Aston Martin has revealed the DBS 770 Ultimate Volante, which will sit alongside its coupe counterpart to provide a radically enhanced swansong for the firm’s brutish V12 grand tourer. The supercar is “the most powerful production Aston Martin ever” with both coupe and Volante variants producing 770hp, putting them clear of the standard DBS. There have been more potent road cars to leave Aston Martin in recent years, but they have been highly limited and ultra-expensive propositions.

DBS 770 Ultimate Volante engine and performance

The 5.2-litre quad-cam engine’s extra grunt comes primarily from increased turbo pressure and tweaks to the air and ignition pathways. Armed with a 0-100kph time of 3.2sec in coupe guise, 3.6sec for the drop-top and a top speed of 340kph, the 770 comes close to Ferrari’s ferocious final-edition 812 and the commemorative Ultimae version of the Lamborghini Aventador for outright speed.

As with the Aston Martin Vantage V12 launched last year, its added firepower arrives alongside an extensive chassis and drivetrain overhaul. The adaptive dampers have been recalibrated at all four corners to give improved control without affecting rolling refinement, “allowing the driver to enjoy a more precise connection with the road”.

Aston also claims front-end stiffness is up by 25 percent, courtesy of a tougher new crossmember, while a thicker undertray at the back is said to increase rear-end rigidity by 3 percent. Even the eight-speed ZF gearbox has been retuned to give quicker shifts and to better convey a whopping 900Nm to the rear axle.

DBS 770 Ultimate Volante: the drivers' car

“Historically, we’ve been a performance brand as well as a luxury marque, and we’re moving back to that," said the company’s product and marketing boss, Alex Long. "So rather than having products with two levels of power output and performance – including dynamics and braking and all the other aspects of what makes a proper performance car – we now have to bring these power levels that give our cars the edge." 

He adds, "A lot of our customers say the DBS is the supercar for touring and so the outright aim was to enhance the emotional connection engagement between car and driver. In a world where there’s so much driver assistance, increasing electrification and so on, there’s still a place for that. I think what people are looking for from us is that thrill."

DBS 770 Ultimate Volante design and interior

The run-out DBS is told apart from its standard sibling by an aggressive design makeover that includes a substantial horseshoe-shaped bonnet vent that enhances engine cooling, a newly designed splitter and a pair of larger new air vents that boost airflow. Other core differences over the standard DBS include a raft of carbon fibre body components, a bespoke rear diffuser and a new 21-inch wheel design modelled on those worn by the Valkyrie and Victor.

The interior is less radically reworked, but comes furnished as standard with top-rung leather and Alcantara sports seats – a unique colour split for the cabin trim and stitching – and laser-etched DBS 770 Ultimate badging.

DBS 770 Ultimate Volante price and delivery

The 770 will receive an extended build run made up of 300 coupes and 199 Volante variants, priced from Rs 3.15 cr and Rs 3.45 cr, respectively. These have already sold out ahead of deliveries starting in late summer.