COVER Aston DBS Superleggera

● Wraps off V12 Superleggera ● 716bhp; 211mph top speed OFFICIAL

Lightweight V12 GT unleashed, and it’s a ‘brute in a suit’

ASTON Martin’s revival shows no sign of letting up: this is the all-new DBS Superleggera, a car that boss Andy Palmer describes as “a brute in a suit”.

It’s a replacement for the outgoing Vanquish and brings back a name that was first used back in 1967, while the name Superleggera hints at the lightweight construction.

It’s based on the new DB11, and is powered by a version of that car’s twinturbo 5.2-litre V12. As a Super GT, it has a very different brief, though. It’s 70kg lighter than a V12 DB11 and uses shorter gearing for better performance.

The quad exhaust has been tuned to deliver more noise and it is, according to Aston Martin’s engineering director Matt Becker, “more engaging and exciting than a DB11”.

The Superleggera’s V12 produces 716bhp and 900Nm of torque, while the top speed is 211mph; the 0-62mph dash is over in a claimed 3.4 seconds and 0-100mph in 6.4 seconds. Oh, and you’ll have to pay £225,000 to get one.

Power is fed to the rear wheels via an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission with a carbon-fibre prop shaft; three driving modes (GT, Sport and Sport +) each tweak power delivery, suspension, ESP, gearbox and steering to make the car progressively sharper and faster.

This is much more than a breathedon DB11, though. Cloaked in a bespoke body, the DBS has “a look all its own”, due to its muscular lines, according to design director Miles Nurnberger, while the exposed carbon fibre hints at the weight saving the car’s name suggests.

At the back there’s full-width rear lighting with a new light graphic. It rides on 21-inch wheels and features carbon-ceramic brakes as standard. Further developments of Aston’s clever aerodynamics such as the curlicue and Aeroblade, plus an F1-style diffuser, create more downforce than the DB11, but with the same amount of drag.

Inside, the Superleggera is very much like the DB11; a flat-bottomed steering wheel, floating central infotainment display, digital dials and quilted leather upholstery all feature.

“Drive modes tweak power, suspension and steering to make the car progressively sharper and faster”