Ringbrothers, the world-renowned custom car builder and parts manufacturer, unveiled its 1971 Aston Martin DBS “OCTAVIA” at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering on Friday. The fully bespoke commission marks Ringbrothers’ most advanced and striking build to date, as well as the brand’s first Aston Martin and debut at Monterey Car Week.
“OCTAVIA” was engineered to be a game-changer: an icon of British motoring, rendered in carbon fiber and reimagined as a wholly modern and tech-rich car. Beginning with a donor 1971 Aston Martin DBS, it underwent extensive modifications to showcase Ringbrothers’ signature automotive design, production and artistry. The immaculately finished product represents over 12,000 combined hours of Ringbrothers’ meticulous engineering and craftsmanship.
“It’s nearly impossible to convey all the intricacies that went into engineering this car. It pushed us to innovate beyond our comfort zone and create a moving mechanical work of art,” said Ringbrothers co-owner Mike Ring. “We’ve combined the ferocity of American muscle with the stiff upper lip of English sophistication and motoring. ‘OCTAVIA’ is beyond anything we’ve built before and a celebration of the hot rodding spirit, unveiled in Monterey on the grandest stage of them all.”
Every aspect of the Aston Martin has been tailored with bespoke components that showcase Ringbrothers’ focused attention to detail and extreme build quality. The carbon-fiber bodywork echoes the original silhouette penned by William Townsend, while its curves and contours are decidedly more chiseled and pronounced. Designer Gary Ragle was instrumental in engineering countless details, including the engine bay, complete interior a multitude of bespoke components, and shaping the Aston’s honed curvature. Its track was widened 8 inches at the front and 10 inches at the rear, creating a distinctive and muscular Coke-bottle curvature evocative of late-model Aston Martins. Underneath the clamshell bonnet is a Ford Performance-sourced 5.0-liter engine topped with a specially engineered 2.65-liter Harrop Performance supercharger. The V8 produces a potent 805-horsepower in street tune, and is backed by a six-speed manual gearbox.
The wheelbase has been extended with the front wheels brought forward 3 inches, while the fully bespoke Aston Martin features an integrated structural cage seamlessly joined to the artfully adjusted body for maximum rigidity. One-off three-piece centerlock wheels were designed in collaboration with Ragle Design and HRE as an homage to the original DBS. Stopping power is provided by a set of custom 14-inch Brembo brake rotors with six-piston front calipers, while four-piston calipers were specified for the rear. Completing the setup are Fox RS SV fixed valve coilovers mounted at all four corners with Ringbrothers-designed and machined upright arms at the front. All of it is mated to a custom Roadster Shop FAST TRACK chassis to ensure a decidedly menacing stance and dramatically improved handling capabilities.
The bodywork is draped in BASF Glasurit’s Double-0 Silver while the accents are finished in Nuclear Olive Green. All accompanying trim and brightwork were milled from billet aluminum and 3D printed in stainless steel using additive manufacturing. The interior trim is similarly themed, with a carbon-fiber dashboard and 3D-printed stainless-steel accents. Its door handles were machined from brass and connect to the stainless-steel detail work that permeates the cabin, along with pleated leather and ample carbon-fiber touches. “OCTAVIA” marks the first time that Gentex Corporation’s auto-dimming visors have ever been featured in a road car, along with a suite of cameras to rival even the finest developments from Q-Branch.
Additional details include custom valve covers machined to accept the original Aston Martin emblems, with the tongue-in-cheek addition of an extra “i” to read “Aston Martini.” The dipstick handle was also machined into the likeness of a martini glass to complement the theme.
“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,” added Ringbrothers co-owner Jim Ring. “The engineering and attention to detail that went into this project are unlike anything we’ve done before. We’re honored and incredibly grateful for our partners, including Gentex, HRE Wheels, BASF, Ragle Design, and more, that worked alongside us to create something we are decidedly proud to present.”
