ASTON DBS vs ASTON DBS
The British super-GT recipe never goes out of fashion. But it does get much quicker
WELL, GRILLES HAVE CERTAINLY GOT BIGGER
Odd that, isn’t it? Even though the modern DBS’s engine has twice the power of the original’s, it’s probably less susceptible to overheating. At the time of the 1969 car’s reveal, this Americaninfluenced styling was positively shocking for classically curvy Aston. Nowadays, the DBS is probably the standard-bearer for well-proportioned, pretty-yet-muscular design. It’s quite beautiful.
REMIND ME OF THE SPECS
The old-timer has a 4.0-litre straight six, developing a lusty 282bhp. Sufficient for a continent-crosser in the late Sixties, but small beer for a hot hatch these days. The current DBS sports a 5.2-litre, twin-turbocharged V12 with 715bhp. Now, the older DBS was indeed one of the very fastest four-seaters in the world in its day, but these days its successor is in a different league of power and potency. Modern super-GTs are expected to be front-engined supercars, and the one-upmanship from the likes of Bentley and Ferrari means Aston has had to go turbocharged and ramp up the numbers.
DO THEY HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON, REALLY?
They’re both rather dainty feeling on first impression. Both have much lighter steering than you’d expect, though the modern car’s electrical assistance is much more accurate and the steering speed way faster. But yes, there’s a bizarrely delicate feel to moving off in both, letting the vast torque from each engine glide you away. It’s as the speed increases that they feel like different animals. The old DBS rocks and rolls on its suspension and sidewalls, slurring along the road in a charmingly devil-may-care fashion. Because the new DBS is a supercar in a dinner jacket, it remains tightly controlled and sporty. Despite the hyperactive steering, it takes much less management to track along.
DOES THE OLD DBS DO ANYTHING BETTER?
Quite a lot. There’s less tyre noise, because there’s so much less tyre. The back seats are usable by actual humans. And the cabin layout and switchgear are vastly more friendly. Big, tactile switches and buttons require much less dexterity than the new DBS’s wilfully style-over-ergonomics touch-sensitive console. Sixties dials are much classier than the contemporary Nintendo graphics too.
BUT THOSE ARE DETAILS. WHAT ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?
What’s interesting is how the classic DBS makes a virtue of its weight. The new DBS is obsessed with pretending it’s lighter than it is, with its wicked-fast responses and performance. Which is why it’s the only DBS to wear a ‘Superleggera’ badge, I suppose. Ironically, at 1,588kg, the earlier DBS is 250kg lighter than today’s example. Good job the new one’s got all that poke after all.