evo UK – September 2019

AstonMartinDBS Superleggera

EngineV12, 5204cc, twin-turboPower715bhp @ 6500rpm

Torque664lb ft @ 1800-5000rpmWeight1770kgPower-to-weight

410bhp/ton0-62mph3.4secTop speed211mphBasic price£225,000

evorating

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rear-steer, E-Diff, tractioncontrol and stability

control feels utterly natural, empoweringand

• tobeperfectly honest – vital. ESC Off mode

is for wideracetracksand meeting demanding

photographers’ needs only.

Simply put, the Ferrari 812 Superfast

comfortably putsawaythe DBS Superleggera

ona goodroadand whendrivenasa sports or

supercar. It’s quicker, moreresponsive, more

excitingandispossessedofatrulymind-

bending,life-affirming6.5-litre V12.Savagery

and sophisticationdon’t usually gotogether, but

inthe Superfast theycomplementeachother

perfectly. It has faults– the brakeslackinitial

bite, the rideis veryfirmand eveninBumpy

Roadmodeit can feel too highly strung, and the

newly adopted electric power steeringtrades

clarity for speedand lightness– but suchis the

overwhelming natureofthe 812’s personality

and performance thatnonecan compete with

the overridingsense ofexcitementand joy.I

adore it.

The biggerquestionis whether it’s a GTcar at

all. The DBS Superleggera resolutely is. The ride

is better, the dynamics are more intuitive, it can

sootheand cossetand it looks spellbindingly

gorgeous. Furthermore,itdoesn’t fallapart

whenthe going gets moredemanding.Atthe

limit it feels heavier but lessspiky,the body

control is slightly more in tunewiththe steering

response, and although outright grip and

tractioncan’t match the Ferrari’s, most people

will find it easiertoexploitmoreof its potential

moreof the time.

I hopethatdoesn’t sound likedamning the

DBS withfaint praise.It’s a hell ofa car. The

engineis magnificent, it feels properlyoh-my-

God fast and it’s hugely excitingtodrive along

a great stretch ofroad.I adore this thing,too.

Asa hard-edgedGTcar it’s a realmasterclass

and it nails the Aston Martinbrief betterthan

any car since the originalVanquish S.That’s a

hardthing to define, but perhaps it’s a powerful

sense of wellbeing whatever the circumstances.

The DBS Superleggerajust makes you wantto

drive,destinationunknown solong asit’s far,

far away. Whateverthe journey throwsat it, the

Aston will eat it up.

The Ferrari perhaps lacks the outright

breadth ofabilityofthe DBS Superleggera. It is

unquestionably more focused, and althoughyou

can drive it slowly, todosofeels liketreading

water. A ratherunsatisfying lull beforethe next

hair-raisingmelee. The questionis whether you

wanta car thatdelivers consistentbrillianceor

moments ofpure, wild-eyed magic.Me? The

drawofthat6.5-litre V12 is too muchtoresist.

Lifeis short. Lifefor hugenormally aspirated

engines thatrevto 8900 rpmis shorter still. I

wanna goSuperfast beforeit’s too late.L

ASTON MARTIN DBS SUPERLEGGERA v FERRARI 812 SUPERFAST