Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Concorde Edition

The DBS Superleggera Concorde Edition is a ten-car Q allocation commissioned through Aston Martin Bristol. Announced in November 2019 with British Airways, it commemorates Concorde’s first-flight anniversary and the airline’s centenary through aviation-themed details. Its history belongs to the Wings Series and to the wider DBS grand touring family.

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Concorde Edition at a glance

An aviation commission rooted in Bristol

The Concorde Edition connects a car commission with a specific aircraft history and place. Its Bristol association helps explain the choice of theme and the interest it can hold for an aviation collector. The historical story should remain linked to the actual factory edition, rather than applied to any DBS wearing an aircraft reference. A useful profile identifies the commission and then shows how its original specification expressed that brief. An individual car’s later custodianship and display history can add detail when documented.

Rarity: a ten-car factory allocation

The manufacturer announcement limited the edition to ten cars. This profile records that allocation ceiling and leaves a complete reconciled production census unclaimed. Ten is also separate from the total DBS family and from the other Wings Series projects. A car advertised as part of the edition needs original factory or dealer commission documentation. The number gives the programme a defined scale, while the condition, originality and completeness of an individual example still require their own evidence.

A November 2019 anniversary announcement

The edition was announced on November 26, 2019, connecting Concorde’s first-flight anniversary with British Airways’ centenary. That date supplies the historical reference for the programme. The bundled photograph’s source filename uses 2021 for the pictured car; it should not replace the announcement year or establish when all ten were completed. Delivery, registration and later show appearances describe separate milestones. Keep them attached to the records that support each event, rather than turning one visible date into a full production timeline.

The Wings Series provides the wider context

Aston Martin grouped its aviation projects under the Wings Series in 2019. The Concorde commission adds a civil aviation theme to that wider collecting story. Related editions provide useful comparisons, but each retains its own commission, count and detail. A group label does not imply identical materials or a shared engine modification. For a collector, the series can suggest a theme for an exhibition or collection while the actual buying assessment continues to depend on the individual vehicle and its original documentation.

British Airways references on the exterior

The launch describes airline colors, an aircraft silhouette, distinctive side details and edition identification. These features give the exterior its thematic identity, but they should be assessed together rather than as isolated badges. Clear daylight photographs help show the original finishes and any later repairs. An aircraft identifier displayed on a car belongs to the commissioned presentation; it does not make the vehicle a piece of aircraft equipment. Preserve the manufacturer’s stated relationship without adding a more specific material provenance than the records establish.

Cabin details carry the aviation story

The factory cabin presentation includes Concorde graphics and several carefully specified details. The collecting interest comes from how those elements work together within the DBS interior. Record the actual headlining, seat treatment, sill details and control finishes, using the original order to explain what the car was supplied with. An interior can be extremely well preserved yet differ after a repair or replacement. A precise description of those changes is more useful than a broad claim that the aviation theme remains entirely original.

Titanium paddles and the limits of material claims

The announcement identifies paddle shifters made using titanium from Concorde compressor blades. Retain that specific manufacturer attribution without extending it to unrelated trim or asserting a particular aircraft origin when no supporting record is present. Material provenance can be important to this edition’s appeal, so any additional certificates or commission documentation should be preserved. A close photograph can show the actual paddles, but the source relationship belongs in the written evidence. That distinction keeps an attractive feature from becoming an unsupported story about the whole car.

The underlying DBS grand touring specification

The Concorde release describes the DBS Superleggera’s 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 foundation, including a 725 PS reference. It presents the edition through its bespoke theme rather than a separately claimed engine programme. The period core-model brochure helps explain the eight-speed automatic layout and broader grand touring design. Keep the published unit and distinguish launch performance references from the condition of a used car. A collector should assess how the vehicle operates now alongside how convincingly it retains the original commissioned presentation.

The Air League Trust connection

The launch linked part of the sale proceeds with the Air League Trust. That is a documented programme relationship, not proof that a later resale automatically contributes to the same cause. Preserve original supporting material where it remains with a car, and describe the relationship in its historical context. Charitable associations can help explain why a commission was created, but they should not replace the ordinary questions of factory identity and condition. A subsequent owner benefits from a factual account of the original project and its surviving records.

Authentication of the complete commission

Begin with the factory identity and the Bristol commission paperwork, then reconcile the exterior, cabin and identifying details. Ask for explanations of any absent or replaced edition-specific parts. A badge, a graphic or an aircraft-themed registration does not alone establish membership of the ten-car programme. The same process makes a genuine example’s history clearer if it has received repairs. Documentation should distinguish the car’s original identity from its present conformity, allowing a collector to evaluate both without relying on a single photograph.

Inspection and conservation priorities

A specialist inspection should review the normal DBS mechanical systems alongside the rare trim, graphics, carbon surfaces, wheels and interior details. These are assessment priorities, not reported failures common to every car. Preserve photographs and invoices when a themed component has been repaired or refinished. Ask about storage and use as well as mileage. An edition whose appeal includes specific material and visual details benefits from maintenance decisions that consider how those details can be documented and retained over time.

The credited photograph and aviation comparisons

The bundled image is source-identified as a Concorde Edition and was taken in April 2025. Its source label and the actual capture date are recorded separately from the 2019 announcement. The image illustrates the car while leaving its edition number, aircraft identifier relationship and current condition uncertified. Related Red Arrows and Spitfire 80 profiles help readers explore the aviation theme. TAG Heuer provides a contrasting DBS collaboration, allowing the shared family to remain clear while each programme’s defining details stay attached to the correct vehicle.

Frequently asked questions

How many Concorde Editions were allocated?

The factory limited the edition to ten cars. This is the programme ceiling; a complete reconciled finished chassis census has not been retrieved here.

Who commissioned the Concorde Edition?

The factory release identifies Aston Martin Bristol, with British Airways involved in the anniversary project.

Were the paddles made from Concorde material?

The manufacturer described titanium sourced from Concorde compressor blades for the paddle shifters. Additional aircraft-specific claims require their own supporting documentation.

Is 2021 the edition’s launch year?

No. The factory announcement is dated November 26, 2019. The bundled photo’s source filename uses 2021 for the photographed example.

Explore related Aston Martin profiles

• Aston Martin Vanquish S Red Arrows Edition
• Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Spitfire 80 Edition
• Aston Martin DBS Superleggera TAG Heuer Edition

Sources

• Aston Martin: Concorde Edition launch, 26 November 2019, Bristol commission, British Airways and Air League Trust
• Aston Martin: Wings Series formation, 13 November 2019
• Aston Martin DBS Superleggera factory brochure, hosted by the Aston Martins archive: core mechanical architecture and Q services

Historical claims follow the linked manufacturer, archive, specialist and catalogue records, with disputed findings retained. Inspection and collecting guidance is editorial analysis. Catalogue condition and custody statements remain dated to their sources.

Photography and credit

Source-identified DBS Superleggera Concorde Edition photographed in April 2025. Source filename 2021 describes the pictured example, not the November 2019 edition announcement. Photo: Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia thumbnail resized from original; no cropping or colour changes.