Whenever we’ve had shots at flogging the cars from Gaydon, we’ve come away plenty happy, though there has always been some aspect not quite as right-on-the-money as we had hoped. It’s never any discomforting anomalous quality defect, but just something in the high-cost sporting mix that doesn’t totally fadge with the whole.

The V12 Vanquish and Vanquish S were arcane and thuggish Fight Club trustees right up to the end of production in July 2007 with the closing of the old Newport Pagnell facility. A DB9 coupe or Volante is definitely better work but still stops short of utter holistic refinement and technological deftness. The V8 Vantage, coupe or roadster, is the best yet and we fawn over it, the stunning exterior promise still exceeding ever so slightly the drive’s ability to deliver in times of 007-through-the-Alps drama.

Which brings us to the DBS. It’s so low-brow to pant out modifiers like “blown away,” but for years we’ve wanted to use such a term in reference to an Aston Martin drive test, so please understand. The DBS is the new benchmark for all future Aston products and it is the most purely European-style modern sports grand tourer in the world.

CLICK HERE to continue reading about the 2009 Aston Martin DBS.

Magazine Issue: Winding Road Issue 28