DBS Superleggera Is Significantly Noisier As It Covers Goodwood in Smoke

The FoS hill climb starts with a playful display of tire smoke and 12-cylinder prowess. Next, the Aston test driver gives us a bit of sideways action. We would call that light drifting.

With 305-section Pirelli P Zeros, this super GT got a huge boost in sticking power, but it's still not enough to keep the cavalcade in check. For a refined luxury car, it sure seems like it wants to let loose.

Beauty is subjective, and I still remember what Jeremy Clarkson said about the old DBS - that it's too blingy. But something about a body kit and hood vents on an Aston just does it for me.

The indirect replacement for the Vanquish S brings back the DBS name in a big way. Even though it's called "Superleggera" as well, this is no stripped-down supercar for the track. However, an extensive array of carbon-fiber body panels have helped it shed 72 kilograms for a total weight of about 1.8 tons.

On top of that, the DBS boasts 115 extra horses which engineers were able to extract from the twin-turbo 5.2-liter. Some of that down to the new free-flowing exhaust, which is a joy to listen to.

While the power output is a little below that of the Ferrari 812 Superfast, the top speed is the same at 211mph. And when it's time to stop, you can rely on 410mm carbon-ceramic brakes, among the biggest you can buy.

“While we wanted to create a very, very fast car, it was crucial that it didn’t terrify less experienced drivers. To this end, we’ve honed the dynamics so that it’s agile and connected, but also linear and progressive as you work towards its limits. Much like we’ve tuned the engine to deliver the meat of its performance at real-world revs, we’ve tuned the handling to engage and reward drivers of all ability levels," says Matt Becker, vehicle dynamics chief at Aston Martin.