Guided Tour of the Aston Martin DBS

The Aston Martin DBS debuted in 2007 at the Pebble Beach Concours -- a fitting setting for a car so beautiful and powerful. But it's real debut, the one seen by auto aficionados around the world, came in Casino Royale, the first James Bond film starring Daniel Craig. The car in the film had few extras from Q's lab, but a sleek two-seater with a powerful 12-cylinder engine hardly needs jet packs to escape the enemy.

The DBS has a 6-liter alloy V12 under its long, vented hood that puts out 510 bhp and 420 lb-ft of torque. The six-speed manual or shift-by-wire transmission can zip from 0-62 in 4.3 seconds, and the DBS has a top speed of 191 mph. It's the same hand-built engine that powers the DBR9 and DBRS9 race cars -- albeit detuned a bit for the street. The exhaust note is, however, highly tuned to be as satisfying at idle as it is on acceleration. The engine and transmission sit between the axles in the Aston Martin DBS, giving it near-perfect balance front and rear.

To maximize the power coming from the mid-front-mounted engine of the Aston Martin DBS, carbon fiber panels were added to the trunk, door opening surrounds, front fenders, and hood to lighten the weight on the wheels. Carbon fiber may be expensive, but it can be formed however an engineer likes. On the DBS, it's been formed into panels that sweep air into the engine compartment and toward the brakes. The rest of the car is formed from aluminum, with 20-inch wheels and carbon ceramic brakes. And, of course, it has the curvaceous front grille with the scooped corners, an instantly recognizable Aston trademark.

Marrying luxury and light weight was the goal for the Aston Martin DBS interior. Carbon fiber was used for pieces like door pulls, and lighter carpets and hand-stitched leathers were used throughout. Like the DB9, the DBS has an "Emotion Control Unit" in place of a traditional key. The ECU fits into a slot on the console; pushing it flush with the surround starts the car. Techy bits abound, with a bespoke surround-sound system, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, and nav system. But Aston Martin hasn't forgotten the niceties, like an analog clock and a fitted umbrella in the boot.

For 2010, six years after the DBS made its debut in "Casino Royale," the Aston Martin DBS Volante came on the scene, all top-down and ready to party. The motorized roof is made of fabric to keep the weight of the car down, and it tucks away under its tonneau cover in only 14 seconds. The lack of a top doesn't slow down the DBS Volante. It has the same 6-liter V12 under the hood, and the same acceleration time and top speed. Where the DBS coupe is a two-seater with available rear seats, the convertible DBS Volante comes standard with four seats -- though the rear seats are pretty small.