2008 Aston Martin DBS Lightning Silver

Aston Martin unveiled the most eagerly anticipated car of the year the new Aston Martin DBS at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 16th 2007, where the company took a starring role as the featured marque.

Equally at home on a twisting mountain circuit as on the open road, the DBS is a true thoroughbred. The Aston Martin DBS is a 6.0-litre V12 powered, race-bred, two-seater shaped by the aerodynamic demands of high performance, with an exquisite interior that marries beautifully hand-finished materials with the very latest in performance technology.

A combination of elegant design, innovative manufacturing processes, race-derived materials and components and Aston Martin’s unrivalled hand-build expertise makes the Aston Martin DBS a luxury sports car without equal. Every line, crease and curve conveys the enormous potential of the Aston Martin DBS, a seductive blend of refinement and raw power, provided by the hand-built V12 producing 380kW (510bhp/517PS), a top speed of 191mph (302km/h) and a 0-62mph (0-100km/h) time of 4.3 seconds.

Aston Martin DBS: Performance

The need for high-performance stability, handling ability and low kerb weight defined the DBS’s form and construction. Accordingly, the Aston Martin DBS becomes the first production Aston Martin to make extensive use of ultra-light carbon-fibre body panels.

Carbon-fibre panels are used for the boot enclosure, boot lid, door opening surrounds, front wings and bonnet, giving a saving of some 30kg over more conventional materials without any reduction in strength. “There are no restrictions on form or shape in using carbon-fibre,” says Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Design Director, “and the material allowed us to wrap bodywork around the 20″ wheels and maintain the precise relationship between the wheel and the bodywork.”

The new panel-making procedure also delivers an industry-best surface finish, thanks to a patented ‘Surface Veil’ process. The application of a 200 micron layer of epoxy and glass to the panel delivers a class-A surface that is in line with Aston Martin’s tradition of high-quality finishes. Inside the car, the weave patterns on the exposed carbon-fibre elements have been carefully selected to present the most harmonious surfaces.

Aston Martin DBS: Control

As with the DB9 and DBR race cars, the Aston Martin DBS benefits from the inherent characteristics of the VH architecture. The VH underframe consists of pressed, extruded and cast aluminium components, bonded together to create an immensely strong underlying structure.

The Aston Martin DBS is manufactured using the finest materials, with a combination of hand-finishing and pioneering high-technology processes. From the exceptional quality of the design and finish to the advanced production techniques employed to save weight and create strength, the DBS is both a technological masterpiece and a powerful visual and tactile experience, inside and out.

The Aston Martin DBS is the culmination of the DB bloodline, a synthesis of race-bred technology and road-going practicality that can be traced back to the iconic Aston Martin DB2, DB3S and DB4 GT, and is continued today with the DBR9 and DBRS9 race cars. The DBS’s powerful, flowing form fuses the visual language of the DBR9 GT1 race car with the innate elegance of the DB series.

Aston Martin DBS Specification

Body
Two-door coupe body style with 2+0 seating
Bonded aluminium VH structure
Aluminium, magnesium alloy and carbon-fibre composite body
Extruded aluminium door side-impact beams
High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps (main beam)
LED rear lamps and side repeaters

Engine
All-alloy, quad overhead camshaft, 48-valve, 5935cc V12.
Compression ratio 10.9:1
Front-mid mounted engine, rear-wheel drive
Fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves
Max power: 380kW (510bhp/517 PS) at 6500rpm
Max torque: 570Nm (420 lb.ft) at 5750rpm
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h (0-62mph) in 4.3 seconds
Max speed: 302 km/h (191mph)

Transmission
Rear-mid mounted, six-speed manual gearbox
Alloy torque tube with carbon fibre propeller shaft
Limited-slip differential
Final-drive ratio 3.71:1

Wheels and Tyres
Front: 8.5” x 20” Pirelli P Zero 245/35
Rear: 11” x 20” Pirelli P Zero 295/30

Steering
Rack and pinion, Servotronic speed-sensitive power-assisted steering, 3.0 turns lock-to-lock. Column tilt and reach adjustment

Suspension
Front: Independent double wishbone incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bare and monotube adaptive dampers
Rear: Independent double wishbones with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube adaptive dampers
Adaptive Damping System (ADS) with Track mode

Brakes
Front: Ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 398mm diameter with six-piston calipers
Rear: Ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 360mm diameter with four-piston calipers
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Track mode
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
Traction control

Dimensions
Length: 4721mm (185.9”)
Wheelbase: 2740mm (107.9”)
Width: 1905mm (75”) (exc. Mirrors) 2060mm (81.1”) (inc. Mirrors)
Fuel tank capacity: 78 litres (17.2 Imp.galls, 20.5 US galls)
Height: 1280mm (50.4”) Weight: 1695kg (3737lb)