The revamped Aston Martin DBS will spearhead the firm’s family of revised DB9 supercars, due for launch from late 2012.
This Aston Martin DBS prototype, scooped here in Germany, also reveals secrets of the new DB9, which include a revised front grille and bumpers, fresh bodyside styling and a revised cockpit. The changes will have to keep the eight-year-old DB9 and its derivatives fresh until 2015/16, when an all-new car is due to be launched.
See all the spy pics of the new Aston Martin DBS
The exterior changes to the DB9 and DBS — the first major makeover on the platform — are subtle. The main surprise is the new grille, which moves away from today’s curved shape derived from the 1960s DB family to a single, more contemporary opening.
There are also overtones of the ultra-exclusive One-77. These will shift the DB family away from the smooth and elegant look established in 2003 by Ian Callum, now Jaguar design chief, and closer to the One-77 theme of current Aston design boss Marek Reichman.
The bonnet, for example, features just a pair of cooling vents in a pane with a much more sculpted surface. But the most noticeable styling change is to the bodysides, which now feature One-77-inspired deeply concave surfaces.
Flowing out of the trademark vent on each front wing is a crisp line that has been part of the Vantage’s styling since 2005 and also features on the new V12 Zagato.
The DBS will get a mildly modified interior. The instrument display appears to feature more conventional black-on-white dials, although the speedo and revcounter are still contra-rotating.
Under the skin, the DBS is expected to produce about 20bhp more from its 6.0-litre V12, pushing peak power to around 630bhp.
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