Aston Martin DB12 S

FIRST DRIVE Front-engined super-GT has evolved from being brilliant but flawed to being superb in every possible way

- Stuart Gallagher

LAST ON Martin's DB12 was the first of the new-era cars launched under Lawrence Stroll's stewardship of the iconic British brand.

Arriving in 2022 with a striking look that built on the DB11 it replaced (there's a lot of its predecessor under the skin), Aston Martin used its front-engined super-GT to lay down its aspirations to move closer to Ferrari.

Alongside the new exterior was a bigger transformation inside, with an interior that incorporated a bespoke infotainment system, banishing the outdated Mercedes setup of the past, higher quality and a sense that Aston Martin no longer needed to rummage through other manufacturers parts bins to dress its cars.

Then there was the powertrain. Out went the DB11's 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12, in favour of AMG's 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 — mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission with a shorter final-drive ratio to aid acceleration.

A new electronic e-differential was also fitted, the front of the car was made stiffer and changes were made to the steering column. Bilstein were called upon to supply the dampers and Aston Martin's longstanding relationship with Pirelli was sidestepped in favour of a specially-developed Michelin Pilot Sport 5S tyre.

The result? An Aston Martin that felt a little confused, falling between a GT car and a super-sports car, missing the bullseye of both targets by enough of a margin to leave heads being scratched. You expected the DB12 to float like a GT car and sting like a supercar, but its GT credentials were too hard edged, and when you leant into its performance, it felt a little soft and edgy.

Which makes the arrival of the new DB12 S a potential concern around Aston creating a harder, more focused variant of a car that was already a bit muddled. It doesn't take many miles in the driver's seat for these fears to be wiped away.