The new Aston Martin DBS gets pulses racing in USA

With only 240 copies coming to America, the Aston Martin DBS is about as rare as they come. Chances are you will never see one roaming your local roadways and quite frankly many Americans have no idea what the brand is really about. The easiest way to see Aston’s halo car is to head to your local video store and rent "Casino Royale," the last James Bond flick. In it, Daniel Craig’s Bond royally wrecks a DBS by rolling it seven and a half times - a world record. Hurts just watching - reports King5.

Historically 007 has a thing for Aston Martins. Competing with Doc Brown’s Delorean and Bullit’s Mustang for Most Famous Movie Car Ever is the Aston Martin DB5 from "Goldfinger" (and later "Thunderball"). Equipped with retractable Browning machine guns, tire shedding blades in the wheels, passenger ejection seat and, exotic for the time, a radio telephone, the Aston practically upstaged Sean Connery for star appeal. I could write this piece using all sorts of 007 references but it would annoy you and create work for me. Besides, only trouble can come from using Octopussy in a sentence.

Unlike a movie, the DBS carries a steep admission fee, $265,000 to be exact. There is no stripped model unless you consider the DB9 on which it’s based to be an economy model. The DBS gets all sorts of pieces from the DBRS racing machine. The folks at Aston Martin insist that if a part doesn’t have a go-fast function, it’s not part of the car. The widened fenders become lightweight carbon fiber with a patented resin finish to eliminate the weave pattern normally found on the material. A front splitter and brake cooling slots are added up front, the back gets a lower diffuser. Vents are added to the bonnet (that’s hood to you Mr. America) to help the 6.0-liter 510 horse V12 breath better. More about that later.

For the indecisive, plunking down an entire vault of cash may be the easiest part of the transaction since each car is custom built. Want to match the paint color of that favorite Hot Wheels from your youth? Can do. Pink and yellow interior with burgundy stitching? It’s your car and the folks from Gaydon will acquiesce, though I would hope with some attempt of mild persuasion when poor taste trumps great wealth. The cars on hand at the Dallas, Texas press launch are all tastefully coordinated. Some have “piano black” lacquered wood trim on the instrument panel, others sport textured aluminum. Vegetarians take note, the cabin uses seven hides of leather to complete. Full iPod integration is included, making the DBS the most expensive MP3 player accessory on the market at this writing.

Starting the car is pure theatre. Once situated in the deeply, but not too deeply bolstered seat (and no, there isn’t a passenger ejection option), insert the sapphire crystal key into its slot and hold. After the computer runs a brief diagnostic the V12 burbles to life. Lose the key and a replacement will set you back $2,000. The engine is a work of art in both mechanical and organic fashion like a pair of lungs rendered in alloy. I would be happy to own just the lovely strut tower bracing let alone the whole car.

Slip the short-throw 6-speed manual into gear No. 1 and you’ll enjoy a clutch take-up that’s smooth and easy. Unlike some high strung supercars, the DBS will cruise at triple digits and remain comfortable and easy to drive for everyday use. Given a bump in my paycheck I could see this as my daily commuter. How do I know it can cruise at such lofty speeds? Well, while I didn’t come close to it’s top speed of 191 miles an hour my, uh, driving partner drove in this fashion on the back farm roads of Texas whilst sipping Diet Coke. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. With no testing equipment, the seat of my Levis guestimates that 0-60 happens in around 4.5 seconds. Could be faster.

That doesn’t tell the whole story though, since dropping down a gear and stomping on the gas provides instant passing power. It will blow by a Toyota Sienna minivan impeding your way faster than you can say “Sean Connery was the best Bond ever.” There is wind noise at high speed but it’s even and managed. The bonded aluminum chassis structure is as solid as the Euro these days. Exotic race derived carbon ceramic brakes will scrub off speed so fast the seat belt hurts. The suspension and stability control is electronically adjustable and yes you can tell the difference between regular and sport. My only quibble with the DBS (other than the fact that owning one is out of the question) is that I prefer touch screen navigation units to the knob based unit used here. I’d somehow live with it. The boot, known as the trunk here in the states, is on the small size. If I had my normal bundles of bath tissue on hand to measure it I’d say it scores a 3, maybe 4. That really is an Aston Martin umbrella mounted back there not a cleverly disguised laser cannon.

The question that logically comes up is whether this car is worth its lofty price tag. Who's to say? For wealthy folks who want a rapid transit system tailored specifically to their demanding tastes it's hard to beat. An interesting info McNugget, body panels are all painted horizontally rather the dipped method used for most cars. Aston’s method insures perfectly uniform coating. Indeed, the paint looks so deep you’ll swear you can reach through it. There are precious few options though one is a bit over the top for my sensible Midwest upbringing. It’s a watch. 999 copies will be screwed together at a cost of $30,000. Each. No, that’s not a typo.

Aston Martin is an independent car company now that Ford has sold it to private investors. Considering the DBS is rumored to be sold out for the next five years the company seems to be doing fine. And why not? There are a lot of wealthy people in the world and buyers are encouraged to visit the factory in Gaydon, England to choose colors, watch their cars being hand built and meet the craftsmen doing it. There’s even a driving school to show off the deep capabilities of this car. Now that’s customer service. Because of the small numbers made, the big screen is the only way most of us will see the handsome and athletic DBS. It’s slated for another role in the upcoming James Bond flick "The Quantum of Solace." An odd title to be sure, but the car is to "Live and Let Die" for. Sorry. Dragging out one final Bond cliché, the DBS leaves me stirred, not shaken.

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