by Matthew de Paula, ForbesAutos.com
The V12 Vanquish S ceases production after 2006 to make way for a new top dog.
With the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish S ceasing production at the end of 2006, the 2008 DBS will become the top-performing and most extreme road-going Aston Martin available.
Company execs describe the DBS as a thinly veiled race car adapted for the street. It looks like a DB9 on steroids, with added scoops, strakes and bulging fenders. Technical details hadn’t been released as of publication time, but company officials confirmed that the car's performance and handling capabilities will exceed that of the DB9 on which it's based.
Aston Martin gave a sneak peek of the DBS and the fothcmoing V8 Vantage Roadster at a private event in October for 300 guests, including Aston Martin owners, prospective clients and dealers. ForbesAutos.com was among the few members of the media on hand to snap some photographs (see inset image with links to photo gallery).
The DBS on display at the event was featured in the latest 007 film Casino Royale and was decked out with special spy gadgets, such as a glove box with a cut-out for Bond's Walther pistol and various special switches sprinkled throughout the central control panel.
The production version of the DBS should come out in late 2007 but won’t get the Bond gadgets. Aston Martin design diretor Marek Reichman said that the new DBS is a good match for the latest Bond actor. “Daniel Craig brings a sort of masculine quality to the role,” Martin Reichman said. “The new DBS has the same feel — it’s a muscle-bound man in a fitted tuxedo.”
Did You Know ...
The new DBS’ otherworldly stability posed some problems for the Casino Royale stunt team, according to an insider who writes about it on a blog at the movie’s official website. The DBS was supposed to hit a ramp, get airborne and do several rolls in midair. But the car’s low center of gravity thwarted the team’s efforts.
To solve the problem, an air cannon was devised by the special-effects team and mounted behind the driver’s seat. When triggered, a cylinder struck the ground and caused the intended effect so well that the DBS broke a Guinness world record by rolling seven times in the air before crashing to a halt.
