Aston Martin / orange Rush

Orange Rush: Aston Martin DBS

Jeancy

Back in March, Aston Martin stole the Geneva Motor Show with two radical concepts. The ‘Son of Valkyrie’ AM-RB 003 hypercar – since christened Valhalla – arrives in 2021 and will be Daniel Craig’s wheels in the next Bond movie. The Vanquish is due a year later, a direct rival for the Ferrari F8 Tributo and McLaren 720S. Both cars break the mould by being mid-engined. And both also employ a downsized, hybridised V6: a first for the brand.

For those not versed in all things Aston, ‘Volante’ means convertible and the DBS Superleggera is the firm’s flagship GT. This drop-top version costs £247,500 and first deliveries are scheduled for autumn 2019. Power comes from a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12, and there’s plenty of it: 725hp at 6,500rpm. That equates to 0-62mph in 3.6sec, 0-100mph in 6.7sec and 211mph flat-out – the latter achievable with the roof up or down, apparently. Efficiency figures (like you care) are 20.1mpg and 295g/km.

The DBS Superleggera was already the best looking car on sale, but the Volante kicks it off the catwalk. Sinewy and shrink-wrapped, it bulges in all the right places. Unlike some supercars, the Aston doesn’t resort to aggressive aero appendages. It’s far too cultivated for that. Nonetheless, details such as the ‘curlicues’ behind the front wheels, double diffuser and ‘Aeroblade II’ rear spoiler deliver real downforce; a total of 177kg at Vmax is just 3kg less than the coupe.

Much of the profit on cars like this stems from personalisation, and Aston Martin’s ‘Q’ division (note the knowing Bond reference) is happy to help. With options factored in, the price of my test car had snowballed to £301,760. Sadly, Q’s efforts didn’t include rotating number plates or pop-out machine guns, but then pearlescent Cosmos Orange paint is hardly suitable for a spy. A special-order shade, it glints yellow in the Spanish sunshine, showing off the Volante’s flawless physique.

Inside is where the DBS clearly reveals its roots. There are longer shift paddles, shapelier seats, a hooded instrument binnacle and a squared-off steering wheel, but little else differs from the DB11: a car first launched in 2016. The old-tech Mercedes-Benz media system is a case in point. With its blocky graphics, clunky interface and modest 8.0-inch screen, it seems unbecoming of a £250k car.

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