Aston Affirms Bond Sticks With DBS

Don't worry about old James Bond. Since he ditched his suits for a Speedo and took on a blond 'do, it's been rumored that he'd switch driving machines again--particularly since former Aston Martin owners at Ford have other vehicles they'd like to "prominently place" on movie screens everywhere.

But for the new Bond movie in development--tagged only Bond 22 for now as a title is yet undecided--Daniel Craig will, once again, pilot an Aston DBS. Craig's first Bond flick, 2006's Casino Royale, saw him jet around in the Aston supercar for the first time, setting a Guinness record for "most cannon rolls in a car" at the same time. In that stunt, Aston reminds us, stuntman Adam Kirley rolled the DBS seven times for the cameras. (And we swore it was CGI!)

Bond's former Astons include the DB5 from 1964's Goldfinger, which features ejector seats and rockets. More recently, the Vanquish appeared in DIe Another Day.

The new Bond film isn't due until November of 2008, giving the community involved plenty of time to figure out how to get deadly new gadgets into the DBS.

© Source: thecarconnection
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First Drive: 2008 Aston Martin DBS.Be James Bond at 191 mph

Low, sleek and yet self-consciously aggressive, the 2008 Aston Martin DBS is the ultimate expression of the contemporary Aston Martin.

The 2008 Aston Martin DBS is the car that Aston CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez describes as "thunder and lightning." Aston Martin must achieve the prestige of Ferrari to survive as an influential manufacturer of sports cars, and that means the DBS must measure up against the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

A Surprising Start

For the DBS, Aston Martin presents you with a plastic controller topped with a crystal, described as an ECU — Emotion Control Unit. (Well, it'll be stainless steel and a sapphire if you actually pay the $265,000.) It slots into the center of the starter button, which then glows warmly red as the 5,935cc V12 comes to life.

This is the same Ford-designed engine featured in the DB9, still assembled by hand in Cologne, Germany. It's been slightly revised for the DBS, and the changes include a taller 10.9:1 compression ratio and a bypass valve in the intake tract that opens at 5,500 rpm to admit more air into the engine at peak rpm. The upshot of this is a 60-horsepower hike in power from the DB9's 450-hp calibration to 510 hp at 6,500 rpm. The torque output remains unchanged at 420 pound-feet, available at 5,750 rpm.

The deep, rich tone from the V12 engine is instantly familiar, now a signature of Aston Martin. Reach out for the shift lever of the six-speed manual transmission (an automated sequential manual will be available later), and slot into 1st gear. The shift action is heavy, as you would expect from a rear-mounted transaxle required to process so much power, yet it's precise and manageable, while the clutch action is light and linear. The DBS might be powerful, but it's not intimidating.

© Source: edmunds
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