2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera revealed
Lots of power, lots of torque, lots of very pretty carbon-fibre body panels.
Aston Martin has revealed its lightweight DBS Superleggera, reviving two legendary nameplates to create a new 'Super GT' replacement for the Vanquish S.
In keeping with the formula laid out by the Vanquish, the DBS is powered by a big V12 engine. It's the same 5.2-litre twin-turbo unit from the DB11, tuned to make a whopping 533kW and 900Nm of torque. Hooked up to the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential and an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, it'll shoot to 100km/h in a claimed 3.4 seconds, and 200km/h in just 6.4 seconds.
Top speed is a suitably storming 340km/h, but Aston Martin isn't pitching the car as an all-out supercar. Instead, it claims the Superleggera delivers the "responses of the supercar with the refinement of a GT", all wrapped up in one sexy package.
With that in mind, it rides on an adaptation of the bonded aluminium structure from the DB11, with forged double wishbones at the front and a multi-link setup down back. Adaptive dampers are standard, with three modes to match the powertrain: GT, Sport and Sport Plus.
Damper stiffness, throttle mapping and gearshift intensity are all adjusted based on the drive mode, as is the done thing at the moment.
Enough about what's under the skin, though. Just look at the DBS Superleggera. It's a fascinating hybrid of DB11 and Vantage design cues, wrought in carbon-fibre to back up the Superleggera – 'super light' to you and me – moniker. There are two 21-inch forged wheel options, and a range of 'designer specifications' have been created by the team at Aston Martin if you're short on configuration inspiration.
Clever aerodynamic elements from the DB11 like the curlicue and aeroblade have carried over, but they're backed up by a double diffuser, helping the car create 180kg of downforce at top speed. What's more, Aston says there's no additional drag from the new aerodynamics pack.
The interior is based on the DB11, with niceties like keyless entry, tyre pressure monitoring, a 360-degree camera, DAB radio and satellite navigation. Although the system has its own skin, it's Mercedes-Benz's Comand interface underneath, right down to the rotary controller on the transmission tunnel.
"DBS Superleggera not only marks the return of a great Aston Martin name, but signals our return to the very pinnacle of the Super GT sector," said Andy Palmer, Aston Martin CEO and president.
"Handsome beyond measure, its lightweight carbon composite and aluminium body is sculpted into a shape with tremendous presence and charisma."
The DBS Superleggera is priced from $517,000 plus on-road costs Down Under, nearly $90,000 more than the recently-revealed DB11 AMR.
Deliveries are scheduled to commence either late in the fourth quarter of 2018 or early first quarter of 2019.
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