The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera is the 715bhp replacement for the Vanquish

Great name isn’t it, DBS Superleggera. We know both parts of the badge of old, though not necessarily together. The first DBS arrived in 1967 when William Towns’ now-iconic fastback coupe was unveiled as the radical replacement for the DB6. It took a while to catch on and then in ’72 the badge promptly disappeared, not resurfacing until it was used for the flagship version of the DB9 35 years later. And that only lasted until 2012 when the Vanquish took over. Now Vanquish is out and DBS is back. Keep up!

Superleggera has never been a model in its own right but all enthusiasts know it from the script badge that runs up the edge of bonnets of DBs of old – exactly as it does on the new DBS. Here though it is more evocative badge than true indicator of the lightweight construction technique pioneered by coachbuilder Touring of Milan. At 1,639kg the DBS Superleggera weighs a little less than the DB11 on which it is based – and it is 100kg less than the outgoing Vanquish S.

Here, as the pictures so powerfully show, is the new bees’ knees Aston Martin. The all-singing, all-dancing, £225,000 (plus options) flagship from Gaydon. There’s – what else? – a V12 under the bonnet, an extravagantly luxurious interior, a boot with space for bags, and a dramatically-honed physique. That’s what Aston calls the body anyway and we’re not about to argue.

Just as the 2007 DBS was DB9 based the new one equally wouldn’t exist without the DB11. An evolution of that car’s bonded aluminium structure, with the same wheelbase, forms the light but strong basis of the new car. A difference over its predecessor however is how the new model’s all carbon-fibre body panels deliver their own individual and powerful design character. Yes there’s a clear DB11 link – in the proportions and design cues like the “Aeroblade” – but it’s unlikely you will ever mistake one for the other.

The stand out bits to us are that grille  – no chance of not seeing that coming – the F1-derived double diffuser at the rear, the bonnet with its power bulges and flared nostrils, the colour-contrast roof, some very tasty new side strakes and Vulcan-inspired “open stirrup” vents, and shoulders and haunches right out of body-building classes. The DB11 looks like a pussycat after this, but a bigger question might be: is it as good looking as the car it replaces, the Vanquish S?

Certainly in aero terms it’s a success; with 180kg of downward pressure at maximum speed the DBS Superleggera has more downforce than any other production Aston.

Aston says the aero is primarily to enhance high-speed stability and comes with no penalty to drag, so allowing for a top speed of 211mph. That’s way up on the Vanquish and the same as the 812 Superfast from Maranello. The new Aston can’t match the Ferrari’s 0-62mph time or power output though. The DBS gets 715bhp, against the Ferrari’s 789bhp, and springs from rest to 62mph in 3.4 seconds, just half a second down on the Superfast.

But… this Aston is a mobile torque-fest. The twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 from the DB11 has been tweaked to deliver 900Nm (664 lb ft) which is not only considerably more than the DB11 but almost 180Nm more than the Ferrari, and peaking at fewer revs. The Aston’s max grunt is available all the way from 1,800rpm to 5,000rpm. That translates to what Aston says is class-leading in-gear acceleration, 50-100mph in fourth gear being waved away in just in 4.2 seconds. For a super-GT it’s surely the more relevant number than the 0-62 time.

This promise of effortless performance goes hand in hand with what Aston says is plenty of long distance touring comfort and refinement, and a dynamic ability “honed to engage drivers of all ability levels”. Read that as implying it won’t bite back when you give it the beans. With ride and handling sorted by Aston suspension guru Matt Becker you’d better believe it.

“While we wanted to create a very, very fast car, it was crucial that it didn’t terrify less experienced drivers,” Matt tells us. “To this end we’ve honed the dynamics so that it’s agile and connected, but also linear and progressive as you work towards its limits. Much like we’ve tuned the engine to deliver the meat of its performance at real world revs, we’ve tuned the handling to engage and reward drivers of all ability levels”.

If you want a reminder in everyday driving of just how awesome its performance punch is you can always select Sport or Sport Plus and revel in the full cacophony of a V12 breathing out through four titanium exhaust pipes. Aston says the differences in responses (and noise) between drive modes are the most pronounced of all the current models.

It’s a little shorter, rides a little lower and weighs a little less than the DB11, but otherwise there’s a lot of commonality in the running gear, beefed up where necessary and with bespoke suspension geometry. Carbon brakes, mechanical limited-slip diff, dynamic torque vectoring, adaptive damping with Skyhook, electric steering and rear-mounted ZF eight-speed automatic transmission all feature, and come with all the plaudits already piled high on the DB11. There are two 21-inch wheel designs available, either shod with Pirelli P Zero rubber, 9.5J wide at the front, 11.5 at the rear. The tyres  are fitted with noise-absorbing foam to reduce road noise.

The DBS Superleggera is a two-door – no lift-up tailgate like the Ferrari – with a separate  boot that, as the pictures show, can take four soft bags. There is 2+2 seating but it is not known if this newest Aston offers as much “+2” accommodation as the DB11.

What we do know is that the interior tries very hard to justify the extra £65k the car costs over a V12 DB11. All the comfort, convenience and craftsmanship you expect of a flagship is there, along with scope for personalisation with a range of Designer Specifications.

Super-GTs rule! It’s not difficult to see the appeal. Supercar meets gran turismo and with the DBS Superleggera Aston’s name is right at the forefront of the breed.