A bespoke build of a 1971 Aston Martin DBS by Ringbrothers has resulted in an enticing mix of retro and modern.
The one-off British muscle car was commissioned by a very trusting customer who let the car-building geniuses run wild with their ideas.
Several cheeky nods to the James Bond movie series are incorporated into the design, as are high-end materials such as carbon fiber and 3D-printed stainless steel.
The custom car-builders at Ringbrothers revealed their latest project car, the Octavia, at the 2025 edition of The Quail. Commissioned by an unnamed customer, the Octavia started its life as a 1971 Aston Martin DBS. But the British muscle car has been rethought from tip to tail, with an extraordinary level of detail going into every single part of the car.
While it was initially intended to be a straightforward restomod, the car's designer, Gary Ragle, told Car and Driver during a sneak peek of the car that, during the process of imagining what the car could be, the project "snowballed" into a fully custom job.
While the Octavia pays homage to the original DBS, almost nothing you see here is original. In fact, one of the Ringbrothers co-owners says that the only parts reused from the donor vehicle are the power window switches.
It being an Aston Martin, the team leaned into a James Bond theme, incorporating nods to the spy-thriller franchise throughout the design. The engine dipstick handle, for example, is a custom-made martini glass complete with an olive.
The handbrake lever, rendered in brilliant chrome, has the look of a handgun. The exterior paint color? Double-O Silver. The License plate? SHAKN. Even the name Octavia is a reference to the title character from the famous Bond film Octopussy.
Look closely at the valve-cover gaskets on the engine, and you'll notice they don't say Aston Martin, but Aston Martini. Like any good Bond car, the Octavia features some novel tech too, including auto-dimming sunshades sourced from automotive supplier Gentex. The flip-down shades vary their transparency depending on how the sun is shining on them, leaving a clear view of the road ahead regardless of the weather.
In case you need to outrun some villains, the Octavia is built to perform on the road. The original powertrain was jettisoned in the car's transition, and in its place is a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 from Ford Performance. The engine makes a stout 805 horsepower and drives the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.
The track has been widened by eight inches in the front and ten inches in the rear, mostly to accommodate new, more muscular bodywork and bespoke three-piece HRE centerlock wheels. The wheelbase has been stretched by three inches, too. A set of four Fox RS SV coilovers serves suspension duty, and the chassis is custom-tuned by Illinois-based fabricator Roadster Shop.
Carbon fiber has been used heavily throughout the design, and Ringbrothers sought out state-of-the-art 3D printing techniques to create many of the custom trim pieces you see in the car. A supplier called Azoth 3D, located right up the road from C/D headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is responsible for printing stainless-steel elements such as the shift knob, headrest collars, and custom Aston Martin logos for the exterior.
Ringbrothers hasn't named their client, nor have they disclosed how much was spent to complete the project, but they did explain that the buyer let them have full creative control. The Octavia's debut at The Quail marks the company's first new product unveiling at Monterey Car Week, and the hope is to have the final touches done on the chassis and have it ready for some shake-down laps before the next SEMA show in November.
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