Aston Martin's Mansory Cyrus: A rogue agent

1.682427-3448010144 — Image Credit: Supplied

Like folding paper more than seven times, it is physically impossible to talk about Aston Martin without mentioning a certain English super spy. So we'll deal with it early: James Bond could never drive the Mansory Cyrus.

If Bond tooled around in this naked carbon fibre, bulging Aston, he would be dead in seconds. From the safety of a secret hideout thousands of miles away, his nemesis could find and blow him off the face of the earth before we'd taken the first bite of popcorn. It's that subtle. Less, in fact.

Mansory is renowned for its aggressive conversions and you just have to look back to its widebody Bentleys and the naked carbon fibre and gold Bugatti Veyron for the evidence. But with the Cyrus, named after the first Persian Emperor for those of a historical persuasion, they have simply gone nuclear.

The front end is so ornate that you have to see the thing to comprehend it at all. This is a visual feast, decadence on wheels. It's the automotive equivalent of living on chocolate for years. It's probably too much, it might even be unhealthy, but given the chance the child inside would love it.

Each of the blades features another strip of carbon fibre, every loving contour catches the light and the perfectly laid chunky knit fibres shine through the deep, lustrous varnish. Mansory supplies carbon fibre to some very big names in tuning and beyond, and is one of the established masters. These cars are more than simply artistic expression, then. They're an audition, a business card for the global automotive community. That means it has to be perfect and it really is.

Carbon fibre is one of the most irksome, difficult materials in the world to get right and Mansory's efforts are beyond reproach. In the tuning world they are simply the best there is in this black art.

And through every weave, strands of aluminium fibres are expertly laid to create a glinting surface that catches the sun. The alternative copper wiring running through the fibres gives a gold lustre to the finish, so you have to have a certain amount of nerve to drive it. It is not a car for blending in.

It draws the eye to each and every ripple and that monster power bulge in the bonnet. Even the vent down its side is produced in perfect carbon fibre and from every angle this beast looks hard core and beyond. The roof scoop serves no purpose though and I wonder if I'd tick that particular box, but then if you're knocking on Mansory's door in the first place then there pretty much is no ‘limit'. And anyway, it's fun.

The sides are flared like a beefed up DBS with the wide front arches pinned to the door with carbon fibre. At the back, the diffuser belongs on a race car, as does the single-plane rear wing, while the exhausts sit inside a square case like two shotgun barrels.

Ultra lightweight wheels are finished in piano black gloss giving the ‘murdered out' look a whole new twist, and the matching bright red brake callipers and interior provide a surreal Sin City effect. It's a deliciously dark car, tailor-made for the next Bond villain if anything.

Inside, there's more carbon on the wheel, instrument binnacle and kick plates. The sat-nav and ashtray covers clash with the centre console's piano black finish, though — it's a small complaint in the grand scheme of things.

That aside, this is a car that will stop traffic wherever it goes. But it could do with just a touch more bite to back up this much bark.

The only performance modification is a sport exhaust and a minor ECU tweak that gives an extra 30bhp over the standard DB9 or DBS, which would seem a more sensible base for this One-77 look creation that costs $500,000 on top of the standard car.

For a DBS version then, this $700,000 worth of car is definitely for the ‘money is no object' crowd that don't bother with such petty quibbles as price tags.

And broken down, the DB9-based machine is simply a fast cruiser with an aggressive growling engine. It will hit 100kph in about 4.5 seconds and top out at around 300kph which is hardly world-beating in this price range. So, you need the DBS to avoid driving a sheep in wolf's clothing.

With a 540bhp V12 under the bonnet and approximately 70kg of weight stripped thanks to the carbon bodywork, the DBS-based creation would be plenty fast enough, and more than loud enough.

I fire it up inside the cavernous hall that forms Mansory's reception and the Cyrus settles down to a menacing burble. As soon as we're out of the door, on the open road and past 4,000rpm, the burble turns to a roar that sends the birds scattering from the trees.

The 30bhp boost makes it just fractionally faster, but winding the noise to 11 has a resounding impact on the feel-good factor.Aston's V12 was a fine sounding animal before Mansory got hold of it, and the German tuner has effectively strapped on a pair of trumpets to the outlet, amplifying the delicious mechanical rumble to near indecent levels. Never underestimate the value of pure noise and with the increased decibels, the Aston just feels faster.

Lowering the suspension has a similar effect. It's about more than the look, as the Cyrus feels that touch keener in the bends. It skips off ruts now and makes driving an occasion even at lower speeds. There's a touch more work to do behind the wheel as the car reacts to bumps and divots that it would simply skate over with longer suspension travel. But it's simply more fun, which is the critical point. It gives an added dimension, a playful sense of life to the driving, even at sensible speeds and higher up the range that keener suspension and advanced aero work really do help pin the car to the apex.

Of course, the body is still writing cheques that the engine cannot cash. This might look like a One-77, but Aston's flagship is an all carbon fibre supercar that has broken 370kph and comes with 200 more horses under the bonnet. That is something epic — this is something altogether different.

But then the Cyrus is hardly a cheap knock-off. It's a massively expensive machine. So, who is it for? Well for the men that have a One-77 on order and want an easier car for the daily slog (and believe me those men exist) a naked carbon fibre DB9 might be just what they're looking for. Others may simply not want to take on the might of Aston's impending hypercar — it might simply be too much for them — but the ultimately accessible DB9 with all the visual bells and whistles might prove a much more attractive proposition.

Just don't expect to see Bond driving one.

Basically...

Mansory has taken the standard DBS and re-skinned it with its favourite material — carbon fibre. Then, the ECU was tweaked to gain an extra 30 horses out of the big V12. The result is something that looks like the One-77 — but is still a DBS.

Mansory magic

1. Newly designed front skirt and enlarged air inlets are there mostly for looks.

2. Steering wheel is re-designed with a squared off top and bottom, but retains the airbag.

3. Tailor-made, red leather interior comes with embroidered Cyrus logos and carbon everything.

4. Mansory's carbon bonnet sports beautiful air inlets, but it's not like they're that necessary anyway.

5. Rear end houses a race car style diffuser shrouding huge twin exhaust pipes.

6. A coilover suspension provides perfect road holding characteristics.

Specs & rating