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My first acquaintance with the DBS was on evo magazine’s 2007 Car of the Year showdown, where the new Aston left a profound impression with its aggressively sculpted bodywork, engaging character and fabulously powerful V12 engine. A couple of years later it would go on to win an evo group test against the Ferrari 599 HGTE and Bentley Continental Supersports. Here, clearly, was an Aston to be reckoned with.
The wider world’s first exposure to the DBS was in the 2006 Bond film, Casino Royale, and a memorable one it was, too, the Aston being barrel-rolled in Guinness world record-breaking style. And it appeared again in the opening scenes of 2008’s Quantum of Solace, howling along the shores of Lake Garda before being shot to pieces. As Daniel Craig’s 007 was discovering, life with a DBS was never dull…
In Aston terms, the DBS had big shoes to fill, effectively replacing the Newport Pagnell-built Vanquish as the production flagship. The Vanquish had been a landmark car for AML, and in final Vanquish S form had evolved into one of the true greats. By comparison, the DBS was viewed in some quarters, rather uncharitably, as a go-faster DB9 in a bodykit. That did contain a kernel of truth – it was certainly derived from the DB9, whereas the Vanquish had been a standalone clean-sheet design – but there was, of course, rather more to it than that.
The DBS was the first Aston penned by Marek Reichman, who had taken over from Henrik Fisker as design director in 2005. Sheffield-born Reichman transformed the Callum/Fisker DB9 into something altogether more aggressive, with a deep, sculpted chin and carbon winglets, extended sills, extra bonnet vents and a dramatic rear diffuser. To help reduce weight, the bonnet, bootlid, front wings, door opening surrounds and the boot compartment were all made from carbon fibre. Visually, it was the missing link between the DB9 and the awesome Le Mans class-winning DBR9 race-car. And even if it couldn’t quite live up to the road-racer looks – it was always more super-GT than out-and-out sports car – no-one was going to mistake it for a DB9.
Underneath that vented bonnet, the 5.9-litre V12 benefited from a higher compression ratio, a ‘bypass’ air intake port that opened above 5500rpm to allow more air into the engine, and reprofiled inlet ports to further improve airflow into the combustion chamber. The net result was 510bhp at 6500rpm, a whole 60bhp more than in the DB9. It was enough to cut the 0-60mph time from 4.9 to 4.2sec and lift the top speed from 186 to 191mph.
There were new adaptive dampers developed with Bilstein, and beefier springs, suspension bushes and anti-roll bars. The DBS was the first Aston road car with 20 inch wheels, wrapped in bespoke Pirelli P Zero rubber, and behind them sat vast carbon-ceramic discs as standard, another first for an Aston.
The DBS also saw the return of a traditional manual gearbox, a six-speed ZF unit, in place of the Vanquish’s improved but never universally loved paddle-shift automated manual. That manual ’box added to the DBS’s old-school, rather masculine appeal. But in an age when most buyers of high-performance cars favoured paddle-shifts, Aston couldn’t sustain its flagship car without a paddle option and in late 2008 launched a Touchtronic version, using a beefed-up version of the six-speed auto from the DB9. This worked extremely well and quickly took the lion’s share of sales, even more so with the launch of the convertible Volante version in 2009, a mere 45 of which were ordered with a manual ’box.
Apart from the introduction of Touchtronic and the Volante, there were few changes during the DBS’s production life. Early cars were all two-seaters (described as 2+0 in Aston parlance); the option of 2+2 seating arrived at the same time as Touchtronic and quickly became the norm.
If there was one model that completely embodied Aston Martin’s ‘Power, Beauty, Soul’ slogan from this era of cars, it was the DBS. Undoubtedly one of the ‘greatest hits’ of the first-generation Gaydon production era that started with the introduction of the DB9 in 2004 and finished when the DB11 was launched in 2017, the DBS continues to be one of the most sought-after models by enthusiasts of the marque and has all the right ingredients for future classic status.
One of the factors that feeds demand is the relatively low production numbers. Enthusiasts keen to purchase a DBS following the initial launch activity were disappointed to have to wait over 12 months after the car’s starring role in Casino Royale, and this delay combined with the effects of the global financial crisis in 2008 explains why, relatively, so few DBSs were sold when new.
Those numbers are having a positive effect on values of cars today, with values already hardening by at least 10% from the bottom of the model’s depreciation curve. We’re finding that interest across all variants – whether coupe or Volante, manual or Touchtronic – remains firm. However, whenever we receive a manual example, the phone does tend to ring off the hook!
Low-mileage cars are, as ever, sought-after. The fact that even the youngest DBS is now at least 10 years old, combined with the fact that these cars were so capable that they were often driven extensively during the early years of their life, means we see higher average mileages than with some other models. Consequently, the job of sourcing the very best examples, the ones that tick all the boxes of condition, mileage, servicing history and ownership, is becoming harder. But there are still many clearly cherished examples to choose from.
The DBS is a model we know well, and we’re delighted to maintain a significant number of examples for our national and international client list. Fundamentally, the DBS was based on tried and tested technology and engineering, being an evolution of the original VH platform and V12 powertrain that had already been well-proven in the DB9 by the time of the DBS’s launch. As a result, our experience is that the DBS is a robust and reliable model, generally requiring only regular maintenance and servicing.
Just as Aston Martin originally did, we recommend an annual servicing regime (unless of course you’re exceeding the 10,000 miles per annum intervals) and we offer a fixed price schedule, the costs being identical to those for the DB9, V12 Vantage, second-generation Vanquish and Rapide. Annual service prices start at just £795 and can be found here in full. Aside from regular servicing and ‘wear and tear’ items such as tyres and brake pads, I am pleased to report that component failure is relatively rare and therefore, given the age of these cars now, an annual servicing/maintenance budget of £2,000-£2,500 would be realistic. Replacement coil packs – and clutch replacements for the three-pedalled versions – probably represent the highest cost items in terms of general maintenance. It’s well worth checking the service history of any potential purchase to see if they’ve been done.
With the bodywork being a marriage of carbonfibre composite and aluminium, corrosion is not a significant problem with the DBS. We do occasionally see bubbling in the paint at particular points – around door handle surrounds and boot lids, for example – caused by electrolytic reaction. In those cases, our paint specialists are on hand to rectify the issue to the highest standards and in a cost-effective manner.
As you may have read, the DBS was the first Aston Martin to feature carbon-ceramic (CCM) brake discs as standard. If treated correctly, these provide both improved braking performance and longevity compared with traditional iron discs. We strongly advise owners to avoid using any wheel cleaning products that may contain corrosive materials – washing with soap and water, Autoglym being our ‘go to’ supplier, is sufficient on the highly polished wheels that feature on the DBS – and if possible put the brakes through a mild heat cycle post-cleaning to dry out any latent moisture.
In our experience, availability of genuine replacement parts for the DBS is excellent, with most parts available within 24 hours directly from Aston Martin. The next bit of good news is that prices benefit from economies of scale, with many components being used across the entire production range from that time. As a result, wear-and-tear items, from shock absorbers to boot struts, tend to be less expensive than the equivalents on earlier Astons. Should you require any parts for your vehicle, our online store lists the complete parts catalogue and has useful diagrams of each area of the car to help identify the particular part you require – handy if you don’t have access to the official part number. Naturally, if you would rather confirm the exact part you require with one of the team, we’re always delighted to assist.
As mentioned elsewhere in this guide, the mechanical specification of the DBS remained constant throughout the production run. And probably as a result of the standard car being so capable and engaging to drive, there’s not a huge demand for performance upgrades. Some owners prefer a little more audio ‘theatre’ and to satisfy that demand we are pleased to be a distributor for Quicksilver Exhausts, who provide high quality sports exhausts with a range of sound and material options. These can be viewed here.
We also regularly supply various cosmetic upgrades for the DBS, from carbonfibre door mirror covers to replacement wheel centres and Aston Martin valve caps along with replacement aluminium gear knobs (if yours is starting to show its age). Lastly, to keep your DBS in the best condition when not in use, we stock a range of indoor and outdoor car covers and battery conditioners, both of which are best-sellers.
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