Aston-Martin has provided further information about the DBS 770 Ultimate, the company’s penultimate internal combustion GT supercar. This year will be the last for Aston Martins powered only by internal combustion engines as the 2024 Valhalla is slated to be introduced by the end of the year.
The Valhalla is Aston’s first mid-engine plug-in hybrid hypercar, with a Mercedes-AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo gasoline-electric hybrid driveline producing 937 horsepower. Aston Martin anticipates having an entirely electrified lineup by 2030.
So the DBS 770 Ultimate represents a final howl of performance from what appears to be rapidly fading technology. But the powertrain is not going away quietly.
“When an iconic model generation reaches the end of production it is important to mark the occasion with something special,” Roberto Fedeli, Aston Martin’s chief technology officer. “In the case of the DBS 770 Ultimate, we have spared nothing in ensuring the final version of our current series production flagship is the best-ever in every respect.”
What’s under the bonnet
This ferocious final flagship comes with Aston Martin’s quad-cam, twin-turbocharged, 60-degree 5.2-liter V-12 engine rated at 770 metric horsepower and 900 Newton-meters of torque through a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission and mechanical limited rear slip differential. That translates to 760 hp and 664 pound-feet of torque for us Yanks. Top speed is 211 mph.
To improve the engine’s breathing, the DBS 770 Ultimate is fitted with a horse-shoe-shaped hood engine vent and a new front splitter that integrates two new outboard vents. The car is also fitted with carbon fiber exterior trim detailing in the mirror caps, windshield trim, fender louvre, and side trim. A distinctive rear diffuser distinguishes it from other DBS models.
Beyond more power, engineers went to work massage the DBS, buy providing more feel in the steering for more precision. Front end lateral stiffness has been improved by 25% by “enhancing” the front cross member. Upgrades were also made to the adaptive damping system through exclusive calibration and software revisions. The car is fitted with 21-inch Pirelli P-Zero high performance tires; 265/35 R21 front and 305/30 R21 at the rear.
The inside story
Of course, being a special edition, you’d expect a unique interior, and you get it. Special sports seats re trimmed in quilted semi-aniline leather and Alcantara. There are the requisite trim plates, not to mention other details, such as contrasting color on the cabin’s trim and carbon fiber shift paddles.
You can specify your vehicle to be fitted with bespoke options such as exterior graphics, painted wheels, tinted carbon fiber and woven leather seat inserts, trim inlays and a carbon fiber steering wheel.
Aston Martin will initiate production within the next couple months, producing 300 Coupes or 199 Volantes. Expect them to reach dealers beginning in the third quarter of 2023. Pricing was not announced.
A busy year
It’s been a busy 12 months for the boutique automaker, which sold 1,845 vehicles in the U.S. in 2022, down 14.2% from the 2,150 retailed in 2021.
In March 2022, the British automaker announced its 5.2-liter V-12 engine, rated at 690 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque, would power 333 final editions of the Aston Martin Vantage. At the same time, Aston unveiled the DBX707, which it calls “the world’s most powerful luxury sport-utility vehicle.”
Amedeo Felisa, a former CEO of Ferrari NV, took over as the company’s CEO in May, replacing Tobias Moers, a former CEO of Mercedes-AMG. In an effort to attract new, younger customers to the storied brand recognized for its racing prowess and as the vehicle of choice for the fictitious British Secret Service agent James Bond — at least in movies — the manufacturer revamped its iconic winged logo in July.
Then, Aston Martin debuted the DBR22, a two-seat open cockpit concept vehicle, in August. It is powered by the company’s familiar twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12 rated at 705 hp and 555 lb-ft of torque, enough to enable it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 198 mph. The DBR22, according to Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman, “is a hot-blooded, purebred Aston Martin sports car full of speed, agility, and character, and a machine that we think will be the basis of many of tomorrow’s legends.”
Like the car that follows the Valhalla? We will have to wait and see.