At first glance, taped-up and in a garish gold hue, it looks like some Mansory monstrosity, but this is Aston Martin’s new DBS-replacing V12 supercar commuting in the Midlands. Snapped last night from CAR’s very own long-term Lotus Evora S, it’s our closest look yet at the new range-topping Aston Martin that will be shown this summer and go on sale later in 2012.

The next Aston Martin DBS: the lowdown

With the million-pound One-77 now sold out, this replacement for the DBS will become Aston Martin’s flagship supercar – but it will be influenced stylistically by the One-77. The car we spotted was still disguised, but there was only a minimal amount of tape hiding the new C-shaped taillights, curvaceous boot and swoopier rear haunches. The nose features Virage-alike lights and a jutting spoiler, while the sides are more heavily sculpted. Essentially, it’ll look exactly like the Project AM310 concept car that Aston Martin recently revealed at the Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance.

What about under the new Aston Martin’s skin?

Aston Martin’s familiar VH aluminium architecture remains (besides the One-77, it underpins all the V8 and V12 models) but it’s been fettled, and according to Aston insiders there’s life in the platform for several more years. The 6.0-litre V12 remains too, but again it’s been updated and we hear it’ll be boasted from today 510bhp to somewhere in the region of 550bhp.

Most important for Aston Martin will be revamping the interior, where the switchgear, ergonomics and quality has lagged behind rivals – again it’ll be influenced by the One-77.
It might not be an all-new car, but it’s different enough from the current DBS that the name will be changed. A new moniker may be chosen, but as reported before, Aston has used a rich array of names of its life so an old name, such as Vanquish, could be revived.