The DBS inherits both its bonded aluminium chassis and its 6.0-litre V12 from the DB9 but tunes both to suit its more extreme ends. The engine gains a bypass in its inlet port to allow it to breathe more easily at high revs, while the ports themselves have been reshaped to improve the flow of air into the engine.
The result is a substantial power increase, from 450bhp at 6000rpm to 510bhp at 6500rpm. Peak torque remains unchanged at 420lb ft, but it comes in at 5750rpm rather than 5000rpm. Then again, carbon panels and ceramic brakes have dropped the kerb weight of the DBS by a claimed 65kg relative to the DB9, so there is less work for that torque to do.
The chassis has also been substantially revised. It benefits not only from bespoke spring and anti-roll bar settings but also a wider track and, most importantly, adaptive dampers that are capable of switching automatically between five different settings in the car’s sport and comfort modes.
The brakes are not just carbon ceramic rather than steel; they’re also colossal (398mm in diameter at the front compared with just 355mm on a DB9). No wonder you have to have 20in wheel rims on your DBS, in place of the standard 19in items on the DB9.