Jay Leno Says This Is The Power Aston Martin Should’ve Had All Along

Not every Aston Martin is born a legend. Some spend decades sitting in garages, overshadowed by DB5s, V8 Vantages, and anything with a James Bond connection. But leave it to Ringbrothers to take one of Aston Martin’s most overlooked classics and transform it into something so outrageous that even Jay Leno couldn’t stop grinning.

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Their latest creation, codenamed Octavia, stars in the newest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, and it’s exactly the kind of build that reminds us why restomods have become the hottest thing in the collector car world. What started life as a tired, non-running 1971 Aston Martin DBS has emerged three years later as a 1,100-horsepower carbon-fiber restomod that somehow looks factory-perfect.

Ringbrothers Fixed Everything The Original DBS Was Missing

Ringbrothers

Jay Leno himself didn’t mince words about the original DBS. While beautiful, the six-cylinder grand tourer was always considered the “boring” Aston Martin, lacking the performance to match its handsome styling. Even a few years ago, these cars traded hands for around $50,000 to $80,000 because collectors simply weren’t chasing them.

Owner Eric simply asked Mike and Jim Ring what they wanted to build. Their answer? Something European for a change. The donor arrived as a non-running project, and because the original drivetrain was destined for the scrap pile anyway, the Wisconsin builders had complete freedom to start from scratch.

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Rather than simply stuffing a big V8 under the hood, Ringbrothers completely reimagined the car while respecting its unmistakable Aston Martin identity. Every exterior body panel was recreated in lightweight carbon fiber. The greenhouse, windshield and overall proportions remain unmistakably DBS, but the body now features muscular new hips that stretch an incredible 10 inches wider at the rear and 8 inches wider up front. Functional brake ducts, custom vents, late-model Aston Martin door handles, and a dramatic clamshell hood complete the transformation.

A Ford V8 Gives This Aston Martin The Heart It Always Deserved

Since Aston Martin couldn’t supply an engine for the project, Ringbrothers turned to Ford’s legendary 5.0-liter Coyote V8—a fitting choice considering Ford once owned Aston Martin.

A custom Harrop supercharger from Australia sits proudly between the cylinder banks after being extensively redesigned specifically for this build. Ringbrothers even convinced Harrop to redesign the supercharger housing so the intake could sit perfectly centered beneath the hood scoop while rerouting the cooling lines to clean up the engine bay.

Running race fuel and a more aggressive tune, the package is capable of producing around 1,100 horsepower, although it’s currently dialed back to roughly 800 horsepower on pump gas. Power heads through a reworked six-speed C6 Corvette rear-mounted transaxle, giving the car an almost perfect 48/52 front-to-rear weight distribution.

Underneath, nearly everything is custom-built, including Porsche-derived uprights, Brembo brakes, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, bespoke steering components, and a full roll cage hidden beneath the beautifully trimmed interior.

The cabin blends classic Aston Martin elegance with modern technology, including one particularly clever feature supplied by Gentex: prototype auto-dimming sun visors that automatically darken when facing bright sunlight—essentially built-in sunglasses for the windshield.

Naturally, Jay Leno couldn’t resist taking Octavia for a drive.

Despite rainy California roads preventing a full-throttle demonstration, Leno immediately understood what Ringbrothers had accomplished.

“Now that’s the power an Aston Martin should have,” he laughed after sampling the supercharged V8.

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Ringbrothers

This is exactly what a great restomod should be. Ringbrothers didn’t erase the Aston Martin DBS—they simply unlocked the potential that always seemed hidden beneath its elegant bodywork. Instead of building another Camaro or Mustang, they took one of Aston Martin’s forgotten models and gave it supercar performance without sacrificing its timeless design. Sure, purists might cringe at seeing a Ford Coyote under the hood, but after hearing that supercharged V8 roar, it’s hard to argue the original six-cylinder would have been the better choice.