First look: Aston DBS emerges just like Bond's

IT SEEMS like an eternity since Daniel Craig - aka Bond, James Bond – first roared onto the big screen in Aston Martin’s latest automotive masterpiece in this year’s new 007 flick, Casino Royale.

Now, finally, the real deal has emerged, in the shape of the DBS production car, which made its world-first public appearance as the feature display at Monterey Bay’s exclusive Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance yesterday (August 16) Pricing will be announced at the Frankfurt motor show on September 11, ahead of first deliveries in the first quarter of next year.

Now in production, the DBS replaces the Vanquish S as the fastest car in the Aston Martin range, and joins the DB9, the V8 Vantage Coupe and its topless twin, the Vantage Roadster launched earlier this year.

Constructed on the current VH (Vertical, Horizontal) architecture at the formerly Ford-owned sports car brand’s global HQ at Gaydon in the UK, Aston says the DBS sets new benchmarks for the marque and brings its road cars one step closer to the successful DBR9 race car.

“The DBS delivers the complete driving experience and bridges the gap between our road and track cars – the DB9 and DBR9,” says Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez.

“The DBS is the ultimate expression of Aston Martin’s engineering and technical ability. It offers pure performance without compromise.” Indeed, with claimed statistics like 0-100km/h acceleration in 4.3 seconds and a 302km/h top speed, the 380kW/570Nm 48-valve 5.9-litre V12-powered DBS (to be up almost 20kW on the DB9) is right up there with the quickest super cars.

The transmission comprises a rear-mid mounted, six-speed manual gearbox, an alloy torque tube with carbon-fibre propeller shaft, limited-slip differential and a final drive ratio of 3.71:1.

Matching its front mid-mounted hand-built engine is an aluminium, magnesium alloy and carbon-fibre composite body that appears to be faithful to the concept car, which Dr Bez described as “explosive power in a black tie” and later became the Casino Royale car.

The two-seater rear-drive DBS coupe stands on 20-inch alloy wheels (8.5 inches wide up front, 11.5-inch at rear) with 245/35-section front and 295/30-section rear Pirelli P-Zero rubber and is stopped by carbon-ceramic brakes comprising massive ventilated 398mm/360mm front/rear discs.

Suspension is by double wishbones, anti-roll bars and monotube adaptive dampers all round, plus an Adaptive Damping System (ADS) with Track mode, while the rack-and-pinion Servotronic speed-sensitive power-assisted steering features three turns lock-to-lock and tilt/reach steering column adjustment.

The DBS rides on a 2740mm wheelbase and measures 4721mm long, 1905mm wide and just 1280mm high. It has a sizeable kerb weight of 1695kg (which is nonetheless almost 65kg less than the DB9) and a big 78-litre fuel tank.

Other vital statistics of the production DBS are High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights (high-beam only), LED tail-lights and side repeaters, a semi-aniline leather and Alcantara interior, Matrix alloy facia trim, Iridium Silver centre console finish, carbon-fibre door trims and door pulls, and 10-way power-adjustable sports seats with heating, memory and side airbags.

Of course, dual-stage front airbags are also standard, along with Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Track mode, an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA).

Apart from garden-variety equipment like remote central locking, automatic climate-control, cruise control, a trip computer, hard-disc satellite-navigation, Bluetooth telephone preparation, power-folding side mirrors, tyre pressure monitoring, front/rear parking sensors and a heated rear screen, neat stuff includes Organic Electroluminescent (OEL) displays, a battery conditioner and disconnect switch, a 700-Watt Premium Audio System with Dolby Pro Logic II and MP3 connectivity, and a boot-mounted umbrella.

Options include lightweight, airbagless seats with six-way adjustment, graphite-finish 20-inch wheels, Piano Black facia trim and centre console finish, a leather storage saddle, personalised sill plaques and, surprisingly at this end of the market, an auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror, a volumetric and tilt-sensing alarm, first-aid kit and an ashtray with "cigar lighter".