It is a well-known fact at this point that the latest Aston Martin DBS Superleggera will go after the Ferrari 812 Superfast. Even Aston Martin officials implied this. However, I am fairly certain that in terms of poise, speed, technology, and price, the Bentley Continental GT may be thrown in the same ring in an endless fight for prestige among super luxury GTs. Sure, the coupe from Crewe isn’t as hardcore as the machines from Gaydon and Maranello, but the Continental GT will gain even more spirited versions in the future. Some of them will definitely take aim at the buyers of the DBS or the 812. The Supersports, I am looking at you.

For now, let’s see how the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, the Ferrari 812 Superfast, and the Bentley Continental GT stack up against one another.

They All Have a Somewhat Similar Layout

All three of them sport a coupe design, hide a twelve cylinder engine under the hood, feature an array of the latest technologies, can surge past 200 mph and, honestly, represent the ultimate in terms of composure, technology, and design. These cars aren’t concerned with what is necessary or required, they are all about what is possible. And boy, the possibilities are endless in today's world.

Despite lurking in the shadows of the same shameful capitalistic milieu, we notice some obvious differences between them. Especially with the Bentley Continental GT, which is a bit chubbier with a lot more weight, with all-wheel drive, a bit less power, but a bit more luxury than the Ferrari or the Aston Martin. However, I think the Bentley Continental GT has to be seen as a competitor since the future will give us its numerous iterations - many of which lighter and more powerful than the current 629 horsepower Continental GT.

A newcomer to this group - the flagship Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, feels the freshest of the lot with its rear positioned transmission and smallest engine (but torquiest - at 664 pound-feet of torque, it has the same torque as the Bentley W12 and more power.)

Did All of Them Introduce Cutting Edge Tech or Unique Features?

When cars like these hit the roads and the market, the whole automotive industry shivers. Usually, these types of cars are the ones pioneering new technologies, solutions, and systems previously held back by the development and racing teams, and the engineers. Sure, higher end machines like hypercars reveal even more, but all three of the cars mentioned here have brought something unique and never seen before.

As far as the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera goes, it is easy to be inclined to mention its lightweight carbon fiber body as the biggest innovation; however, personally, I find that the aerodynamics of the DBS Superleggera simply take the cake here. While the DB11 did feature some extraordinary aero touches, the DBS Superleggera takes all of that to extremes in order to produce an astonishing 397 pounds of downforce at the maximum speed. OK, some cars of today can produce much higher numbers at lower speeds, but the DBS Superleggera is something many of these cars simply are not - it is gorgeous. So, in order to achieve such an extraordinary result, the engineers reinvented the Aeroblade tech first seen on the DB11. The Aeroblade 2 is a system that collects air via ducts by the rear windows, channels it to the back and shoots it out of the thin slot on the back lid. In this case, the slot is located in front of the small fixed spoiler. Along with it, the rear has a double diffuser, somewhat similar in design to what one can see on F1 cars.

This was crucial for rear downforce as the DBS Superleggera produces 265 lbs of it at the back. The rest of it - 132 lbs - are found at the front where the front splitter and other aero cues do all the hard work.

Another fact about the DBS Superleggera aerodynamics - the arms for the rearview mirrors are shaped to provide a bit of downforce as well. Considering that the doors and the glass house are the only elements that have remained the same compared to the DB11, I guess that the rearview mirror arms remained too.

Bentley, on the other hand, was better at something else.

The new Continental GT pioneered the so called Super Formed process which is specifically designed for the aluminum body formation. This process heats the aluminum to 500 degrees Celsius enabling the sheets of the material to be formed with sensational curves and creases. This process partially made it possible for Bentley to cut the weight of the Continental GT by 176 pounds. Moreover, this freed the designers’ hands so they can design something as breathtaking as the new Continental GT. Did I mention that the Super Formed process allows for the production of strikingly precise pieces? Something Bentley is especially proud of! As it turns out, this process has never been used on a production car before. Nor has the three sided infotainment system integrated into the dash. You have to see it to believe it.

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Obviously, both the DBS Superleggera and the Bentley Continental GT have something in their “bragging rights” favors. What about the Ferrari 812 Superfast then?

Well, as this may be the last Ferrari with a naturally aspirated V-12 engine as its only means of propulsion, Ferrari engineers went out of their way to create something that can only be regarded as exceptional. With 6.5-liters of capacity, the V-12, basically the same in design as the 6.3-liter V12 from their other cars, received a new 350-bar high-pressure direct injection system. Along with the tech of variable intake tracts allegedly taken from F1 and cooling improvements, Ferrari managed to radically increase the power output.

Remember this.

The Ferrari 812 Superfast delivers 789 horsepower and 529 feet-pound of torque from a NATURALLY ASPIRATED engine. This is the most powerful engine Ferrari ever installed in a car. Its active aerodynamic tech, more advanced Side Slip Control, better four wheel steering, and that nice electric power steering may feel a bit more innovative or evolutionary, but so much power from a NA engine does not come by that often.

How Do They Compare Stylewise?

Looking at all three cars side by side, it is obvious that the Aston Martin and the Ferrari are meaner, even cunning compared with the Bentley.

However, all of them are intricate pieces of design precisely tuned for their market niches. The Ferrari with its angry poise, hard lines, and sharp edges does look like the most hard-core of them all. Some weren’t impressed with its design. They stressed it looks like the F12 all too much, while some said that its rear end is like of a custom Corvette. Nevertheless, the Ferrari message is clear - this one is callous and ferocious.

The Aston Martin is a bit of a gentleman. One that is reserved and does not want to disclose everything it’s got right from the get go. It is tough, definitely not scared of adventure, and in love with risk. So much risk, in fact, that it chose to fight the callous 812. Aston Martin CEO said it best - it is “a brute in a suit.” Remind you of someone? 007?

Finally, the Bentley Continental GT is obviously bathed in the luxury lavishness of the sophisticated lines successfully evoking wealth and composure. If I were to link them with individuals, I would say that the Bentley is the right fit for someone growing up in wealth, the Ferrari for a rebel, and the Aston Martin for someone profoundly sagacious, but adventurous and courageous.

Let me put it this way.

Imagine the 812 Superfast being a fugitive after some big money laundering scheme and the Bentley Continental GT a well educated son of an owner of a major oil company the Ferrari stole money from. The Bentley knows that the Ferrari stole its money and it has a chance to get it back. If the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera stole the money, the Bentley wouldn’t know a thing. But the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera wouldn’t steal, or we simply do not have a clue.

What About the Inside?

Having three different ideologies and approaches to design and technology affected the interior design as well. As is the case with the exterior, the interior of all three cars screams sophistication. Again, in three different volumes.

Ferrari is so focused on sport and driving precision that it did not even bother to put a central infotainment screen in the 812 Superfast. On the other hand, Bentley did the opposite and provided a three sided, rotating dash system which can show the analog instruments, the massive infotainment screen, or simply integrate seamlessly into the dash.

Aston Martin seems to be bridging the gap between the two. The interior layout is somewhat classic, but it does include all the imaginable technology and pieces found in the most advanced cars of today. Possibly because Aston “borrowed” the infotainment and some of the interior hardware features from Mercedes-AMG cars. Yup, the DBS Superleggera has things usually residing in the lavish interiors of the S-Class. Can’t argue with that really. Nice job Aston. But what sets the DBS Superleggera apart from the confines of utter luxury or mediocrity is the sheer amount of personalization options. As is the case with the Continental GT and the 812 Superfast, the buyers can personalize practically everything in the cabin thus making it more luxurious, or more sporty and pointy.

Names

It is rather incredible just how much thought goes into building cars like this. Every single detail has to be perfect. Including the names. They have to evoke some emotion and be rooted in history. Bentley has used the name Continental since the Fifties, and for this car, the GT stands for Grand Tourer. Obviously.

The 812 Superfast has a surprisingly cool meaning to it as well. Number 8 represents the power - 800 bhp. The 12 stands the 12 cylinders of its engine, and the word Superfast (apart from the obvious meaning, which is true by the way) is rooted in the past. First Ferrari to bear that name was the 1956 410 Superfast.

Aston Martin did much the same with their name. The name DBS first appeared after 1967 for the Aston Martin DBS. It was the last car built under the control of David Brown (his initials are actually what DB stands for in DBS). And, the Superleggera is like an homage to the Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera from Italy who built some of Aston Martin's cars back then (most notably the DB4, the DB5, and the DB6). They had a special building method focused on saving weight. Exactly what Aston Martin did with their last car.

Isn’t it funny how Ferrari used an English word for their latest super GT and Aston Martin used an Italian word for theirs. Amazing.

Conclusion

The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera is the perfect fit between the Bentley Continental GT and the Ferrari 812 Superfast. It ties the wealth and soothing composure of the Bentley with the mad, rebellious character of the Ferrari 812 Superfast. And it does it in all respects - with its looks, with its interior, with the power of its engine, with its price, and with its dimensions.

However, despite the clear links with the niche the Continental GT resides in, the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera will try to take the scalp of the Ferrari 812 Superfast. That is why the Brits made it quicker in some respects than Ferrari (50-100 mph for example,) but also full of extraordinary technology crafted for the best possible track performance.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera.

Read our full review on the 2018 Ferrari 812 Superfast.

Read our full review on the 2018 Bentley Continental GT.