The Marek Reichman-designed Aston Martin DBS is already one of the best-looking cars of its era, and the example being offered for sale here is superbly presented in Storm Black with Obsidian interior. It also features a six-speed ZF manual gearbox that further enhances its muscular ‘old school’ appeal, and while early DBSs were all ‘2+0’ two-seaters, this car has the more versatile ‘2+2’layout with two small rear seats. The DBS was supplied new by Aston Martin main dealer Stratstone of Wilmslow on 18 October 2008, and returned there in March 2010 for its first service at 2496 miles. It was soldto its second owner that month, and was then used extensively for the next few years. Between 2011 and 2013, it was serviced annually by the Murray Motor Company, a main dealer in Edinburgh. It was then looked after by independent specialist Bamford Rose from 2014 until 2016, by which time it had covered 39,347 miles. The DBS has been used only sparingly since then, but has always been fastidiously maintained along the way. Its comprehensive service record notes that it went to Aston Martin Cambridge in 2017, then Aston Martin Bristol in 2018 and 2019, and McGurk Performance Cars in September 2022. It has now covered just over 44,000 miles and its immense specification ranges from the510bhp V12 engine and carbon ceramic brakes to a beautifully crafted cabin. The long list of standard equipment includes a Bang & Olufsen sound system and automatic climate control, while the Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel and carbon fibre door panels lend a sporting edge. Beautiful, fast and luxurious, it perfectly demonstrates why the Aston Martin DBS remains an exceptional choice of Grand Tourer. The Aston Martin DBS replaced the Vanquish S as the British marque’s flagship model when it was launched at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elégance in August 2007, and continued a long marque tradition by appearing in two James Bond films: Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. With its wider wheelarches, rear diffuser and bonnet vents, it was a much more aggressive-looking car than the DB9, with which it shared its bonded aluminium chassis and 6-litre V12. Thanks to the use of carbon fibre for the bonnet, boot lid, wings and doors, however, it weighed 65kg less than its sibling, while larger inlet ports and a higher compression ratio boosted power from 450bhp to 510bhp. It was initially launched with a six-speed manual – the option of a Touchtronic auto was soon added – and sprinted from 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds before topping out at 191mph. Road-testers also commented on its speed in the mid-range thanks to the torque from that big V12. The brakes – huge carbon ceramic discs – were also praised, while the suspension featured adaptable dampers that could be switched between Sport and Comfort modes via a button on the console. The track was wider than on the DB9, and the DBS had bespoke spring and anti-roll bar settings. When he tested a DBS for Autocar, Steve Cropley wrote that the ‘chassis, in many areas, sets new standards for Aston Martin’ and that, in normal Comfort mode, ‘the DBS rides with a fluency we consider to be unrivalled in its class’. Various special editions were built during its production run, which ended in 2012 after a total of 3400 coupe and soft-top Volante variants had been built.