It has been described as an “ultra touring” or “hybrid luxury/exotic” by those who have tested it and by all rights the Aston Martin DBS V12 is not a sports car; but she is a high-performance GT car. With quintessentially-Aston Martin-sleek styling, the Aston Martin DBS V12 should probably be high on your list of test drives.
Think James Bond in his autumn years, aging like fine cognac. This is a high-performance Grand Touring car. Bond could choose the 6-speed manual transmission or go with a 6-speed Touchtronic2 automatic transmission that works through its paces so he can play with the 16-speaker, 1,000 watt Bang & Olufsen sound system and Garmin navigation devices mounted between the leather-clad seats, just below the elevator-like buttons that take one from Park to Reverse and Drive. Forget the oil slicks and exhaust-pipe machine guns. He’s got grandkids now.
This Aston Martin DBS V12 is no car for old men, however; the 5.9-liter 48-valve V12 aluminum block, port-injected power plant delivers 510 hp at 6500 rpm and 420 ft-lb of torque at 5750 rpm. The DBS V12 tops out at 191 mph and sprints from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, give or take three-tenths, depending on which version one is piloting (currently the base coupe, the Carbon coupe, the Volante convertible and the Carbon Volante convertible).
Built on Aston Martin’s signature VH (vertical/horizontal) aluminum structure, the DBS V12 is clad in carbon fiber and weighs a sprightly 3929 lbs, 66 less than the DB9. Even the carpet is carbon fiber although the interior is awash in alcantara leather, wood, and stainless steel. Finally, carbon ceramic disc brakes take a few more pounds off for a return of 12 city and 18 highway miles per gallon.
2012 was the last year for the DBS V12 and has since been replaced by the Vanquish. The 2013 release of the Aston Martin Vanquish marks the legendary automaker’s 100th anniversary. Releasing your most powerful production car in honor of your 100th anniversary? Yeah, Aston Martin is doing it right.
Article by: P.A. Remmell
