ASTON MARTIN DBS (2008) // Manual V12 Casino Royale Clone

Aston Martin DBS review and drive. This DBS is a clone of the Daniel Craig - James Bond car in Casino Royale and it's more hard-core than many people might think. So how does it measure up as a real performance car when driven enthusiastically. Come along for the ride with Stu as Mark gives it a workout. Real review, real drivers, real roads.
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[@landhopper4296]

Gents, your best review yet, great insight, perfect humour and what a machine. I hope you get lots of views. Good luck with the channel. As for the DBS, having been lucky enough to drive one I agree with all you’ve said, and for those who say there are faster cars, that’s true, but especially in a country with strict speeding enforcement this Aston will eat your licence for breakfast! Thankfully it’s so beautiful and effortless you can still love it at 30kmh.

[@inCARnationAustralia]

Much appreciated! Thank you.

[@wokka6850]

Nice to see a manual DBS reviewed.

[@markwilliamson8662]

Yes and it was a pleasure to drive as well. Thanks

[@markcarter9476]

Astons from the era are just sublime and we forget that the DBR9 was very successful on track. I was lucky enough to experience 007, 008 & 009 on track at Le Mans sometime in the noughties, which was fantastic and a rare opportunity to be patriotic in an environment were such flagrant nationalism was perfectly acceptable, encouraged and enjoyed by all. A DBS manual is unfortunately a very rare car and not one that will be experienced by many so thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience.

[@markwilliamson8662]

Yes the would have been a great era to be at Le Mans. It was a plea for us to drive and review such a rare car. No doubt Aston’s are special cars.

[@Gavin-oq5tt]

Pleased to see you back! DBS is a great car. I had the V12 Vantage for 5 years. Loved it, but the suspension was just too firm for anything but spirited driving. I considered buying a DBS with its adjustable suspension - but instead went for the practicality of a 911. Currently, I have my eye on a 550 Maranello. Have you had a chance to compare that to the DBS?

[@markwilliamson8662]

Thanks Gavin, yes I’m an Aston fan! Was your V12 Vantage a manual or sports shift ? I’m keen to get one. The duel clutch V12 sports shift is much better than the single clutch V8 gearbox. But I think a manual is the way to go. I’ve had quite a lot to do with the 550 Maranello, right from when they were new. I had a friend with one back in 99 and we regularly fitted slicks to it and took it to the track, helped close some good sponsorship deals ! The car was superb on track at the time, but would naturally feel dated now. There are a lot of similarities between the DBS and the 550, no surprise given the layout. For me the big difference in the cars would be the brakes, the DBS is very good and the 550 struggles. Engine wise not much in it, both superb and two of the best sounding engines in existence. I drove a 550 recently and it was feeling it’s age in general, the DBS we drove last week naturally just feels a few evolutions ahead. I have two friends who own them in Europe and they regularly drive all over the Continent, the 550 is built for this sort of driving. I’ve had my eye on 550’s for a while now, they are really shooting up in value after being a bit unloved for a while- I may have missed the boat! The Maranello is certainly a bucket list car for me, if you can get one you won’t go wrong. They are such a pleasure to drive and are already a classic, this will only get better. Good luck with it.

[@Gavin-oq5tt]

@@markwilliamson8662 It was a manual, in hammerhead grey, with the B&O stereo option - so a really great spec. The breaks were fantastic - a lot better than the carbon discs on any of the modern Ferraris I have driven (458 or F8). I even tried it on a test track at Milford and can confirm that it only gets better when you are breaking from 180 mph! When driving, the tail was alway quite happy to come out a little, which was great fun, and even I could steer it on the throttle. The only downside, which was a large one, the suspension was too hard without an adjustment. Fine if you want to “attack” the road, but not at all comfortable for cruising. I think this was resolved on the V12V S and of course the DBS has an adjustment too. I added about 5K miles in 5 years - but did not drive it much towards the end of that.

[@danpanther]

Probably the prettiest car ever made. Ever.

[@LT64444]

You guys are hilarious! DBS like this is an absolute dream, think the manuals will go down as one of the best Astons of the modern era.

[@markwilliamson8662]

Yes I believe they will be a classic

[@williamxchau]

Nice review Gentlemen！

[@williampendlebury2770]

Fantastic informative & light handled video on the beautiful am DBS. How did you both feel the car performed with nearly 40k miles on it, compared to a similar machine with under 20k on? Also, given your preference to the manual, any thoughts on the auto? Keep up the good eork

[@markwilliamson8662]

Thanks for the comment William. This car still felt brand new with its current mileage. In my experience they are just a really well built car and provided they are serviced properly and not flogged on race tracks, will age well. I believe the autos of this era were a standard type auto and not dual or single clutch, if so a slow auto would not do much for the experience. A good reference is Bamford and Rose on KZbin, they cover a lot of growing on transmissions. The manual is rarer but the the one to go for if you can, easy to drive with a nice feel.

[@goldenchild7360]

Thanks guys, great review, gorgeous spec and fantastic sound track. However that gearshift looks incredibly awkward or is just camera position?

[@inCARnationAustralia]

Yes I agree. Design flaw. If that high centre console wasn't there... but I was in the passenger seat just enjoying the ride (Stu)

[@markwilliamson8662]

Yes shifting is somewhat awkward due the armrest setup, although I think it did look worse on camera. It’s something you’d get used to and soon forget, given how amazing this car is. Thanks for the feedback, we appreciate it.

[@abijag100]

Simply an exciting and magnificent car. Hopefully this V12 doesn't develop the dreaded engine tick a little later in it's life.

[@markwilliamson8662]

Agree. Yes I’ve been reading about that engine tick !

[@nadnad6224]

High TVs

[@williampendlebury2770]

Sorry, meant to add. Preferred choice between am DBS manual or against am v12v/s? Cheers from Scotland🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@inCARnationAustralia]

Mark knows more than I do, but I preferred the V12 Vantage to the DBS. They were quite similar, both being V12 manual cars, so your personal preference. The Vantage felt like a shorter wheelbase car, the DBS more old school. Both pure class.

[@markwilliamson8662]

If you look back in our library you’ll find a review on a manual V12 Vantage. There’s a lot of similarities between the cars, both have great style and anything from Aston is special. In some ways I prefer the Vantage, it just feels smaller and a bit more nimble I raced the V8’s for years ( very reliable but underbraked) However the V12 Vantage has carbon composite brakes which feel great on the road, although would be costly on track ! The later V12 had a dual clutch about which was a vast improvement on the V8 single clutch unit. So don’t be scared of trans with these cars, they feel great to drive. I’ve not driven the very last one with the 7 speed manual, seems a bit over the top! The manual box that we reviewed shifted well and felt good in hand. Any V12 will be an appreciating asset. As your in Scotland check out the Bamford Rose channel, pretty much all you need to know.

[@briancornish1296]

🇬🇧LIVE and LET DRIVE!🇬🇧

[@PaulHogue1]

Someday THE LADY will return and show people that she still has a lot left in her.

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

Lest We Forget 🐄🐄🐄🐄🐄🐄🐄🐄