Exclusive: hardcore new Aston Martin V12 supercar spotted
Camouflaged bonnet vents likely hide improved cooling for V12 powerplant | Image: Theo Williams
DBS replacement is due later this year with aggressive styling and more than 750bhp
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.
Long added: “The focus on performance as a pillar of the brand is critical. Historically, we’ve been a performance brand as well as a luxury brand, and we’re moving back to that.”
Crucial to Aston Martin’s desire to cement its status as a maker of top-drawer sports cars as well as more luxury cars will be ensuring that each of its front-engined models has its own distinct character and capabilities.
“Rather than having products with two levels of power output and performance – and that includes dynamics and braking and all the other aspects of what makes a proper performance car – we now have to bring these power levels that give our cars the edge,” said Long.
Long also emphasised that V12 engines are “synonymous” with Aston Martin. “People still love the twelves,” he said. “As much as the electrification revolution continues, [a V12 engine has] a different use case, and it’s still very much a huge emotional connection for our customers.”
Aston Martin is expected to unveil the DBS successor in August, at Monterey Car Week. It has historically used the prestigious event to introduce limited-run cars such as the DBR22 and Valkyrie Spider.