2009 Aston martin dbs

PRICE : $275,000

Introducing one of the most iconic supercars of the 21st century: The Aston Martin DBS is an exquisite fusion of british class, breathtakingly gorgeous lines, and... (unadulterated, naturally aspirated, front engined, manual gearboxed, rear wheel driven, limited slip differentialed) V12 power. Being one of only 199 manual RHD cars produced for Singapore, Japan, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, it is one of very, very few in Australia. This is unsurprising when one overlays it's asymptotic price tag with the main launch coinciding almost exactly with the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

Anyway, on less sombre notes, nestled beneath the heavily vented, carbon fibre bonnet, is the famous, hand-built, naturally aspirated, Aston Martin 5.9L V12, delivering 510bhp and 570 N⋅m of torque—enough to propel the british beauty from 0-100km/h (sorry, 60 miles per hour) in just 4.3 seconds and onwards to a top speed on the dark side of 300km/h. 

While many supercars offer a "sport" mode, the DBS does things differently. There are no gimmicks here—no racey, red flashes on the dash, no pumping engine noise through speakers—just a visceral bond between the driver and the vehicle. A perfectly weighted clutch and a gated shifter reward a competent driver with satisfying mechanical feedback, while the 12 part mechanical symphony provides the most intoxicating backing track. It's sensory overload.

While the DBS is brutal when provoked, it's also remarkably refined when desired. The Aston is capable of devouring long distances in supreme comfort or delivering spine-tingling thrills at the flick of an ankle (That was a reference to heel toeing for you Vantage and DBX buyers!)

This particular example is an Australian-delivered, 2009 year model, finished in the breathtaking Storm Black paintwork—a deep, glossy shade that reveals a subtle red metallic flake under sunlight. To protect its immaculate finish, the car has been fully wrapped in paint protection film (PPF) making it far less susceptible to scuffs, stone chips or bad washing techniques. While we're on the topic of spec, we'd like to do a quick shout out to the original owner of this car for the magnificent combo: Black leather to match the black paint, red interior stitching to go with the aforementioned red fleck in paintwork, and then finally matte carbon fibre trimming to tie together the grey suede secondary hide, the aluminium highlights and all the black colours. The connectivity is subtle but works magnificently.

The DBS varied heaviliy from the DB9. Lighter, due to carbon fibre boot, bonnet, splitter, diffuser, trims etc, faster thanks to the uprated engine and better performing on account of its carbon ceramic brakes, uprated suspension and aero. Aston Martin did not leave any stones unturned. But being a new car demanded a new price... it was 50% more than the DB9 bringing it to around half a million in 2008, pre-inflation dollars! 

Before we start waffling on about James Bond and how the car featured in multiple movies just like the DB5 etc etc, we should talk a couple of words of practicality: The DBS is very different to its competitors. The running costs are comparable to BMWs M cars and Merc AMGs not Aventadors and 599s. Parts are accessible and far more affordable than those peers. Service intervals are also wider. What we like the most however, is that it's emminantly usable as a daily driver, which really does place it in a class of its own.

With only 34,000km on the clock, a full Aston Martin service history, and having been meticulously cared for, this DBS is presented in exceptional condition. Come down and behold what we think is one of the (if not the) best modern classics around. 

Located in Burnley, VIC.