Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

DBS Superleggera at a glance

The DBS Superleggera is part of the Aston Martin model catalogue. It took over from the second-generation car described in our article on the Aston Martin Vanquish, and it shares much of its structure with the Aston Martin DB11.

Development and name

Aston Martin presented the car in June 2018 as its new flagship. It replaced the second-generation Vanquish, and it was the third car to carry the DBS name after the original DBS of 1967–1972 and the DB9-based DBS V12 of 2007–2012. The car is also often sold and referred to simply as the DBS.

The technical starting point was the DB11 V12. Aston Martin kept the bonded aluminium structure and the general layout but changed almost everything that the driver can see or feel: the body panels, the front end, the cooling, the exhaust, the gearbox calibration and the aerodynamics. The engine was moved as low and as far back in the chassis as the package allowed, to lower the centre of gravity and improve the weight balance.

The word "Superleggera" ("super light" in Italian) is a reference to Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, the coachbuilder whose lightweight construction method helped Aston Martin build its lightest grand tourers in the 1960s and 1970s. The modern car uses a bonded aluminium structure and carbon-fibre panels instead, but the name links it with that period of the company's history.

German trade title Autohaus reported a price from €275,000 when the car was unveiled in June 2018, with first deliveries planned from the third quarter of 2018.

Design and aerodynamics

The exterior was designed by the team of Marek Reichman. Compared with the DB11, the DBS has a new front bumper with a much larger grille, needed to feed air to the more powerful engine. Two vents in the bonnet release hot air from the engine bay, and two side extractors behind the front wheels help to cool the brakes. Large parts of the body, including the bonnet, are made of carbon fibre to save weight.

Aerodynamics were a priority. The DBS keeps the Aeroblade system of the DB11, which uses air channelled through the body to press the rear of the car down without a large fixed wing. At the back there is a double diffuser inspired by Formula 1 practice. Together these features give about 180 kg of downforce at top speed, which Aston Martin described as the highest figure for any of its series-production cars at the time.

The rear end is broad and low, with slim light units, a black diffuser and four exhaust tips. Like other modern Aston Martin GT cars, the DBS has swan doors, which rise slightly as they open.

Engine, gearbox and performance

The engine is the AE31 5.2-litre V12 with two turbochargers, shared in basic design with the DB11 but tuned for much more output. The engine blocks and heads are cast in the United Kingdom by Grainger & Worrall and the engines are assembled at the Aston Martin engine plant in Cologne, Germany. In the DBS Superleggera it produces 533 kW (725 PS) at 6,500 rpm and 900 Nm of torque, available across a broad band from 1,800 to 5,000 rpm. A new quad-pipe titanium exhaust with flaps changes the sound with the driving mode.

Power goes to the rear wheels through an eight-speed ZF 8HP95 automatic gearbox. The final drive ratio is shorter than in the DB11 (2.93:1 against 2.70:1) to make the most of the extra torque. A mechanical limited-slip differential and torque vectoring by braking are standard.

Wikipedia lists 0–161 km/h in 6.4 seconds and an 80–161 km/h time of 4.2 seconds in fourth gear, figures that show how strong the mid-range is. The top speed of 340 km/h is the factory figure given by Wikipedia; the German magazine auto motor und sport quoted 338 km/h for the standard car. Either way, the DBS Superleggera was among the fastest front-engined GT cars on sale when it appeared.

Chassis and driving modes

The suspension layout comes from the DB11, and the DBS has adaptive dampers as standard. The driver chooses between three modes — GT, Sport and Sport Plus — which change the damper settings, the gearbox calibration, the exhaust and the throttle response. GT is meant for long distances and is the most comfortable; Sport Plus is the setting for fast roads and track days.

The wide body (2,145 mm) and the 2,805 mm wheelbase give the car a stable feel at speed.

Inside, the DBS follows the DB11 pattern: a 2+2 layout with two small rear seats, a digital instrument display and an infotainment system supplied by Mercedes-Benz. Leather trim and optional carbon-fibre parts set the flagship apart from the DB11.

Volante and special editions

The open DBS Superleggera Volante was unveiled in April 2019. It uses the same engine and gearbox and offers almost the same performance as the coupé. The fabric roof has eight layers and was offered in eight colours. The Volante was also the first Aston Martin with an optional carbon-fibre windscreen surround and a carbon tonneau cover. Wikipedia lists its weight at 1,863 kg.

During its life the DBS was the base for many limited editions:

• TAG Heuer Edition (2019): 50 cars in Monaco Black with red details, sold with a matching TAG Heuer watch.
• OHMSS Edition (2019): 50 cars in Olive Green to mark 50 years of the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, in which the original DBS appeared.
• Concorde Edition (2019): ten cars commissioned by the dealer Aston Martin Bristol to mark 50 years since Concorde's first flight.
• DBS 59: 24 cars, one for each hour of the 1959 Le Mans 24 Hours, in which Aston Martin finished first and second; racing green paint and bronze details.
• 007 Edition (2020): 25 cars in Ceramic Grey for the Bond film No Time to Die, in which the DBS Superleggera itself appears.
• DBS GT Zagato (2019): a Zagato-bodied, more powerful version sold only as part of the DBZ Centenary Collection, together with a DB4 GT Zagato continuation car; 19 pairs were offered.

The final version was the DBS 770 Ultimate, presented in 2023 as the last DBS. Its V12 was raised to 566 kW (770 PS). Production was limited to 499 cars — 300 coupés and 199 Volantes according to Wikipedia — and all build slots were sold before deliveries began.

Reception and legacy

Matt Saunders of Autocar gave the coupé five stars and called it an outstanding super-GT that showed a revived British car maker at its best. The Sunday Times was more cautious about everyday use, pointing to the low ground clearance and to how hard the power can be to use in the wet.

The DBS Superleggera bridged the period between the second-generation Vanquish and the third-generation Vanquish, which was announced in September 2024 as the new V12 flagship. For the earlier, DB9-based car with the same name, see the Aston Martin brand history, and for the smaller V12 sports car of the same era, read about the Aston Martin Vantage V12.

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