Jay Leno Fires Up Ringbrothers’ Supercharged Aston Martin DBS ‘Octavia’ and Gets the Power the Car Always Needed

Jay Leno recently climbed behind the wheel of a transformed 1971 Aston Martin DBS during an episode of his garage show. Rain fell on the California roads, yet the car still pulled hard and delivered the kind of response that made him smile and offer a clear verdict on what the brand had been missing all these years.

Ringbrothers dedicated three years and over 12,000 hours of blood, sweat, and tears to this project. The Wisconsin shop began with a non-running six-cylinder DBS that had been collecting dust for years after its owner purchased it on Bring a Trailer. The DBS had originally produced approximately 282 horsepower and was in good condition, despite sitting dormant for an extended period of time. Ringbrothers did not touch the wheelbase, greenhouse, windshield, or back glass.

They dropped the car onto a custom Roadster Shop chassis and chose to extend the body an additional 8 inches in front and 10 inches in back. That gave the car a grounded, strong stance, yet the typical Aston proportions made it clearly recognizable from the side and front 3/4 views. Every exterior panel is comprised of incredibly lightweight carbon fibre, and the dramatic clamshell hood splits into two halves with a large functional scoop that feeds air directly to the engine. You also have working brake ducts and a couple more subtle vents to complete the redesigned look. Out front, late-model Aston Martin door handles and a unique paint scheme worked well.


Under the hood, you’ll find a rebuilt 5.0-liter Ford Coyote V8, topped with a custom supercharger from Harrop Engineering in Australia. They had to get inventive and redesign the supercharger housing so that the throttle body would sit nicely and center under the hood scoop, and the cooling lines would run cleanly and without fuss. On standard pump petrol, it produces a solid 800 horsepower, but with race gasoline and some tune, it can produce a whooping 1100 horsepower. A six-speed manual transaxle from a C6 Corvette connects to the back, resulting in a weight distribution of 48/52 front/rear in the about 4600-pound vehicle. This beast lacks traction control and stability aids.


Jay Leno was thrilled by the car’s exhaust noise and powerful torque, as well as the proper clutch feel under his left foot. Brembo brakes, handmade suspension parts with Porsche 997 uprights, and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires mounted on one-off center lock HRE wheels all contribute to this. Leno concluded by stating that the power level is exactly what an Aston Martin should have had in the first place.


Small details throughout the vehicle give a playful tribute to its Bond links. The name Octavia was inspired by the jewel smuggler from the film “Octopussy,” which was a wonderful touch by the creators. When you look closely at the automobile, you’ll see a few humorous elements, such as the dipstick, which resembles a martini glass, and other cheeky small surprises concealed in the engine room and within the vehicle.


Inside, the cabin retains the classic Aston Martin elegance that we all know and love, but it also includes all of the modern amenities you’d expect. Classic gauges may be found behind a one-of-a-kind Ringbrothers steering wheel that is simply stunning. Gentex provided some beautiful auto-dimming sun visors that darken automatically in bright light, as well as auto-dimming mirrors, because it is the small details that show true attention to detail. If you remove the trim, you’ll find a whole roll cage underneath, a fantastic bit of engineering.


Leno had several positive things to say about the Octavia, not least the tremendous craftsmanship that went into it. Ringbrothers chose the Ford Coyote V8 since Ford once owned Aston Martin, which provides a sense of historical symmetry to a car that was originally a grand tourer. With a little extra power and some real engineering beneath the original design and glasshouse, this is a car that seems like it’s never been out of date while yet being utterly fresh.
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