New Car: 2011 Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black Special Edition

Aston Martin doesn’t have to do much to dress up a space aside from bringing a car or three. Starting this month, Aston is doing just that to supply some particularly sexy furnishings for a series of luxury events across the nation, hosted by audio partner Bang & Olufsen. Specifically, it has supplied two examples of its most dapper DBS flagship yet, the new DBS Carbon Black special edition, to be put on display and used for demonstration. This is the first time the DBS Carbon Black will be seen in America: Its world reveal happened late last year in England, where, incidentally, it was joined by a matching Carbon Black edition of Aston’s smaller, faster V-12 Vantage, which, is a car we Yankees can’t get in any color yet.

First of all, Carbon Black shouldn’t be confused with black carbon fiber, which would’ve looked really cool. It simply indicates a bespoke metallic black paint “especially formulated with a subtle metallic twist to create a deep, rich patina,” and which requires 50 man-hours of hand-painting to apply, according to Aston Martin.

In the interests of “aesthetic purity,” everything that can’t be painted black (i.e., upholstery, headliner, carpeting, etc.) is also rendered in black (Obsidian Black, this time), save the silver grille mesh and silver seat stitching. Aston tosses in its gorgeous 10-spoke, diamond-turned, 20-inch wheels with inserts that have been painted gloss black. Hey, even the tires are black!

Inside, the slick B&O sound system that is normally a five-figure option is also standard. Piano-black veneers and a choice of alloy-finished or Carbon Black sill plates are among the only options. No mechanical changes were made, save making the six-speed Touchtronic automatic the standard transmission; it mates to the DBS’s mouthwatering, 510-hp 5.9-liter V-12.

This summer, the DBS Carbon Black goes on sale in both coupe and convertible body styles—the latter featuring a black top, of course—at a price roughly five percent more than that of lesser (well, less-black anyway) DBS models, which start at $266,350 for coupes and $286,400 for ragtops.

Thanks to: Car and Driver