These two cars seem destined to be pitted against each other. Not only do both of them answer "GT" when asked what is their main occupation, but they're also two of the very few V12-powered cars that remain in production.
That being said, there are plenty of aspects separating the two, starting with their very engines. If the Brit goes for the current norm of downsizing (well, only when compared to its rival) and making use of turbocharging technology, the Italian sticks to the good old ways of natural aspiration. To be fair, if there was anyone who could do that and still remain competitive, it was definitely Ferrari.
The 812 Superfast is actually more than just competitive. Thanks to its 6.5-liter V12 unit, it delivers 800 hp, which is 75 hp more than the Aston Martin manages to squeeze out of its 5.2-liter engine even with the help of a blower. It is naturally down on torque, but when you have 530 lb-ft (718 Nm) of it, does it really matter your opponent has 134 lb-ft (182 Nm) more? We highly doubt that.
The situation is made even worse for the DBS Superleggera by the fact that, despite the meaning of its name in Italian (that would be "super light" for those not fluent in supercar talk), it quite ironically weighs considerably more. What that means is that, combined with the lower power output, the power-to-weight ratio is decidedly in Ferrari's favor – with almost an extra 100 hp/ton, in fact.
Add the fact the red car is also half a second quicker to the 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) mark (2.9 seconds compared to the Aston Martin's 3.4 seconds), and you have a recipe for disaster for the DBS as far as drag races are concerned. Well, there would be this one thing going for it...
...and his name is Tiff Needell. The racing driver and TV front man is driving the British GT, giving it at least a fighting chance against the overwhelming Italian. We won't pretend you don't already know which of the two cars will win the race, but we will tell this: even though there's a substantial gap at the end, that doesn't mean it's such a straightforward win for the Ferrari.
The Ferrari isn't so much a GT as a sports car, or maybe even a hypercar. The atmospheric nature of the engine means it'll rev to stratospheric heights (the 9,000 RPMs we already mentioned), which isn't exactly the hallmark of a calm and composed inter-continental cruiser. Can you hear anyone complaining about it, though? No, and it's not just because of how loud the engine is.
Grand Tourers, on the other hand, are pretty much the house specialty at Aston Martin. The Brits know how to make elegant, comfortable, good-looking, and ultimately powerful cars that eat up mile after mile with ease. If this clip comparing the two GTs sends one message, it's that there are no losers. Well, apart from the drag race – there's a clear loser there.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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