Aston Martin DBS | Spotted
For roughly half the price of a new Vantage, you can have the old Aston Martin V12 flagship. Tough one...
I happen to be of the opinion that the previous, non-Superleggera DBS was one of the best looking Aston Martins ever made. Uniting the svelte, elegant lines of the DB9 with the brutish physique of Daniel Craig's 007, it really hit the styling sweet spot between classy GT and purposeful supercar. Examples are now available for under £65,000, but it isn't a race to the bottom that we're after today. Instead I submit for your consideration this £76,995 car with just 22,000 miles on the clock.
With a tweaked version of Aston's bespoke 6.0-litre V12 beneath the bonnet, the DBS produced 517hp and 420lb ft of torque, but a 60hp increase over the DB9 wasn't enough to grant flagship status on its own. Extensive use of carbon fibre resulted in a 65kg weight reduction too - for a total of 1,695kg - leading to a corresponding bump in power-to-weight ratio from 260hp per tonne to 305hp. The 0-60 sprint took 4.2 seconds versus the DB9's 4.9, while top speed was just shy of 200mph.
A new exhaust, ceramic brakes, uprated springs and anti-roll bars, widened tracks and 20-inch lightweight wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tyres completed the package. But despite its appearance being on the money, its driving characteristics were some way wide of the mark, managing to be neither focussed enough to rival Ferrari or cosseting enough to trouble Bentley.
The car met with a frosty reception when it launched in 2007, journalists declaring its curious dynamic - the result of a combination of spiky handling and overly soft chassis - insufficient to justify its elevated status over the DB9 on which it was based. It didn't take Aston long to set about making things right, though, revising the damper and chassis settings to eventually strike a far better balance.
All this led PH's review of the time to conclude that the DBS "may not have quite the same charisma of the Vanquish but, in most areas, it is a massively better car than its predecessor. And as an alternative to a Ferrari 599 it makes a surprisingly good case for itself."
A comparable 599 will set you back £12,000 more, though. And when you consider that the £160,000 which Aston Martin charged for a DBS in 2008 is the equivalent of £210,000 today - making our Spotted nearly two-thirds off its original RRP - the man maths calculations begin to make even more sense. A case for ownership could be made on looks alone, but the DBS offers plenty of depth beneath the surface, too.
SPECIFICATION - ASTON MARTIN DBS
Engine: 5,935cc, V12
Transmission: 6-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 517@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 420@5,750rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 2010
Recorded mileage: 22,000
Price new: £160,000
Yours for: £76,995
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