New Aston Martin DBS 770 Ultimate revealed
Most powerful Aston Martin road car kicks off 110th Anniversary celebrations
It remains our favourite modern era Aston Martin, blending the best interpretation of the brand's design language with the performance to meet its British Ferrari aspirations. But the DBS, along with the current DB11 and Vantage aren’t long for the road in their current guise with significant changes due from spring this year with a heavily revised DB11 first on the cards. Before this, however, comes a handful of specials to see out the old guard, the first of which is this, the £314,000 DBS 770 Ultimate.
As its name suggests a power increase is core to the latest DBS edition, of which only 499 examples will be available (300 coupes and 199 Volantes) but as is the modern way, all are already spoken for.
Those who will be taking delivery this autumn are getting the most powerful series-production Aston Martin road car in the firm's 110 year history. This achievement has been made possible due to a modified air intake and uprated ignition system for the twin-turbocharged V12 along with a seven percent increase in turbo boost, resulting in a 44bhp gain over the standard DBS’s 715bhp, with torque remaining unchanged at 664lb ft to stop the ZF eight-speed auto from ingesting itself. Former CEO Tobias Moers’ plans for adopting the AMG GT Black Series flat-plane crank V8 for the ultimate DBS have, unfortunately, been laid to rest.
Both power and torque curves have been modified to maximise the 5.2-litre quad-cam V12’s extra power, although both peaks are delivered at the same 6500rpm and between 1800 and 5000rpm respectively.
Against the clock the 770 Ultimate is no quicker than a DBS, with the same 3.5-second 0-60mph time and 211mph peak. At 1845kg the 770 Ultimate weighs the same, too.
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That eight-speed ZF still forms a transaxle with drive sent through the DBS’s carbon-fibre prop and delivered to each rear wheel via a mechanical limited slip diff, with 305/30 R21 Pirelli P Zeros wrapped around the Valkyrie and Victor inspired design wheels. The front tyres measure 265/35 and are the same diameter. Behind these you’ll find the DBS’s 410mm carbon-ceramic brake discs at the front, smaller 360mm items on the rear.
Changes and updates to the chassis are a little more encompassing. The steering column is now solidly mounted to improve precision across the front axle and increase driver feedback. Front-end lateral stiffness has also been increased by 25 percent to improve response and feel, too, with a new front cross-member and thicker rear undertray. As a result torsional stiffness has increased by three percent.
These performance upgrades have also resulted in the 770 Ultimate requiring a new calibration for the adaptive damper system, with the software tuned to improve body control and high speed composure without, Aston claims, any detriment to the car’s ride quality.
The power hike to the V12 has required a number of design changes to the DBS’s aluminium and carbon fibre body, the most obvious being the horse-shoe opening in the clamshell bonnet to improve air-flow through the radiators. A new front splitter also integrates a pair of outboard vents, again to aid cooling and airflow. There’s also a new rear diffuser to manage the aero balance front-to-rear.
Exterior and interior jewellery completes the 770 Ultimate’s look, with carbon fibre everywhere you look combined with leather and Alcantara inside. However, DBS customers will need to wait until the heavily revised model arrives in 2024 to benefit from the updated Mercedes-sourced infotainment system destined for the new generation of cars.
