The DBS was first seen in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale. It was officially unveiled at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance sporting a brand new exterior colour, a graphite grey with a blue tint which has been dubbed 'Casino Ice'.

The two seater coupé (as opposed to the 2+2 DB9 which the car is based on) has a bonded aluminium chassis made of lightweight magnesium alloy, carbon fibre composite and aluminium. It is the first production Aston Martin to make extensive use of carbon-fibre body panels.