Ringbrothers is primarily known for its customized classic American cars and winning Battle of the Builders awards at SEMA, but this time the Wisconsin-based designers are taking on the upper echelon at Monterey Car Week. Its latest creation is a uniquely Ringbrothers take on the great British 1971 Aston Martin DBS. Named Octavia, it has a longer wheelbase, a carbon-fiber widebody, a custom chassis, a six-speed manual transmission and an 805-horsepower supercharged Ford 5.0-liter V8.
Octavia did begin
life as a real 1971 Aston Martin DBS, but everything from the donor car was replaced save for the VIN, the inner-door window structure, and the Aston Martin emblems that were on the original V8's valve covers. Ringbrothers machined custom valve covers on Octavia to fit these original badges, but it added an "i" at the end so it says "Aston Martini," complemented by the custom machined martini glass–shaped dipstick handle in a nod to Aston Martin's cinematic history in the James Bond films. Ringbrothers says it took over 12,000 hours to customize Octavia, and by the looks of it, that was time well spent.
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True To Ringbrothers Form, No Detail Was Overlooked
The company left no stone unturned with this customization, going so far as widening the rear track by 10 inches, the front track by eight inches, and even lengthening the wheelbase by three inches. In order to accommodate these changes, Ringbrothers designed the unique carbon-fiber body that now sits on a custom Roadster Shop chassis. In order to accommodate the Ford Performance supercharged V8 and six-speed manual gearbox, the engine bay was redesigned by Gary Ragle of Ragle Design.
Ringbrothers co-owner Jim Ring said, "Octavia is a combination of state-of-the-art fabrication and imagination. We asked ourselves,'What would an MI6 agent drive on holiday?' This was the result."
Octavia is painted Double-0 Silver with Nuclear Olive Green accents on the badges and brake calipers. Speaking of brakes, this Aston has custom 14-inch Brembo brake rotors with six-piston front calipers and four-piston calipers in the rear. The also totally new interior is flush with pleated leather, exposed carbon-fiber accents and stainless steel trim, and the door handles are machined brass. It also marks the first time that Ringbrothers has debuted a car during Monterey Car Week, with its official unveiling happening at The Quail.
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