Aston Martin is preparing to transform the V12-engined DBS into a bona-fide supercar, more clearly distinguished from its V8-powered DB12 and Vantage siblings.
New images of the supercar refuelling between tests reveal that it is based on the DB12, but features a series of subtle cosmetic tweaks. The vents on the bonnet are camouflaged, implying they have been enlarged to keep Aston’s venerable 5.2-litre V12 powerplant cool.
The differences are more obvious at the rear end, which now features a permanent duck-tail spoiler and a larger diffuser, to improve aerodynamics. The twin-exit exhaust set-up has been replaced with four tailpipes, providing a further hint at the V12’s increased potency.
A similar arrangement featured on the final-edition DBS 770, in which the V12’s output was ramped up up to 759bhp. It could be in line to receive yet more grunt to do battle with Ferrari’s upcoming 812 Superfast replacement, potentially nudging the 800bhp mark.
Any power increase will no doubt be matched by a comprehensive chassis overhaul building on the set-up deployed on the fearsome DBS 770 Ultimate, with uprated dampers and a boost in rigidity at both ends helping to improve cornering performance and giving the supercar a broader scope of ability on track.
Although the DBS successor is evidently based on the DB12, it will be “completely different” to both the grand tourer and the new Vantage, Aston Martin chief creative officer Marek Reichman told Autocar in 2023.
As for the name, Alex Long, Director of Product and Market Strategy, noted that ‘DB’ models tend to sit at the “core of the line-up”, suggesting that flagships such as this merit names beginning with V (such as Valhalla and Valkyrie), and Autocar understands a revival of the Vanquish badge is on the cards.
There has been no official announcement on the future of the DBS, which bowed out with 770 Ultimate edition, but Long said the brand “will always have a flagship”, and its desire to reinforce its sporting prowess means a top-rung supercar is clearly all but a necessity.
