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2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera spied at Nurburgring in coupe form

We got one of our best looks at the upcoming 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera when a convertible Volante version was spied testing. This time, we get a preview of the coupe version out at the Nurburgring. For the most part, it looks like that convertible, but with the DB11's hard top and floating roof design. There are some other detail changes, though. The next most obvious difference is the set of wheels on this coupe. The simple, thin, split five-spoke wheels of the Volante have been traded for more aggressive, more overtly styled wheels. They're still split five-spokes, but more angular and directional. In between the wheels, we see that the rocker panels have been redesigned. There are large openings behind the front wheels, and wide sills extend backward from those openings, eventually merging with the rear fenders. At the back are yet more differences from the convertible. There's a much bigger diffuser at the rear bumper. The exhaust tips are now all the same size, instead of the small outboard ones on the Volante. The taillights are more covered up, too, and what we can see appears to be different and more simple than those on the convertible and normal DB11. Finally, we get our first look at the inside of this new Aston. And it really does just look like the interior from the DB11. But if the exterior changes we've seen are any indication, there's a good chance that the interior could still see some updates. We won't have to wait long to see the final product. Aston Martin announced that it would reveal the DBS Superleggera this month. It will be the company's new flagship sports car, and could have as much as 700 horsepower. Related Video:

2018 Aston Martin DB11 Volante First Drive Review | The speed of style

If you're not a car designer, chances are you've tried to draw a sportscar, and realized just how hard it is to get those proportions just right. One false line, and the sleek coupe of your imagination looks like a kumquat. So you can imagine that transforming the striking V8-powered Aston Martin DB11 coupe into an equally stunning Volante ragtop was harder than it looked, a task which required Aston designers and engineers to nip and tuck everything past the windshield. "There were lots of healthy, heated debates," lead designer Julian Nunn says of how the DB11 Volante – fancy speak for convertible – was packaged. As it sits before us on a brisk winter morning in Southern France, the British drop-top has a sleek, fleet look thanks to the elegant rake of its nose, the sharp arc of its roofline, and the taut contours of its derriere. Aston's designers nailed the proportions – it's a stunner. How they got there was a game of millimeters, starting with a minuscule lift of the haunches to accommodate the eight-layer folding soft top. To soften the look of those lifted surfaces, the wheel arches are faceted slightly inboard, lending them more depth and dimension. The convertible loses the air vent at the rear, since there's no roof to create lift; as such, the so-called AeroBlade feature which ducts air through the C-pillar is also gone. But the rear spoiler remains, automatically deploying for downforce with a speed-dependent algorithm based on driving mode. The stack height (that is, the vertical space occupied by the folding roof) measures 10 inches, the lowest in its class, which helps the DB11 achieve its graceful looks with the added benefit of keeping the center of gravity low. The top takes 14 seconds to lower, and will drop at speeds up to 31 mph. A Volante with its top down puts Aston's typically gorgeous cabin on full display: the door's brogued leather details surrounded by an improbably shaped veneer surround; the complex curvature of the veneer around the capacitive touch-sensitive infotainment interface; the improbably generous swaths of leather and Alcantara upholstering the dashboard and A-pillar surfaces. There's even, for the first time, veneer on the backs of the front seats. The tiny rear seats come with ISOFIX car seat attachments, a first in a Volante. I could go on about the DB11's unusual and intriguing aesthetic choices, but I've also got a persistent gripe with the electronic instrument cluster.

Aston Martin developing TT hybrid V6 to replace AMG-sourced V8

We knew that Aston Martin is working on a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 hybrid that will fit into the forthcoming mid-engined Valhalla (pictured) and Vanquish sports cars. Car and Driver spoke to Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer, who explained that the engine will effectively replace the Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-liter V8. Palmer explained the rationale by saying, ""Mercedes have made no secret of where their engine technology is moving to, and obviously we don't foresee four-cylinder engines in our Astons, so we’ve got to make our own journey." Autocar reported recently that the next AMG C 63 will be powered by a plug-in hybrid four-cylinder. Aston Martin's V6-for-V8 substitution means the Vantage, DB11, and DBX will eventually get V6 power, too, although it's not clear when that will happen. Production of the Valhalla, the model that first brought news of the coming V6, is slated to begin in late 2021. Palmer all but said the six-cylinder will be more powerful than the eight-cylinder it replaces because "there's no way our customers are going to expect to step backward" as far as output's concerned. Regarding the Valhalla, last year when C/D "suggested to an Aston spokesman that the car would need to produce at least as much as the 789-hp McLaren Senna to be regarded as a worthy opponent, he agreed that was a fair assessment." At the other end, the V8-powered Vantage makes 496 horsepower, leaving plenty of room for graduated tunes among the sports cars. Engineers will need to focus on getting the sound right, Palmer adding, "As long as it feels like a V-8 and sounds majestic, I think it's a perfectly sensible way to go, and a lot more sensible than an [inline] four would be for us." Electric help will take a less revolutionary form than we're seeing in a number of modern super sports cars. The V6 won't go plug-in, Palmer wary of the necessary weight gain; Lamborghini's spoken at length about its trouble finding suitable concepts for the next-gen hybrid powertrains for the Huracan and Aventador that provide an acceptable weight/performance balance. Aston Martin's plan is apparently to stick with the Valkyrie template, putting an electric motor between the engine and a traditional transmission, instead of using a transmission with an integrated e-motor as seen on coupes like the Acura NSX and Ferrari SF90 Stradale. Aston Martin intends to go against the current in another way, too, at least for now.