► Aston’s most expensive model
► GT sensibilites, supercar pace
► End of era 770 tested
The words Aston, Martin and volatility are basically kissing cousins. But things have certainly been looking up for Gaydon in the last few years, especially now that its F1 team is flying thanks to a crafty former champ and a bit of over the shoulder shithousery from its design department.
It’s strange then, that the DBS isn’t adorned with any F1 team badges. Maybe it’s because it’s so old that it predates Aston’s entry into F1 by nearly a decade?
Talk to us about the 770
It’s the balls-out last-in the line final hurrah for the DBS. Only 499 770 Ultimates will be built, split between 300 Coupes and 199 Volante roadsters. Rest assured, they’re already accounted for.
Cosmetic alterations include a little nip and tuck in the form of a ‘horseshoe’ vent in the bonnet and a larger diffuser at the rear. Loads of carbonfibre too. Maybe even too much carbonfibre. The new 21-inch wheels have caused a stir on the internet but to these eyes, they add to the car’s glow up.
The 5.2-litre quad-cam twin-turbo V12 beast has been upped to 759bhp (from 715bhp) thanks to a new air intake and increased boost pressure, and there’s a revised calibration for the adaptive damping system.
Did you remember to update the interior images?
No, they are the up-to-date images. The DBS interior is really beginning to feel its age. For one, it’s wider than a Defender but it’s still really not practical. Front seat passengers will most likely bump elbows at some point.
The rear seats are large enough for children, but not for their massive Isofix seats so it’s only really suitable for luggage or young ones you don’t particularly care about. At least the boot opening’s pretty wide.
The (non touchscreen) infotainment screen also looks like a knock-off iPad from Camden market. But we’ll admit, the materials are mostly sublime.
And what’s it like to drive?
Even the regular DBS is a little intimidating at first. The offside front wing is utterly out of sight and the bonnet disappears from view before the vents begin, so there’s acres of precious carbon out front you just can’t place without fear of clipping something.
That aside – and it becomes less of an issue over time – the DBS is no more intimidating to drive than a DB11. There is some tyre roar and a faint rumble from the engine, but with eight gears to choose from it never need get near the point when it starts to really make itself heard. The DBS isolates and filters with aplomb too, and despite the 21-inch wheels doesn’t crash into potholes or fidget over expansion joints.
On fast, sweeping roads, or on the autobahn, the regular DBS is a monster with relentless mid-range urge. That 664lb ft torque total is around from 1800 all the to 5000rpm, and in fourth Aston reckons it’ll do 50 to 100mph in 4.2 seconds. Make sure it’s at least in Sport mode too, as then the engine becomes vocal at 3000 rather than 4000rpm, and pops and bangs on the overrun. Sport+ gives you lower gears, and even more exhaust theatrics.
The most significant change between the regular DBS and the 770 surprisingly has nothing to do with the additional power or added stiffness. It’s about the engine calibration and torque shaping.
There’s a different engine map that shuffles mechanical torque around to make acceleration more linear and more naturally-aspirated feeling. Peak torque for a regular DBS drops like the anchor on an oil tanker at 1,800rpm. But for the 770 there’s technically not a specific number as it changes from gear to gear. It sounds bizarre, but you need to work all 5204ccs to get the most out of it.
It’s glorious. Listening to that V12 howl its way past 5,000rpm is special and the unbroken rage of revolutions leave you tingling. One of the other benefits – appreciated on a pissing wet day in Oxfordshire – is that it makes it easier to drive as that hammer of torque comes later in the rev range. We only felt the guiding hands of the T/C god four times in two hours.
The 0-62mph time of 3.4seconds isn’t spectacular for something with supercar pace these days. A chap in a Tesla Model 3 even caught up while we were blasting along the A424. There’s no doubt that he was keeping up, but was he having fun? Three blips down the ‘box in Sport mode while approaching Stow-on-the-Wold to hear the delicious overrun is enough to answer that question.
Turn in for the 770 is slightly crisper, sweeter and more defined than the OG DBS. Those used to non-electrically controlled steering might find there’s a degree of magic missing, but for those used to modern setups it is sensational for something this big and heavy.
The rear end feels soft, unless you switch it to the hardest suspension setting, where it feels decidedly un-soft on broken asphalt.
Sure, the eight speed can be a bit lethargic when left to its own devices, but you’ll most likely want to drive it in manual mode.
DBS: verdict
The DBS is a great GT – stunning to behold, useable and with a broad range of dynamic abilities – that’s beginning to feel its age. While 770 editions turn the old-school GT into a comfy-ish supercar.
Silly money, poky interior, random Mercedes-Benz switchgear. But we love the DBS.