2009 Aston Martin DBS

For 2009, the Aston Martin DBS offers the optional availability of a six-speed automatic transaxle, 2+2 seating, a new 20-inch wheel package, and a Bang & Olufsen audio system.

The DBS shares its layout and architecture with the DB9, but is much sportier and differentiated enough to earn its own name. Available in coupe form only, its sinuous body is crafted of aluminum and carbon fiber. There's no change underhood: 510 horsepower still boils out the same 5.9-liter V-12 the model was launched with in late 2007.

With a 0-to-60 time of 4.2 seconds, grip at 0.96 g, a 60-to-0 stopping distance of 106 feet, it's the quickest, stickiest, and shortest-stopping Aston Martin we've ever tested.

Aston Martin's 2009 DBS walks a smart line between GT and sports car and is an eminently desirable piece.

Is the open-air DB9 a smidge too pedestrian for your liking? The Bentley Continental GTC Speed not exactly your speed? Now there's another option for all you well-heeled fans of high-performance, top-down British supercars out there -- the 2009 Aston Martin DBS Volante.

With the exception of the roof, nearly every aspect of the Volante is identical to that of the DBS coupe. Both rocket down the road thanks to a 510-hp, 6.0L V-12 engine that produces 420 lb-ft of torque. Both offer a six-speed manual or six-speed Touchtronic automatic gearbox with manual shifting capability. According to Aston Martin, they'll both do zero to 62 mph in 4.3 sec and top out at 191 mph, and they'll both come to a quick stop thanks to carbon-ceramic brakes.

This is our first track test of a 2009 Aston Martin DBS, and it has the goods to honor the badge on its bonnet. With a 0-to-60 time of 4.2 seconds, grip at 0.96 g, a 60-to-0 stopping distance of 106 feet, it's the quickest, stickiest, and shortest-stopping Aston Martin we've ever tested. And it feels so good doing it. The engine whirs and warbles as only a V-12 can. There's a ton of grip and good body control, yet the ride harshness isn't over the top.

It's an '09-and-a-half DBS, the first of its kind to incorporate the Touchtronic 2 automatic. I flip through the gears using machined aluminum column-mounted paddles, each shift engaging instantly with a small metallic ping that's more felt at the fingertips than heard.

The Aston Martin DBS, like yesterday's Vanquish, radiates brute aggression yet still drips wanton sensuality. They're two seemingly opposing branches of the visual spectrum that Aston Martin designers have historically forged into a single, unbelievably potent aesthetic. The most striking thing, though, is the duality of its driving nature. Operated with gentle, fluid inputs and a fraction of throttle, it's absolutely quiet and docile in a way most other super sports cars are not.