Announced and not built - Aston Martin DB S from Touring
On October 18, 1966, Aston Martin announced the two-seater Aston Martin DB S at the London Motor Show (Earls Court). The car had been designed by Touring and was also to be built there. The basis of the DB S was a shortened DB-6 chassis (17.5 cm shorter). The engine, gearbox and suspension were to be adopted one-to-one. It was hoped that the weight would be reduced by 400 lbs (181 kg). Thanks to less weight, a height of only 123 cm and 325 hp engine power (Vantage engine), a top speed of 265 km/h was expected, which was certainly an impressive figure for the time.
But the model was never built after all. "266/2/L" remained a one-off, just like "266/1/R", the previous similar prototype, which was even equipped with a 365 hp Vantage engine (C specification) and was presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1966.
To avoid confusion with the four-seater DBS model presented later, the Touring models were subsequently renamed DBSC. According to contemporary commentaries, the DB S was clearly superior to a DB4 GT: faster, smoother steering, better brakes. The car also offered a large tailgate and was therefore more practical. Both cars found private owners.
Incidentally, David Brown is said to have spoken out against series production due to the lack of elegance of the two designs. This is quite understandable; depending on the viewer's perspective, the coupé does have somewhat strange features. However, this decision must have been made relatively late, as there was already relatively detailed press information available at this time . Incidentally, parallel production was planned with the DB 6 Saloon and Volante, which remained in the range.
We have also published a detailed report on the vehicles Aston Martin DB 4 to DB 6 , which is not only of interest to Aston fans.
