Teamspeed.com - Teamspeed First Drive: Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition

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Teamspeed First Drive: Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition
Aston makes the alluring DBS even more desirable with a series of super-luxury enhancements.
Text by Richard Aucock - Teamspeed Contributor

What is it? A special version of the DBS with an incredible paint finish and, yes, carbon fibre detailing.

Why do I care? It’s Aston Martin doing Haute Couture, distilling the essence of its cars’ appeal in the process.

How fast is it? 5,935cc V12, 517ps@6,500rpm, 420lb ft@5,750rpm, 0-62mph 4.3sec, 183mph vmax (restricted)

How much is it? From $287,576 (Volante: $302,576)

Ah, the Aston Martin DBS: forever to be know as the James Bond Aston. It may frustrate the living daylights out of you, but the connection is so ingrained, it really will have to die another day.

But it’s not all about Bond (you’ll be deeply relieved to hear): the appeal of an Aston Martin is actually in its friendly people-pleasing desirability. The cars are ultra-expensive and super-rare, yet they still somehow elicit cheery admiration and respect in passers-by, rather than the envious sneers and preconceptions about your character that some rivals rouse.

Maybe this is thanks to Aston’s decision to trade its cars as luxury goods rather than simply expensive ultra-focused sports cars. The 2012 DBS Carbon Edition perfectly showcases this approach: it’s a DBS enhanced not by more power or more ability, but by more bespoke detailing and more richness of finish.

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It’s a detail-checker’s dream. Carbon Edition means diamond-turned 20-inch wheels (the glass-like appearance is amazing), black grille and bonnet grilles, carbon door mirrors, smoked rear light covers with carbon inlays and matt black Zircotec-coated tailpipes. Details, yes, but there’s no missing them in the metal.

There’s one extra feature guaranteed to wow onlookers, too: a black, grey or orange paint finish made extra-lustrous thanks to seven layers and a full 25 hours of flattening and polishing. Resplendent in Flame Orange on the test car, it looks stunning – a genuine luxury good, whose bulging wheelarches, long snout and sculptural lines only add to the visual drama.

Fittingly, the interior of the DBS Carbon Edition is just as rich. It’s like this even as standard, of course, no matter which of the DB9, DBS or Virage trio you’re in (all share the same interior). Accessed through cantilevered doors, occupants drop down low behind a steeply raked windscreen and long dash providing supercar cues that stiff racecar-style bucket seats accentuate. The steering wheel is close and near-vertical, the gearchange selected via buttons almost as fiddly as those on an F1 car’s steering wheel.

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But it’s the high-gloss, rich-mix materials and sheer high standard of finish that really makes this special. To be honest, the centre console is baffling, an ergonomic starburst. But who cares, when the glass buttons and chrome-tipped switches look this good? Same for the dials: reverse-swing rev counter and 220mph speedo have spidery markings that are hard to assimilate even when staring at them – but it doesn’t matter, so gorgeous do they look.

The Carbon Edition, incidentally, does exactly what its name suggests: adds a hand-laid carbon weave finish to the dash, whose lines exactly mirror those of the dash. Plush semi-aniline leather covers the seats and, in pleated form, the roof, with contrast stitching offering a choice of finish as well as colour. You select, someone in Aston Martin spends 70 hours making it a reality. Aston’s also finished the Bang and Olufsen speaker grilles in anodised-style black too.

Given all this, it’s no surprise to discover the on-road experience is all about sensations and emotions rather than cold clinical performance and ability. That’s certainly not to say it isn’t fast. How could it not be, with a 510hp 6.0-litre V12 at its disposal? The only time it does feel a bit lacking is at low revs. Peak torque is a so-so 420 lb ft and is not produced until nearly 6000rpm (yes really – twist peaks at 5750rpm), meaning you need a fair few revs to realise the kick you’d expect.

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No problem. The noise is wonderful. A V12 makes a richer and more complex noise than any other engine, which Aston has enhanced with a melodious exhaust complete with bypass valve for higher-rev impact. When you’re in the high-rev sweet spot, performance is searing. There’s a cultured intensity to its pace whose depth you just don’t get from lesser (or, dare we say, turbocharged) motors. It’s a true epic.

Given the torque deficit though, it could do with an extra ratio in the six-speed Touchtronic, to help things flow that bit more easily. Fixed paddles aren’t ideal when cornering either. However, don’t suspect that because it’s an auto, it’s soft in response. The lack of slack in the drivetrain gives a satisfyingly direct connection almost as immediate as in a manual car.

With no changes to the chassis over a regular DBS, those in the know will be reaching straight for the Sport button on the centre console. This sets the adaptive dampers onto a more aggressive profile, and transforms the car. Sure, it’s reasonably focused from the off: it has stiffer springs and anti-roll bars than the DB9, which give a more athletic feel, but it’s still a stage removed when pressing on. It seems just a little bit soft and disconnected.

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Sport fixes this, with a more energetic ride plus handling that’s quite transformed. It’s more lithe and faster in response, more athletic through switchback corners and, crucially, much more involving and sportscar-like. Once you’re accustomed to steering that’s more weighty and confident than intricately detailed, the DBS becomes a very satisfying supercar to drive. Despite its size, it shrinks around you.

There’s confidence to be gained from driving it fast, one very well suited to broken and winding British roads. The ride is a key factor here. It’s stiff, yes, with racecar DNA, but this breeding extends to the damping quality too: it’s not rock-solid so can still breathe over undulations, keying into the road surface no matter how challenging it is. Body control is impeccable too.

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The most authentically ‘carbon’ bit is also one of the best: carbon ceramic disc brakes are immense. Deliciously noisy, wooden and ineffective when stone-cold, their racing car references continue on the move – once the initial early morning chill has been removed, they’re packed with detailed feedback and clarity of response, giving you back plenty through your right foot. Oh, and they work with brilliant efficiency, time and again. Maybe there is something in this carbon nametag after all…

No, it’s not an all-new car. No, it doesn’t move the game of Aston’s range-topping GT supercar on. What it does do, though, is give you all the car’s acknowledged strengths wrapped within an even more luxurious and delectable set of clothes. A lovely, skilled, warm and friendly performance car, the Aston is that rare thing, a premium-money machine that uses taste and decency to break down barriers. This one is just that bit nicer for you and your fans. What’s not to like?

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