Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
After the DB11 AMR, Aston Martin looks forward to the DBS Superleggera. Going official in June 2018 for the 2019 model year, the Ferrari 812 Superfast-rivaling grand tourer will be offered both as a fixed-head coupe and soft-top convertible.
Spied next to the Nurburgring, the DBS Superleggera Volante shares a lot of the visual drama with the coupe, including the front-end design. Peeking through the two large vents right in the hood reveals the 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 we know and love from the DB11 without an engine cover, plus additional strut tower bracing.
The DB11-influenced design continues with the gill-like Curlicue aerodynamic feature that releases high-pressure air from inside the front-wheel arches, as well as the AeroBlade virtual spoiler. The blowing part of the suck-squeeze-bang-blow process is the job of four tailpipes, though the outer pipes are half the diameter of those located nearer to the center of the vehicle. That wasn’t the case with previous prototypes.
Moving on to the interior, familiar is the word that best describes what’s hiding in this particular prototype. DB11 seats with contrasting stitching, seat adjustments located on the sides of the center tunnel, paddle shifters for the eight-speed automatic transmission, P-R-N-D buttons flanked by the engine start/stop button, there’s nothing here that would lead you to believe that this isn’t your average Aston Martin.
But then you notice the Pirelli P Zero high-performance tires, and everything about this car becomes much, much clearer. Stiffer, wider, and more willing to carve corners than the DB11, the DBS Superleggera is expected to debut an even more powerful version of the AE31 engine than the 630-bhp and 208-mph DB11 AMR.
Aston Martin chief powertrain engineer Brian Fitzsimons once said the AE31 was proven to 820 ponies, which sounds perfectly fine when you consider that Ferrari churns out 800 PS (789 bhp) from the 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 of the 812 Superfast.
On the other hand, chances are Aston Martin won’t go too crazy with the DBS Superleggera because the jump from 639 PS (630 bhp) to 820 is too high. Unless the British automaker will introduce an intermediate model that will slot above the DB11 AMR, that is.
The DB11-influenced design continues with the gill-like Curlicue aerodynamic feature that releases high-pressure air from inside the front-wheel arches, as well as the AeroBlade virtual spoiler. The blowing part of the suck-squeeze-bang-blow process is the job of four tailpipes, though the outer pipes are half the diameter of those located nearer to the center of the vehicle. That wasn’t the case with previous prototypes.
Moving on to the interior, familiar is the word that best describes what’s hiding in this particular prototype. DB11 seats with contrasting stitching, seat adjustments located on the sides of the center tunnel, paddle shifters for the eight-speed automatic transmission, P-R-N-D buttons flanked by the engine start/stop button, there’s nothing here that would lead you to believe that this isn’t your average Aston Martin.
But then you notice the Pirelli P Zero high-performance tires, and everything about this car becomes much, much clearer. Stiffer, wider, and more willing to carve corners than the DB11, the DBS Superleggera is expected to debut an even more powerful version of the AE31 engine than the 630-bhp and 208-mph DB11 AMR.
Aston Martin chief powertrain engineer Brian Fitzsimons once said the AE31 was proven to 820 ponies, which sounds perfectly fine when you consider that Ferrari churns out 800 PS (789 bhp) from the 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 of the 812 Superfast.
On the other hand, chances are Aston Martin won’t go too crazy with the DBS Superleggera because the jump from 639 PS (630 bhp) to 820 is too high. Unless the British automaker will introduce an intermediate model that will slot above the DB11 AMR, that is.
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