Aston Martin DBS Superleggera: The Brute in a Tailor-Made Suit
When Aston Martin replaced the Vanquish S in 2018, they reached back to two specific names: “DBS,” last used for Daniel Craig’s Bond car in Casino Royale, and “Superleggera,” the construction method of the Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring that produced the aluminium body of the original DB4 and DB5. Combining them on the replacement flagship was a deliberate statement of intent.
The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera delivered on that name with 900 Nm of torque from a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 — a figure that required the ECU to artificially suppress output in the lower gears simply to prevent the rear tyres from vaporising at will.
It is a car of extreme contradictions. It possesses a devastating, almost violent powertrain capable of overwhelming its rear tires at highway speeds, yet it wraps that mechanical fury in a beautifully sculpted, carbon-fiber body that is undeniably elegant. It is the quintessential modern British brute.
The Heritage of the DBS Name
The DBS designation carries particular weight in Aston Martin’s history. The original DBS was introduced in 1967 as a widened, heavier DB6, built to accommodate the V8 engine that would eventually arrive in 1969 as the DBS V8. That car — massive, powerful, and deliberately American-market-friendly — would evolve into the legendary V8 Vantage of the 1970s and 80s and the bullish car that Victor Gauntlett campaigned at Le Mans.
The DBS name was revived in 2007 for the car featured in Daniel Craig’s first Bond film, Casino Royale. That DBS was essentially a revised DB9, given a wider body and a firmer chassis setup. It was excellent but not transformative.
The 2018 DBS Superleggera was transformative. It arrived with the explicit intention of sitting above the DB11 V12 and establishing a new performance ceiling for Aston Martin’s front-engined range — a Super GT in the truest sense of the term.
The Heart: 900 Nm of V12 Fury
The defining characteristic of the DBS Superleggera is not its top speed or its 0-60 time; it is the sheer, overwhelming force of its mid-range torque.
Under the massive clamshell hood sits Aston Martin’s in-house developed 5.2-liter (5,204 cc) twin-turbocharged V12. This engine is a development of the unit found in the DB11, but for the DBS, it has been subjected to a massive software recalibration and increased boost pressure.
The resulting output is 725 PS (715 bhp) at 6,500 rpm. However, the most critical number is the torque: an earth-shattering 900 Nm (664 lb-ft), available on a completely flat plateau from 1,800 rpm all the way to 5,000 rpm.
This much torque poses a significant engineering challenge. If the engine delivered 900 Nm to the rear wheels in first or second gear, the car would simply vaporize its tires and be entirely undriveable. To solve this, Aston Martin utilizes sophisticated torque shaping. The engine control unit artificially limits the torque output in the lower gears, gradually releasing the full 900 Nm as the car reaches third gear and higher speeds.
The result is a car that feels fast off the line (0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds), but feels absolutely devastating when accelerating from 80 km/h to 160 km/h. It possesses “roll-on” acceleration that rivals dedicated hypercars, surging forward on an unrelenting wave of twin-turbocharged thrust.
The V12 Versus the Competition
At the time of the DBS Superleggera’s launch in 2018, its closest rivals were the Ferrari 812 Superfast, the Bentley Continental Supersports, and the Lamborghini Aventador S. The Ferrari’s naturally aspirated V12 was arguably more sonically theatrical; the Bentley’s W12 offered unmatched refinement; the Lamborghini’s mid-engine layout provided superior dynamics.
The DBS Superleggera occupied its own space: it was more powerful and torquier than the Bentley, more comfortable and practical than the Lamborghini, and possessed a distinctly British character that neither the Ferrari nor the Italian cars could replicate. The 900 Nm figure was at the time greater than any of these rivals could match — a fact Aston Martin was proud to emphasize.
The ZF Transaxle and Carbon Prop Shaft
To handle this immense rotational force, Aston Martin had to upgrade the drivetrain significantly. They turned to transmission specialists ZF, utilizing a beefed-up version of their ubiquitous 8-speed automatic transmission.
Crucially, this transmission is mounted at the rear of the car (a transaxle layout) to optimize weight distribution (achieving a near-perfect 51:49 front-to-rear balance). Connecting the front-mounted V12 to the rear-mounted transaxle is a lightweight carbon-fiber propeller shaft enclosed within an aluminum torque tube. This setup provides the structural rigidity required to stop the massive torque from twisting the chassis, while keeping weight to a minimum.
Carbon Fiber Sculpting and Aerodynamics
The “Superleggera” badge is not purely marketing. While the underlying extruded aluminum chassis is shared with the DB11, the entire exterior of the DBS is crafted from carbon fiber. The massive clamshell hood, the roof, the doors, and the wide rear fenders are all baked from composite materials.
This drops the dry weight of the DBS to roughly 1,693 kg (3,732 lbs) — a remarkable achievement for a massive V12 Grand Tourer, making it 72 kg lighter than the DB11 V12.
The carbon-fiber bodywork is heavily dictated by aerodynamics. The DBS features a massive, gaping front grille to feed the intercoolers and radiator. Behind the front wheels are deep “curlicue” vents that extract high-pressure air from the wheel wells to reduce lift.
At the rear, the DBS utilizes the brilliant Aeroblade II system. Air is channeled through intakes hidden in the C-pillars, travels inside the bodywork, and is ejected upwards through a slot in the rear decklid. This creates a “virtual spoiler” of high-pressure air. Combined with a subtle carbon-fiber lip spoiler (a true physical wing would ruin the aesthetics) and an incredibly deep double-diffuser, the DBS generates a massive 180 kg (397 lbs) of downforce at its V-Max of 340 km/h (211 mph) — the most downforce of any series-production Aston Martin at the time of its release.
The Engineering of Restraint
What makes the DBS Superleggera’s aerodynamics particularly impressive is not the raw numbers but the method. Managing downforce through hidden internal channels and virtual spoilers rather than overt wings and splitters requires more engineering work, not less. The Aeroblade system demanded extensive computational fluid dynamics simulation and wind tunnel time to develop. The decision to pursue invisible aerodynamics rather than the more dramatic-looking alternative reflects Aston Martin’s core design philosophy: that the most elegant solution is always the most sophisticated one.
A V12 Symphony
A crucial element of the Aston Martin experience is the noise, and the DBS Superleggera excels in this department. Despite the twin turbochargers (which inherently muffle exhaust sound), Aston Martin engineered a bespoke exhaust system featuring active bypass valves and quad tailpipes.
In “GT” mode, the car is relatively subdued and refined. But switch to “Sport” or “Sport Plus,” and the valves open. The exhaust note is a deep, angry, multi-layered roar that crackles and bangs violently on the overrun. It lacks the high-pitched shriek of a Ferrari V12, opting instead for a baritone, muscular bellow that perfectly matches the car’s brutal character.
Special Editions and the DBS 59
Aston Martin’s tradition of special edition models found fertile ground with the DBS Superleggera. Among the most notable was the DBS 59, a tribute to Aston Martin’s 1-2-3 finish at Le Mans in 1959. Limited to 24 cars (representing the 24 Hours), it featured unique Sterling Silver metallic paint with contrasting gold accents, referencing the DBR1 race cars’ distinctive livery. The number of cars built was chosen to mirror the famous Le Mans race distance — a detail that delighted enthusiasts.
Other notable special editions included the DBS Superleggera Concorde Edition, celebrating the iconic British-French supersonic airliner, with a bespoke color inspired by Concorde’s livery and carbon fiber components referenced from aerospace technology.
The Interior: Violent Machine, Civilized Cabin
Step inside the DBS Superleggera and you encounter a deliberate paradox. The cabin is a place of extraordinary luxury — vast quantities of hand-stitched Bridge of Weir leather, perfectly weighted tactile controls, a pair of deeply bolstered sports seats that hold you firmly during hard cornering while remaining plush for long-distance travel.
The contrast between the cabin’s refinement and the mechanical savagery lurking beneath the bonnet is precisely the point. The DBS Superleggera is not a track car pretending to be civilized; it is genuinely both things simultaneously. A grand Sunday drive can become a breathtaking performance at will, and then return to dignified cruising again. That duality is the essence of the Super GT concept.
The Ultimate Super GT
The DBS Superleggera is not a delicate, razor-sharp track car like a Porsche GT3. It is a Super GT — a car designed to cross continents at immense speeds in absolute luxury, while possessing enough raw power to terrify the driver when the road opens up.
It is a celebration of excess: a massive V12, carbon-fiber coachwork, and more torque than anyone could ever reasonably need. The DBS Superleggera represents the pinnacle of Aston Martin’s traditional, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive philosophy before the brand’s inevitable pivot toward mid-engine platforms and electrification.
As the last truly dominant expression of the classic Aston Martin formula — naturally evolved, not reimagined — it will likely be remembered as the final high-water mark of a glorious era.