side, at least with the standard seats.

The optional carbon-fiber bucket seats provide two or three inches of additional legroom, in addition to being more supportive and lighter weight. Unfortunately, their lack of side airbags means they will not be available in the U.S.

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Main Course

To start the DBS, you insert what Aston calls the ECU (Emotional Control Unit, a weighty stainless-steel controller topped with a crystal) in a slot in the dash. Give it a push all the way in and the engine barks to life. The beefy metallic shifter is an ideal reach from the steering wheel, requires just the right amount of effort to slot into gear and its cool smooth surface feels fantastic. The clutch is light and engages up high, requiring a bit of accelerator modulation.

Once underway, the VH platforms impressive rigidity comes to the fore. This is one tight package, with nary a body squeak or shimmy anywhere, even over bumpy roads.

Next to capture our attention is the engine. Its immensely tractable and linear, never coming on cam like the Ferrari 599 or Lamborghini LP640s V12s, which hit a specific point and then truly erupt. But like those engines, this V12 loves to sing in its upper range. It revs more cleanly and freely than the DB9s V12, thanks to the aforementioned modifications, as well as a lighter flywheel. Also, at 5,500 rpm a bypass intake port opens up, allowing more air into the combustion chamber and creating even more music to tickle your ears. Its so intoxicating that youll visit the 6,800-rpm redline frequently.

But where this engine is truly remarkable is the available thrust on hand, no matter the revs. During our briefing, Bez bragged of the engines tractability, saying one could easily potter along at 800 rpm in top gear. I took him up on the challenge, when trundling along in sixth gear at around 20 mph through a construction zone on the freeway. No sooner had we passed the men at work when I mashed the throttle without touching the tranny. The road was now wide open and, in what seemed to be a matter of seconds, we were whistling along at 155 mph through the French countryside, with not a hiccup felt anywhere. The acceleration was never ending and incredibly smooth, like taking a long cool drink on a hot summer afternoon.

The Aston was clearly in its element at this 150+ mph gait. The DBS tracked beautifully, and the steering was direct without being overly darty. We felt the road surfaces through the steering wheel and the seats of our pants, but were not bombarded with too much information. All the while, the engine melodiously purred away. Only a fair amount of wind around the mirrors gave away our true velocity.

While I may not have shifted gears during that acceleration run, the gearbox is superb, the perfect instrument for anyone wanting to experience the supreme pleasure of swapping cogs for themselves. Up or down, the transmission requires just the right amount of effort to slot in and out of gear. You distinctly feel it exit a gear, hit neutral, then smoothly slip into the next. The throw was just a little longer than optimal, but overall, this near-perfect gearbox is markedly more rewarding to use than the more vague-feeling stick found in Ferraris 599, not to mention the uninvolving paddleshifters on the market.


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Dessert

Couple the gearbox with the engines elasticity, an extremely rigid chassis, accurate steering, adaptive suspension and the wonderful bite of the carbon-ceramic disc brakes, and its little wonder the DBS conducts itself so well on backroads. It feels much more settled through bends and over rough surfaces than the DB9. We found ourselves confidently diving deep into corners, clipping apexes and then letting the abundant torque pull us out of the turn, often short-shifting into the next gear just to have the pleasure of feeling the gearbox and wide power curve do their things.

Wherever we stopped, I always found myself gazing back at the DBS, taking in its form. It does have a tough-guy personality, yet its presence somehow reeks of refinementsomething its road manners easily back up. The end result is Astons best car, a machine with that rare, elusive X-factorsupreme coolness. The only true letdown is the interior. I suspect Aston already knows this and is hard at work on addressing its shortcomings. As David King so aptly pointed out during one of our discussions, The DBS shows with each model we do, we learn more and get better. There is a steady improvement in functionality and quality with each car. He's right.

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ree

Awesome car!! I love the red/black interior. Looks stunning with red exterior colour... Thanks for sharing this test...

Bruce

Yup, that's the colour to have. Perfect for such a car of class.