Aston Martin is known for building cars that combine gracious beauty with raw power—GT machines that look as good parked in front of the opera as they do tearing up a racetrack. The brand’s latest model is poised to turn a lot of heads at both locations. Sitting atop the boutique automaker’s range of stunning road vehicles is the new DBS Superleggera, a frighteningly powerful beast dressed in a carbon-fiber tuxedo.
Aston Martin press releases are always enjoyable to read. The brand really tries to carry its image of refined British sophistication into everything it does, and that includes the words it uses to describe the DBS Superleggera. It makes you want to sip a martini—shaken, not stirred, of course—while you write about the fact that this gorgeous 2+2 coupe is powered by a 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 that’s capable of sending up to 715hp and 900Nm to the unsuspecting rear wheels. It does so by spinning up a carbon-fiber propeller shaft that in turn sends heaps of mechanical force through a rear-mounted eight-speed automatic transmission (complete with flappy paddles) and a mechanical limited-slip differential that is assisted in its momentous task by dynamic stability control and dynamic torque vectoring.
The facial features of anyone onboard are likely to be rearranged when the driver hits the accelerator, with the 0-100km/h time given as a mere 3.4 seconds. Put your foot down at 80km/h in fourth gear and the car will take a ridiculously short 4.2 seconds for 160km/h to be displayed on the speedometer. The maximum cruising speed of this super GT is given as 340km/h, making it one of the fastest cars on earth today.
Sitting atop a bonded aluminum underframe are alluringly sculpted carbon-fiber body panels that direct massive aerodynamic forces efficiently around the vehicle as it tries to headbutt the horizon. The huge front grille shovels tons of air into the lair of the V12 dragon, while a front splitter and air dam cooperate with a double diffuser and Aston Martin’s clever Aeroblade II system at the rear to generate up to 180kg of additional drag-free downforce. When it’s time to slow things down again, generously sized carbon-ceramic brake discs measuring 410mm at the front and 360mm at the rear are in position to take the heat that is inevitably generated behind the 21-inch wheels when this 1,693kg supercar is coming to a halt.
Buyers of a car built in the English village of Gaydon may like their performance figures raw and brutal, but the cabin of their chosen mode of transport has to be quite the opposite. An interior clad in leather and Alcantara, and with Sports Plus performance seats and steering wheel, therefore, comes as standard, with countless more color and material options available. A premium audio system or an optional Bang & Olufsen BeoSound setup is standing by for those rare moments where the V12 engine isn’t filling the air with music, while a 360° camera has been fitted to reduce the risk of nasty scratches on the impeccable paintwork.
With Aston Martin doing pretty well in the Philippines since the brand officially arrived here not too long ago, we have no doubt that it won’t take long before a DBS Superleggera takes pride of place at Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City on a Sunday morning. But whoever buys it will have to send a rather large check to the dealership. Ordering one at the factory in the UK will set you back a minimum of £225,000 (P15,800,000), so by the time it gets here and the government has added its cut, we’re talking multiple lotto jackpot prizes. For all that cash, you’re getting an incredibly exclusive and outlandishly fast car that will turn heads wherever it goes.
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