Aston Martin waves goodbye to its grandest of tourers with the DBS 770 Ultimate Edition

Those of you hoping for Aston Martin’s bold step forward into a new electrified future will have to wait a little bit longer. This is not that car, and nor (we suspect) is the next one, or even the one after that. Instead, the Aston Martin DBS 770 Ultimate edition is designed to usher out a model and an engine that have been at the core of the Aston Martin experience for many years. 

Taking the Aston Martin DBS 770 Ultimate for a spin

All 499 units of the production run have already been pre-sold, 300 of which are coupés and 199 are open-topped Volante models. We sampled the former, trying out the Warwickshire-based company’s own example of this run-out collectors’ edition. 

Since it debuted in 2018 as a vastly more powerful, restyled and upgraded version of the DB11, the DBS has been Aston Martin’s flagship model. The DBS name itself can be traced back to the 1970s, but in the modern era there was a notable predecessor in the 2007 DBS, which had a similar visual and mechanical relationship to the Aston Martin DB9. 

The original DBS models were given the ‘Superleggera’ appellation, a historic name that was somewhat at odds with the car’s size and weight. For the past couple of years, ‘superlight’ has been quietly dropped. In the case of the ‘770 Ultimate’, the number refers to the engine output in PS (‘PferdStarke’, or metric horsepower), making this the most powerful production Aston Martin ever made. 

There are tweaks and fettles all over this machine to get that power get down without incident. Spoilers and diffusers front and rear have been uprated, and there are dynamic changes like a new steering column, firmer cross-bracing and re-tuned suspension. The Ultimate edition can also be recognised by the horse-shoe engine vent in the massive front bonnet and the lavish application of carbon fibre trim wherever possible. 

The engine itself has increased turbo boost and other tuning enhancements to increase the power output, with a responsiveness, soundtrack, and thirst befitting of 5.2 litres and 12 cylinders. The 8-speed transmission and carbon ceramic brakes are retained from the ‘standard’ model, while the 21-inch wheels are a new design specifically for this model. 

In the metal, the DBS 770 Ultimate has unrivalled presence. It really is one of the most handsome machines produced by this aesthetics-obsessed car company, a perfect blend of traditional proportion, muscular detailing, and fluid lines. The interior hasn’t aged quite so well, although the tang of leather and the thrum of the V12 offset any misgivings one might have about the ageing displays and layout. Treat the DBS like an instant classic, not a cutting-edge device, and it makes a lot more sense. 

Options and accessories are a bottomless well of possibilities, ranging from a four-piece bespoke luggage set to a unique drinks case, as well as the undivided attention of the Q by Aston Martin bespoke division, should you require more. 

It would be a crying shame if none of these final models is properly used. The DBS has always been a fantastically romantic grand tourer, splicing the joy of travel with the untrammelled ability to overtake, thanks to that ever-eager V12. The DBS 770 Ultimate dials up the potency a notable amount, with just 3.2 seconds required for the sprint to 60; double that to get to 100mph. In-gear acceleration is simply astounding, regardless of which of the car’s three driving modes, GT, Sport and Sport+, is engaged, and the theoretical top speed of 211mph remains indecently lofty and practically unattainable. 

The breadth of ability of this car is impressive. The big Aston is equally at home on a fast stretch of autoroute, utterly planted and stable, with its engine barely ticking over at speed, as it is on the winding roads that criss-cross the Cotswolds. The steering is communicative and fast, the throttle response instant, the sound unmistakable. 

There’s very little subtlety at play, but that’s exactly what the DBS has always been about; a strong character with a charm that conquers all. With two years in hand before the first pure EV bearing the famous winged badge breaks cover, AM still has time to revisit, revise and finesse its traditional front-engined range. The V12 might be entering its twilight years, but this is a fond but ‘ferocious farewell’.  

Aston Martin DBS 770 Ultimate, AstonMartin.com