Review: Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante
Erin Baker
Under a baking sun in the Montsant National Park west of Barcelona, it was hard to tell where the heat was coming from: engine bay, brakes or the scorching tarmac. The temperature outside was heading north of 30 degrees, but it would be foolish to complain.
This is a hot car in every sense of the word: it is the convertible version of Aston’s latest flagship, the DBS Superleggera, which answers the growing popularity of the super-GT niche. And so this car is front-engined, with rear-wheel-drive, room inside for all the necessities for a week-long trip and soft enough suspension to relax its occupants.
On the other hand, it’s a mighty beast, with enough power to put you in real trouble if you’re not extremely careful on public roads. That 5.2-litre, twin-turbo V12 engine sends 725 horsepower and 900Nm of torque to the rear wheels, which can quite easily send you to oversteer from a 40mph, straight-line position…
The character of this car belies that grand-touring description, and makes the DBS Superleggera, in coupe or convertible form, one of the lairiest road cars we’ve driven in the last few years.
The 0-62mph time is 3.6 seconds, which doesn’t sound as mighty as it feels, and the top speed is 211mph, with the roof up or down; the immense power under continuous acceleration suggests that top speed would be easily attainable.
Stirred into this potent mix is the jaw-dropping eight-speed automatic transmission, which chief engineer Matt Becker has developed to react almost as quickly as a dual-clutch transmission, but with the torque converter on board it means it behaves itself round town in a way the dual-clutch service doesn’t. Changes also come with a soundtrack which makes them feel even faster than they are (if that sounds daft, it came from Becker himself).
At speed, with the roof down, the interior is remarkably unruffled. The loudest turbulence comes from the noisy clashes of materials and designs - why Aston can’t design the inside of its cars as beautifully as it does the outside was the cause of many scratched heads among journalists on the launch - the plastic air vents and multiple changes in leather surfaces just don’t match the potent simplicity and grace of the bodywork.
But boy, this car from the outside presents probably the most elegant automotive form on the roads today. With the small fabric roof raised, the silhouette is one of a fastback – low, sleek and artfully graceful; a study in the line of beauty. The rear is chunky, wide and poised (wider and lower than the coupe version, for structural reasons), and when the roof is down, it adds much-needed downforce. Our car was a bright orange with a charcoal roof, orange calipers and black leather with orange piping on the insides. It’s a storming combination for a stunning flagship.
Conclusion? Removing the tin-top of the standard Superleggera hasn’t made it any less of a car. It’s loud, beautiful, incredibly fast and, perhaps most importantly, very good fun.
Make sure you catch the DBS Superleggera Volante in the Michelin Supercar Paddock at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard this weekend.
Stat attack
Price: £247,500
Engine: 5.2-litre, twin-turbo V12 petrol
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive
Power/torque: 725PS (715bhp) @ 6,500rpm/900Nm (666lb ft) @ 1,800-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 3.6 seconds
Top speed: 211mph
Kerb weight: 1,863kg
Review
Aston Martin
DBS Superleggera
