by Andrew Muzamhindo
There is nothing so pulsating than a racy luxurious car with an attitude, featuring in an action thriller movie.
Aston Martin is set to benefit from its ties with the James Bond movie franchise. It will see more of its models being featured in the 25th installment of the popular motion picture title.
The movie will be titled No Time To Die. The main actor will be Daniel Craig.
The Austin Martin DB5, has already appeared in eight of the current 24 James Bond films.
Also set to appear is the Aston Martin Valhalla. This is the first time that the mid-engined supercar will appear in any Bond film, while the agent himself has driven a mid-engined car before in 1981’s For Your Eyes Only.
Another classic Aston Martin to appear in No Time To Die is the 1977 Series II V8 Vantage. This car’s last appearance in a James Bond film was more than 30 years ago in The Living Daylights.
The fourth car that will appear in the 25th James Bond film is the DBS Superleggera. This is the superlight version of the DB11.
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Today we will dissect the 2019 DBS Superleggera. It will make its cinematic debut in this upcoming James Bond movie.
The 2019 DBS Superleggera is a DB11 juiced up on steroids, dialed up the twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 to the tune of 715 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of tyre mincing torque sent only to the rear rubber through an 8-speed auto. 0-100 kmh takes 3.4 seconds, but combined with luxurious fittings the DBS Superleggera only finds rivals in the likes of the Ferrari 812 Superfast and Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe.
The DBS Superleggera offers four basic design lines, Distilled Energy, Modern Minimalist, Dark Alchemy and Dynamic Futurist, each offering a range of colours and interior appointments. Alternatively, you can spec yours from scratch, choosing any number of carbon fiber components or bespoke “Q by Aston Martin” colours.
There aren’t too many luxury coupes that can beat the Aston. The now out-of-production Bentley Continental Super Sports was close with a 700 hp twin-turbo W12, matching the Superleggera’s 0-100 time and hitting a top speed of 336 kmh. Imagine arriving in Mutare from Harare in less than hour if the road was like the German autobahn where there is no speed limit and the roads are perfect for racing.
With the Bentley out of contention, there are very few luxury cars that can match the Aston’s performance. Sure, a Porsche 911 GT2 RS is faster, but it’s not a luxury car as such. To find competitors for the DBS, competes with the Mercedes S63 AMG coupe. It dashes from 0-100 kmh within 3.3 seconds and it’s faster than DBS’ estimated time. Even though the AMG is down over 100 hp on the Aston, it’s able to keep up thanks to all-wheel-drive grip.
So if all you care about is 0-100 performance, and you don’t need the added prestige of the Aston Martin badge, you could save some cash buying an S63.
Likewise, if luxury is less of a concern, you could opt for one of the 700-plus hp cars like the Corvette ZR1 and Dodge Hellcat. They will easily outperform the DBS, though it will be beaten hands down when it comes to luxury experience. Now you know why James Bond goes for the British marque, it is luxurious, fast and powerful. It has a certain aura associated with James Bond.
Only the Ferrari 812 Superfast might outperform the Aston. The Ferrari matches the Aston on quality and prestige. It is powered by a 6.5-liter V12 producing 789 hp and 530 lb-ft of torque. Though it lacks the tiny backseat found in the DBS, the 812 makes up for it with a quicker 2.8 second on 0-100 time with a top speed of 340 kmh. The Ferrari is Italian and surely you do not expect James Bond to promote Italian brands.
The DBS features a new active valve exhaust with quad pipes, which is said to deliver “commanding and powerful sound character” while still maintaining the refinement of a grand tourer (GT). This should help it sound a bit livelier, while reduced weight and stiffer suspension should make it feel giddier from behind the wheel.
Don’t you wish you were James Bond? You would ride the new DBS Superleggera and tell us how well it lives up to the “brute in a suit” moniker.
