Did I Mention That Bond's DBS is on Sale? For $265,000?

[YSSMAN]

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Aston Martin has revealed the production version of its new DBS coupe. A concept was revealed roughly 16 months ago, followed by an appearance in the James Bond film Casino Royale.

The production car will go on sale in early 2008, with the first public unveiling taking place this week at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The DB9's 6.0 liter V12 finds a new home in the DBS, albeit with more power. Output is rated at 510 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque.

Slightly lighter than a DB9 at 3,737 lbs, the DBS rockets to 62 mph in a claimed 4.3 seconds. A top speed of 191 mph should satisfy most Autobahn cruisers.

Carbon ceramic brakes and foot-wide Pirelli tires keep all the power in check.

When unveiling the concept version last year, CEO Ulrich Bez said the DBS "is not of the understated elegance of a DB9, nor the youthful agility of the V8 Vantage. It is explosive power in a black tie and has its own unique character which will equal that of James Bond."

This may be the one of the coolest cars on-sale once it shows up. I do wonder how many different colors it will be offered in, much less how much performance will be gained overall... And, most importantly, for what price.

I still love it. Its like Aston Martin can't build a bad car anymore...

 

[McLaren]

I like!

But for a second there, I thought you meant someone was trying to sell a wrecked DBS.

 

[Blackbird.]

Gorgeous!

 

[Joey D]

Wow that's one hot automobile.

 

[a6m5]

But for a second there, I thought you meant someone was trying to sell a wrecked DBS.

Me too, but come to think of it, that was just pretty horrible CG.

 

[Leonidae]

I don't know.. most of recent Aston Martins have looked like clones of eachothers with slight changes in size or shape. They need to make a real supercar that is totally bonkers, just to get out from the background where it fell during the reign of Fix Or Repair Daily..

 

[Blackbird.]

I don't know.. most of recent Aston Martins have looked like clones of eachothers with slight changes in size or shape.

At least they're not doing what Bentley is.

 

[Leonidae]

At least they're not doing what Bentley is.

Wait, what? Bentley has been doing something?

 

[Blackbird.]

Wait, what? Bentley has been doing something?

Ouch.

 

[Leonidae]

Anyway, This car lacks passion.. The engine bay is most likely coated with plastic carbon fiber imitation cover that imitates the forms of the engine. What I would like to see with this price tag is the actual engine, maybe with some chrome finish. Not imitated fancy materials.

anyway, here's some specs..

Aston Martin DBS Specification (From Autoblog)

Body
• Two-door coupe body style with 2+0 seating
• Bonded aluminium VH structure
• Aluminium, magnesium alloy and carbon-fibre composite body
• Extruded aluminium door side-impact beams
• High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps (main beam)
• LED rear lamps and side repeaters

Engine
• All-alloy, quad overhead camshaft, 48-valve, 5935cc V12.
• Compression ratio 10.9:1
• Front-mid mounted engine, rear-wheel drive
• Fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves
• Max power: 380kW (510bhp/517 PS) at 6500rpm
• Max torque: 570Nm (420 lb.ft) at 5750rpm
• Acceleration: 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 4.3 seconds
• Max speed: 302km/h (191mph)

Transmission
• Rear-mid mounted, six-speed manual gearbox
• Alloy torque tube with carbon fibre propeller shaft
• Limited-slip differential
• Final-drive ratio 3.71:1

Wheels and Tyres
• Front: 8.5'' x 20'' Pirelli P Zero 245/35
• Rear: 11'' x 20'' Pirelli P Zero 295/30

Steering
• Rack and pinion, Servotronic speed-sensitive power-assisted steering, 3.0 turns lock-to-lock. Column tilt and reach adjustment

Suspension
• Front: Independent double wishbone incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bare and monotube adaptive dampers
• Rear: Independent double wishbones with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube adaptive dampers
• Adaptive Damping System (ADS) with Track mode

Brakes
• Front: Ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 398mm diameter with six-piston calipers
• Rear: Ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 360mm diameter with four-piston calipers
• Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Track mode
• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
• Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
• Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
• Traction control

Dimensions

Length:
4721mm (185.9'') Wheelbase: 2740mm (107.9'')

Width:
1905mm (75'') (exc. Mirrors)

2060mm (81.1'') (inc. Mirrors) Fuel tank capacity: 78 litres (17.2 Imp.galls, 20.5 US galls)

Height:
1280mm (50.4'') Weight: 1695kg (3737lb)

Interior
Semi-aniline leather and Alcantara interior. Matrix alloy facia trim and Iridium Silver centre console finish. Carbon fibre door trims and door pulls. Auto-dimming rear-view mirror & garage door opener (USA & Canada only). Sports seats with ten-way electric adjustment, including height, tilt and lumbar. Memory seats & exterior mirrors (three positions). Dual-stage driver/passenger front airbags. Side airbags (Sports seats only). Heated seats (Sports seats only). Heated rear screen. Automatic temperature control. Organic Electroluminescent (OEL) displays. Trip computer. Cruise control. Hard Disk Drive (HDD) satellite navigation system1,2. Bluetooth telephone preparation1. Powerfold exterior mirrors. Front and rear parking sensors. Tyre-pressure monitoring1. Alarm and immobiliser. Remote-control central door locking and boot release. Battery disconnect switch. Battery conditioner. Tracking device (UK only). Boot-mounted umbrella.

In-Car Entertainment
• Aston Martin 700W Premium Audio System with Dolby® Pro Logic II®
• MP3 player connectivity

Options
• Lightweight seats with six-way adjustment, including front and rear height adjust (Does not include side airbags or heated seats feature. Not available in USA or Canada)
• 20'' alloy wheels with graphite finish
• Satellite radio system (USA only)
• Piano Black facia trim and centre console finish
• Leather storage saddle
• Personalised sill plaques
• Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror1
• Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror with garage door opener (Europe only)
• Alarm upgrade (volumetric and tilt sensor)
• Tracking device3
• First-aid kit
• Ashtray and cigar lighter

*1 Not available in all markets
*2 Includes Traffic Messaging Channel (TMC) in Continental Europe
*3 Complies with UK Thatcham Category 5 requirements. Excludes subscription. Standard in UK.

At the heart of the DBS is a 6.0-litre V12 engine. The DBR9 and DBRS9 race cars are powered by an enhanced version of this same V12, tuned to produce in excess of 600bhp. The shared powerplant continues the strong link between Aston Martin's road and race cars, just as the six-cylinder engine used in the DBR1 also powered the DB4, DB5 and DB6 in the 1950s and 60s.

As with all current Aston Martins, the engine is hand-assembled at Aston Martin's dedicated engine facility in Cologne, Germany. The classic 6.0-litre V12 features a number of power-increasing enhancements. These include a 'by-pass' engine air intake port that opens above 5500rpm to allow more air into the engine, and re-profiled air inlet ports that further improve airflow into the combustion chamber. Combined with a compression ratio of 10.9:1, the result of these enhancements is prodigious power and torque: the DBS delivers 380 kW (510 bhp/517 PS) at 6500 rpm. The 3.71:1 final-drive ratio ensures that the additional power is usable, enhancing in-gear acceleration in particular.

 

[McLaren]

I'm surprised that this one of the cars that has made it on the very exclusive list of love/hate it.
Many forums I've read either like it, or absolutely detest it. Wow.

Oh well, can we know when the Rapide is coming now?

 

[Venari]

Me too, but come to think of it, that was just pretty horrible CG.

Nope. That was an entry in the Guinness book of Records for the most complete flips in an automobile stunt wreck. That DBS was totalled. They didn't mean the stunt to quite that aggressive, in actual fact... but when they saw the footage, they were 'quite pleased'. The other two were returned to the Gaydon Prototype shop for minor refurbishment and then (at least one) sent out on the publicity trail.

Trivial factoid: The Bond DBS's are the only cars that have the 'S' of the DBS in red - the factory cars have gone for black, which is mirrored in the usually jade green enamel background on the Aston wings.

As for colours, there will be a launch range: 'Casino Royale', the colour of the film car - met grey with purple pearl. There's a pearl silver, a black with orange metallic 'Storm Black', the light blue you've seen the roadsters in, a azure blue/green 'Tempest Blue' and AM Racing Green (although this isn't finalised.) Strangely, I haven't heard tell of a red, although someone is muttering something about the US launch cars getting a red leather/grey alcantara option. Soon enough you'll be able to order anything you want. I'll have mine in the green that the original Vanquish prototype (Project Vantage) was painted. Yummy.

Leonidae, the engine bay has no extraneous covers, not that it doesn't need them. A close look inside the engine bay reveals not only two fine sandcast intake manifolds and the extruded aluminium engine braces, but also lots of mismatching boltheads and multi-coloured mess peeking out from the wiring harnesses. AML have got the fundamentals pretty much sorted, but the details are a little lacking.

Of course, only mad automotive OC types would notice such trifles.

 

[Slicks]

B-E-A-U-tiful. The best of the current Astons, surely.
I love the white exposed stitching and the suede (Alacantara? Never known what that is, but I'll assume that's it) seat inserts.
The only other thing I'd like to see is some sort of dark silver/gunmetal/grey metallic paint on the exterior, you know, because there are too many 'silver' cars out there.

 

[a6m5]

Nope. That was an entry in the Guinness book of Records for the most complete flips in an automobile stunt wreck. That DBS was totalled. They didn't mean the stunt to quite that aggressive, in actual fact... but when they saw the footage, they were 'quite pleased'. The other two were returned to the Gaydon Prototype shop for minor refurbishment and then (at least one) sent out on the publicity trail.

Wow, I'd never have guessed that. It just looked so ridiculous. I read up on it a little bit, and I guess it was the air cannon installed on the car that did the trick.

Also, a video:

 

[McLaren]

Wow, I'd never have guessed that. It just looked so ridiculous. I read up on it a little bit, and I guess it was the air cannon installed on the car that did the trick.

Also, a video:

That'll buff right out. 💡

 

[a6m5]

 

[Dave A]

I don't know.. most of recent Aston Martins have looked like clones of eachothers with slight changes in size or shape. They need to make a real supercar that is totally bonkers, just to get out from the background where it fell during the reign of Fix Or Repair Daily..

Personally I see plenty of differences in the details, however this is one car you cannot call a clone since it is simply the top model in the DB9 range. Aston Martin are supposedly considering a supercar, quite what it will be like is anyones guess.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

"There can be only one..."

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[Speedster502]

Mmm....Aston's.....

 

[Tornado]

Call me when Aston replaces the Vanquish.

 

[Duphman]

All I had to do was volunteer and I would be at Pebble Beach right now. Im such a lazy bastard. I can barely tell this car apart from the DB9 when I see the side profile.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

All I had to do was volunteer and I would be at Pebble Beach right now.

Inconceivable!

Here I am bitter over having not been able to make this weekends festivities in Monterey... no auctions, no parades, no Concours... no fun - and all you had to do was mosey on over there...

*sigh*

Here is a nice collection of pics of the '08 DBS from this weekend (click on them to enlarge):

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[Tornado]

Wow. Those non-touch ups make the car look pretty bad compared to the normal DB9.

 

[Venari]

Aha. Red interior.

 

[YSSMAN]

Autoblog has the price!

Now, while pricing on the sumptuous supercar apparently wasn't supposed to be announced until the Frankfurt show in September, an enthused Dr. Bez went ahead and told those gathered, "this is a car which will cost, in America, $265,000."

That actually seems cheap to me, but then again, I guess not. If I was in the market for a $300K sports car, I think this would sit near or at the top of the list.

 

[Tornado]

Ouch. That's Ferrari 599 money.

 

[Joey D]

Ouch. That's Ferrari 599 money.

And while the Aston is a mighty fine looking automobile, I still think the Ferrari is better looking.

 

[YSSMAN]

Very true that it is 599 money, and while I love my Ferraris to death, it isn't an Aston.

 

[Venari]

One hopes that the cost will be a little more sensible compared to the Ferrari in the UK at least - the 599 is £180k over here. I can't see the UK DBS at much over £150k.

(Like, chea, that's like, the change I find down the back of my sofa. )

 

[Danny]

The Astons are getting so good, I'm wondering if it's a mental condition that leaves me still yearning after a Porsche.