DBS 770 Ultimate

A V12 with 900 Nm of torque does not want tight hairpins: it wants room to breathe. The south-western coast offers exactly that. The panoramic road running from Chia towards Teulada is a sequence of fast curves suspended over the blue, where the DBS 770 Ultimate settles into sixth gear and leaves you listening to nothing but the wind and the continuous bass line of twelve cylinders.

The natural itinerary starts in Cagliari, drops down to Chia and climbs back up the coast to Villasimius — we have told it kilometre by kilometre in our guide to southern Sardinia by grand tourer. With 770 hp beneath that long bonnet and the poise of a sporting flagship, this is the most majestic way to drive it.

The 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 pushes from the first touch of the throttle: peak torque arrives just above idle and never lets go, with an appetite for revs that turns every overtake into a one-second formality. The sound is a crescendo — a deep rumble in cruise, then a full, metallic note that builds in intensity as the tachometer closes on the red line. The 0–100 km/h time of 3.4 seconds is almost a footnote.

The 8-speed automatic has been recalibrated for faster shifts, while a stiffened structure and revised steering and suspension complete the picture: the result is a 340 km/h grand tourer you can guide with two fingers, composed even over the undulating asphalt of Sardinia's provincial roads. Enormous power, served with white gloves.

The Ultimate badge is no marketing flourish: this is the closing chapter of the DBS dynasty, built as a limited series and sold out at dealerships almost immediately. Exposed carbon fibre, bespoke detailing and the most powerful V12 ever fitted to a DBS make it the unrepeatable snapshot of an era now drawing to a close.

Renting it is the most tangible way to experience it — no waiting list required. You will find it in our fleet of grand tourers for Sardinia, with delivery available in Cagliari for anyone building their holiday around the south of the island. A few years from now you will be able to say you drove the last twelve-cylinder DBS — and few will be able to say the same.