Aston Martin DBS replacement prepares for an epic Ferrari fight

The final element of Aston Martin’s heavily revamped sports car range has been spotted before its full reveal later this year. Joining the recently updated Vantage, and the new DB12 before it, this new DBS replacement is charged not just with topping the front-engined range, but also with bringing Aston Martin closer than ever to the front-engined supercar space. This is the car Aston Martin has designed to do direct battle with arch-nemesis Ferrari. 

Revealed in these images is solid evidence that the new DBS will feature an entirely bespoke body compared to the previous generation car. This cuts its aesthetic ties to the original DB11. Instead, the new DBS will feature a larger body that’s not shy about accentuating its large overhangs, creating a much more dramatic shape. The bonnet is extremely long and sits low over the front wheels, with a large slatted front grille and upright headlights that look similar to those used on the new Aston Martin Vantage. 

But it’s the rear that looks the most dramatically changed, with a far more blocky and muscular set of rear arches that emulate the original Ian Callum-designed Aston martin Vanquish. As well as more width, they also now sit as one unbroken surface with the C-pillar, punctuated by a much squarer rear quarter window.

As the tail extends beyond the rear screen Aston has given it a far more aggressive built-in lip spoiler, similar in shape to the one on the limited-run Aston Martin Victor. While many of the details are still under wraps, we can see that the compact rear lights will be completely bespoke, giving the new DBS replacement a very different appearance to the current model. 

The 21-inch wheels fitted to this prototype are familiar from the current DB12 and Vantage and were introduced on the current DBS.

Given the large power increases seen on the new DB12 and Vantage, we also expect the DBS replacement to come with substantially more firepower. With the current DBS Ultimate topping out at 759bhp, this could see power head upwards to as much as 800bhp – a figure it will need to meet in order to rival Ferrari’s upcoming 812 Superfast replacement. 

As for what engine will find its home under the bonnet, that