When people think about English sports cars, stuff like the Triumph TR6, The Lotus Elan/Elise/Esprit and the MG Sprite comes to mind. We rarely get to hear about cars like the Rocket (A Gordon Murray creation). Though most car enthusiasts are fans of them, we barely get to see cars like the McLaren F1 and the Ariel Atom and it’s easy to forget these amazing cars originally came from England. The idea of traditional British motoring with the top down, wind in your hair and an old carburated engine evoke images of the hills and dales of the English countryside in fall with leaves blowing and clear skies.

This week, though, Jay Leno reviews his recent purchase of a 2009 Aston-Martin DBS. At 3480lbs, it’s a surprisingly light car (less than the new M3 or the C63 AMG) especially considering the fact that it packs a 6.0L V12 that puts out 510HP. With a standard 6-speed transmission (transaxle no-less to keep the weight balanced), it’s a real drivers car so its not like those new sissy-Ferraris with their sequential flappy-paddle gearbox. Let’s be honest though, when buying a car like this, ambiance and class strongly enter into the reasons you consider such a ride. With it’s drop-dead looks and amazing cache, the Aston-Martin is James Bond’s car for a reason. Sleek and mean looking, the DBS has menacing look that people LOVE, yet keeps it’s proportions in such a way that the car still looks like it could raise hell on a road course.

For all those who were fans of the Astons of old, cutting edge suspension technology like double-wishbones all around, electronic dampening and anti-squat/anti-dive management sound more like they should be on a Ferrari or BMW than a “proper English drivers car.” However, the tour-de-force of technology, driver’s interaction and experience, racy interior and real race-cred from the motorsports program means this is one of the most sought after sports cars in the world. Check out what Jay has to say about the car below (and don’t forget to turn it up when he lays the hammer down):

And some sweet desktop porn to keep you distracted from work:

October 20th, 2008 - Jay Leno’s popular site, www.jaylenosgarage.com, released his weekly video demo of his 1989 Bently Turbo R. Jay recounts back in the 1970s when he worked for Rolls/Bently dealer and talks much about Bentley’s lush history as the “silent sportscar,” due to their incredible power and handling despite their size and quiet operation. Compared to the wafting ride of Rolls-Royce (who bought Bentley back in the 1930s), the Bently was a real drivers car. Some of that cache was lost during Rolls-Royce’s ownership. However, in recent years, with Volkswagon’s purchase of Bentley, they have sincerealigned themselves with the properties W.O. Bentley set forth with his original cars. WIth all this said, Jay mentions that this Bentley is part of the push to move the brand back towards their sporting heritage. It’s handling is surprisingly composed and coming from an owner of a McLaren F1, saying the Turbo R handes well despite its size is high praise. Jay goes on to mention the standard specs of a Turbo R with it’s 385HP 6.7L turbocharged engine, lugging around a full 5200lbs. The most surprising part of the story for me (as with most of you probably) is the price of a 20 year old Bentley. You can curently buy a vintage Turbo R for around the same price as a new Civic or Accord (depeding upon condition). The excellent built quality is evident (with well taken care of cars) and even an English car of this age is very reliable due to the overengineering that went into these cars. For more information check out our Bentley Turbo section and to view the video, see below: