This Aston Martin Restomod is named after a Skoda for some reason
The Ringbrothers Octavia might sound like a Skoda saloon that’s received a V8 heart transplant in time for SEMA, but it’s actually an Aston Martin…
Of all the cars in the world that you could choose to restomod, would a 1971 Aston Martin DBS be at the top of your list? Dynamically, possibly but in terms of style, the original is not a lot short of perfection. Well, it’s the car US aftermarket and social media titan Ringbrothers has chosen for its next bombshell project and its most advanced to date, after making a splash in the past from everything from a Ford GT40 to a DeTomaso Pantera. And naturally, they’ve called it… Octavia.
Revealed at The Quail during Monterey Car Week, the Octavia features a totally new, vastly more aggressive carbonfibre body and a new unrelated-to-the-Aston 805bhp 5-litre supercharged V8. Yes, one more closely related to that found in a Ford Mustang, a car with which this shares a curious resemblance.
> Aston Martin Vantage (1993 - 2000) review – Britain's 550bhp hand-built muscle car
Indeed it’s an unspoken truth that those snub-nosed Astons had more than a little bit of Detroit muscle in their William Townsend-penned aggressive lines, stubby snout and tail. Especially off the back of the curvaceous DB5 and DB6. So when a tuner famous for its classic muscle car builds has a crack at restomodding one, the risk of even more Detroit-isation is real.
It’s happened to an extent, if not only because the lines inherent to the DBS welcome it. It’s wider, by eight inches at the front and 10 inches at the rear. Ringbrothers were keen to give the Aston DBS more of a ‘cokebottle’ figure that's part of what makes later Callum-drawn and VH era Astons so elegant, yet muscular. Being lower too, with that more aggressive snout, there’s more than a little original Mustang Mach 1 energy here.
There’s also a little bit of TWR Supercat, in that it’s a 1970s British coupe that’s been warped into something much more aggressive and motorsport-influenced – yes, the Vantage racer affectionately known as the ‘Muncher’ springs to mind too, especially when looking at that jutting chin spoiler that admittedly looks a good way more sophisticated than the monster racer.
Speaking to the extent of the work done here is the fact the wheelbase has been extended, with the wheels 3 inches further forward. Exact details of how the chassis has been modified aren’t given, though it’s safe to assume what little Aston remains has been contorted and braced. Look underneath and you’ll see plenty of bracing and carbonfibre but then be immediately distracted by the lurid green transmission and differential.
The car also features a structural cage integrated with the body. Three-piece centre lock Ragle design and HRE custom designed wheels hang from FOX RS SV fixed valve coilovers at all four corners, shrouding 14-inch Brembo brake discs at the front clamped by six-piston calipers.
The Ford Performance V8 has been fettled and fitted with a 2.65-litre harrop supercharger to produce 805bhp in what Ringbrothers calls the ‘street’ tune, suggesting more is possible with more aggressive software. That power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. There are no performance or weight figures given.
Credit to them, the whole thing is very tight and very well finished. All the brightwork and trim is milled billet aluminium or 3D printed in stainless steel. The latter features on the inside too, as does a carbonfibre dash. The door handles were machined from brass and the leather is pleated.
> Used Aston Martin V12 Vantage (2009 - 2018) review – manual V12 for less than a Cayman
Try to hold back the chunks when we tell you this one: the valve caps are also machined with Aston Martin emblems on them, with an i on the end to make ‘Aston Martini’. The oil dipstick handle is also designed to look like a Martini glass… Can’t have an Aston without Bond, can you. Indeed, the whole car is an answer to the question ‘what would an MI6 agent drive on their holidays?’.
In all the car is the result of around 12,000 combined hours of work at Ringbrothers. As for the Octavia name? We’re waiting on an explanation for that one but to our eyes, there’s not much influence from the faithful Czech family saloon to be seen here.
