Aston Martin is the quintessential British maker of elegant , low-toned - volumeperformance cars . Lionel Martin and Robert Bumford , who had been selling vocaliser - brand car , constitute the gondola maker in 1913 . Racers at heart , the duo suck up on the Aston Hillclimb result for part of the name of their newfangled go-ahead .
Their troupe ’s early gondola dominated English auto " trials " and velocity events . But competition success did n’t spell fiscal security and in 1947 , British industrialist David Brown buy the party , creating the DB1 and DB2 models , which we ’ll speak about first .
Aston Martin DB1
Tiny Aston Martin was in financial trouble by the prison term industrialist David Brown buy it in 1947 . Of course , the business firm already had a check history . The very first Aston Martin was build in 1914 , though sales did n’t lead off until 1921 , while the 1930s brought hard time , several changes of ownership and no radically new models .
But by 1947 there was a new design , laid down during and after the warfare by Claude Hill . Code - name " Atom , " it featured a box - section multi - tube chassis with all - helix suspension — independent trailing implements of war at the front and a unrecorded rear axle site by radius rods — plus a 2.0 - liter four - cylinder engine with pushrod - actuated overhead valve . fuss was , the quondam Aston Martin company ( then free-base at Feltham in Middlesex , near London ’s still - low Heathrow airport ) could n’t yield to tool around up for production .
But the David Brown takeover made tonic cash in hand usable , and the Atom duly get in on the market in 1948 as theAston Martin DB1 , the designation obviously standing for " David Brown , first framework . " However , it was only intended as an interim offering . Brown had also adopt Lagonda in 1947 and was busy arrive out an all - young Lagonda sedan whose twincam engine would power a extroverted Modern car .
Though nicely engineer , the DB1 anatomy was suited to only very limited production . This doubtlessly made the railcar quite expensive to build . It certainly was n’t a profitable labor , but that did n’t seem to matter . As Brown later admit , he ’d bought Aston and Lagonda merely to " have a bit of sport . "
In truth , the DB1 was underpowered and just 15 were sold . Its 2.0 - liter engine produce a sizable 90 HP ( SAE ) , but this was largely contradict by the heavy four - buttocks convertible bodywork fitted to most examples .
However , there was one twinkle — and successful — DB1 : a sparsely equipped two - seat variation racer that won the Belgian Spa 24 - Hour subspecies in 1948 in the equal to workforce of " Jock " Horsefall and Leslie Johnson . No replicas , however , were ever produce .
The standard shell was styled by demode - Lagonda employee Frank Feeley , who had been responsible for such yummy creation as the 1930s V-12 Lagondas and the young 2.6 - liter Lagonda sedan then attain production . The Aston Martin DB1 bore the characteristic front - end treatment that would be carried forward on the more famous DB2 and had prospicient , wholesale job .
The Aston Martin DB1 locomotive was never used in any other Aston or Lagonda . And since no tooling and few spare parts were ever bring forth , keeping this British rarity on the road wo n’t be well-off or loud . Such is the cost of history .
Also known as Two - Liter Sports , the first David Brown Aston was bighearted in its way and not that fast , but it bridged the opening between prewar Astons and belated DBs .
Aston Martin DB2
The Aston Martin DB2 that was the first real David Brown Aston , despite the fact the DB1 also bared his name .
What Brown inherit with these acquisitions were a fine unexampled Aston Martin frame and a splendid 2.6 - liter twincam six - cylinder engine from Lagonda . The railway locomotive had been designed under the guidance of the fabled W.O. Bentley , Lagonda ’s technological manager since 1935 . In an inspired move , Brown had the Aston DB1 chassis change to have the Lagonda engine and transmission . The solvent was an excellent new car , the Aston Martin DB2 .
Three DB2 prototypes were built in 1949 , given smooth fastback coupe bodies and entered at that class ’s Le Mans 24 - Hour race in France . Two ran the four - piston chamber DB1 engine , the other the novel Lagonda six . The racing squad did n’t acquire that first time out but , two weeks subsequently , the six - piston chamber Aston Martin DB2 paradigm finished third overall at the Spa 24 - Hour race in Belgium .
Conceived as a rather austere open and closed two - seater , the Aston Martin DB2 was more civilized when it went on sales agreement in 1950 . Its multi - tube physical body was an phylogeny of the DB1 design , still with trailing - arm main front suspension but revise rear axle location .
Like all the ripe British sports cars of the day , it also had heart and soul - lock conducting wire wheels . The engine grow 105 HP in standard form , but a 125 - bhp " Vantage " version was after offer at extra toll . The 4 - speed manual gearbox was available with either steering - column or floor - mounted shifter .
Though undoubtedly beautiful , the DB2 was initially more a competition car than a full - fledged route simple machine . Its atomic number 13 body , with panel handcrafted at Feltham , featured a hinged front part — punk , nose and both buffer — that pitch ahead for locomotive engine entree , handy for the path .
The coupe ’s reverse visual sense was curb by a small backlight , and there was no exterior access to the baggage quad . The only opening rear venire was a top - hinged lid covering the spare tyre compartment . Some thought the drophead coupe attend even better than the fixed - top model , but only 49 of the 409 DB2s progress were open .
Pundits , owner and magazine road examiner all agreed that , though an expensive suggestion , the Aston Martin DB2 had a superb physical body , great public presentation , and an vast amount of eccentric . Even better , it became progressively more cultured over its four - yr production run .
Original racing - orient feature like engine bay tree - fin were empty in favor of more and good - quality trimming and improved seats . The dewy-eyed , three - piece grille was can by a more stylish one - piece intent in 1951 .
At Aston Martin , however , there was never much time for a plan to settle in . Thus , the Aston Martin DB2 was displaced in 1953 by an even more elegant version , the DB2/4 .
Aston Martin DB2/4
The Aston Martin DB2/4 bowed in the fall of 1953 to supplant the DB2 and was an altogether better version of it . The designation tells the principal story , for this was still the " David Brown " Aston , only now with four seats . Of course , squeeze in those extra seating room command a good deal of shuffling , including a small fuel tank shift above the spare . In fact , there was really no room for a rearward rider ’s leg with the front seating room crusade all the way back .
As before , there were coupe and convertible body fashion , but the coupe ’s appearing was subtly neuter . A one - man windshield replaced the previous dual-lane glass , and the rear roofline was bulged for those who had to tease in the new back backside . The large improvement was a new top - hinged hatchback — the first ever match to a sporting car . Under the hood , the more powerful 125 - horsepower Vantage engine was now standard .
The result of all this was an exciting play tourer that was more hardheaded and versatile than ever . self-governing tests showed the DB2/4 capable of 111 miles per hour maximum and 12.6 s in the 0 - 60 mph sprint , have this a fast auto by early-1950s standards . No admiration sale surged .
heat for the DB2/4 swelled even more beginning in mid-1954 when a larger 2922 - cc locomotive engine with 140 bhp became uncommitted . A third body flair arrived in 1955 , a notchback coupe version . With this modification come a conventional goon and front pilot fixed to the chassis .
This 2nd - generation DB2/4 became love as the Mark II and was built for two age . It was open of 120 miles per hour , and 199 Mark II models were created . It ’s very collectible today , but Brown had an even good Aston in the workplace , the DB Mark III .
Aston Martin DB Mark III
The Aston Martin DB Mark III appeared in March 1957 and was produced until 1959 . Almost everything about its technology , equipment and marketing was legitimate except the name . It should have been called DB2/4 Mk III , but it was n’t .
So , the unawares - live DB Mark III carried a name that made slight sensory faculty in the forward motion of Aston Martins built before or after . But that does n’t take away from the last , excellent efflorescence of the basic DB2 intent .
The olfactory organ and grille were more exquisitely sculptured and refined . At the rear were modestly revised fender incorporating the taillamps of the Rootes - built Humber Hawk . Inside , a new instrument board project by Frank Feeley grouped all gauge flat ahead of the number one wood rather of in the substance .
But the most notable improvements on the DB Mark III were in the engine , transmittal and brakes . Standard HP increased to 162 , and a more efficient duplicate exhaust fumes and dual SU carbs were optional to boost that to 178 bhp .
In 1958 , both gave room to a net interpretation of the 3.0 - litre " Bentley / Lagonda " engine with triple Weber or SU carbs and high contraction ( 8.68 versus 8.16:1 ) for 180 or 195 bhp . Girling front disc brakes were optional through the first 100 cars , then standard , while electric overdrive for the manual gearbox and a Modern Borg - Warner automatic infection also became optional extras .
Although the DB Mark III was chiefly signify as a degenerate route motorcar , you could buy it with all type of engineering science : extra locomotive engine , near - ratio gear box , engine vegetable oil cooler , competition clutch and suspension and an extra - large ( 33.6 U.S.-gallon ) fuel tank . It was the sort of car that rush team drivers like Stirling Moss were proud to practice on the road .
Aston Martin DB4
The Aston Martin squad had been sell the DB Mark III for year when in conclusion free the DB4 in 1958 . Every major constituent in the DB4 was new , and there was never any mentation of via media by using carry - over share .
The DB4 chassis was simpler and more inflexible than the DB2 . The wheelbase was an inch short , but tracks were broad , and improved promotion let more reasonable four - position seating . The previous multi - tube design was abandoned for Aston ’s first press - sword platform - eccentric frame , which in one form or another would persist through the sixties and 1970s .
Conventional ringlet - spring / double - wishbone sovereign front abatement was retained along with rack - and - quill steerage . Under the DB4 hood was a big , broken , and visually beautiful twincam six cheer by , but altogether expectant than , the Jaguar XK locomotive engine .
Displacement was 3.7 liters even in its original form , good for a short - reliable 240 bhp , though a lot more was possible ( and recognise in succeeding models ) . Because this was much too hearty for the existing DB2 transmission , a fresh 4 - swiftness unit was raise to suit . A few robotlike - transmittance railway car were also raise toward the final stage of the role model rill . by nature , there were phonograph record brake all - around . A good matter , too , for even early DB4s weighed nearly 3000 Egyptian pound and were adequate to of 141 miles per hour .
DB4 styling and eubstance construction were " imported " from Italy . Carrozzeria Touring of Milan , which had already bring forth several Aston specials , was hired to plan the car and supply bodies for it build concord to the firm ’s patented " ace light " principle . This Superleggera construction employed atomic number 13 panels over a lattice of small yokel lay out to determine the consistency shape .
Initially , the DB4 had a Mark III - alike lattice flank by exclusive headlamps on the corners of the front fenders , but the team change this look . DB4 run change also cover mechanicals . Overdrive was added as an option set about with Series 2 , while the Series 4 offered a tuned 266 - bhp option called Vantage .
Though the DB4 was much larger , heavier and costlier than the DB Mark III , it was the first unfeignedly modern Aston and very popular . A aggregate of 1,113 were produce — a new heights for the squad — before the innovation of the DB5 took in previous 1963 .
Aston Martin DB4GT and DB4GT Zagato
In 1959 , fans could choose a qualify translation of the DB4 shout out the DB4GT . A prototype had already won a production - car wash at the British Silverstone circuit to begin with in 1959 . Trimmer than the original DB4 size and weight , this young high - carrying out gondola rode shorter in the wheelbase . Its cabin was cut down accordingly with short door and no rearward seat .
It also was more visually clear-cut with a more rounded nose and front - fender ensemble . trimness and equipment were simplify , knock off from the DB4 ’s 2,885 pounds to 2,705 . Under the hood was a new version of the all - alloy 3.7 - l six with in high spirits - raise camshaft , higher compression ( 9.0:1 ) , and three dual - choke coil Weber carburetors . Output was a dash 302 H.P. at 6000 rpm , enough for a top speed of a confirmed 140 mph .
A smattering of super - light DB4GTs was also produced for favored racing teams . In longsighted - distance contests they prove almost as fast as the Ferrari 250GT Berlinettas . Still , the DB4GT was too expectant to be a competitive racer .
Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato
What emerged was a curvy new Zagato - incarnate variation , logically designated DB4GT Zagato in late 1960 . They could n’t do anything to reduce form size and free weight , but the Italian coachbuilder produced a very lightheaded fastback coupe shell that was quite patent .
The DB4GT Zagato body was wholly different from the DB4GTs . Its overall appearance was mark by the rummy combination of curve and Angle . unremarkably the automobile models total without bumpers , though they could be add .
As for its railway locomotive , the DB4GT Zagato was treated to a new - design cylinder head with twin Dame Muriel Spark chew for each cylinder and still high compression ( 9.7:1 ) , which pushed tip power to 314 bhp at 6000 revolutions per minute . As the body weighed about 100 pounds less than the normal DB4GT ’s , and likely suffered less air drag , the Zagato was that much more competitive on the track . Had Aston Martin mounted a serious competition computer programme for this car , it might have had the criterion of Ferrari .
Aston Martin DB5 and Volante
By fall of 1963 , the DB4 had evolve so far it have a new name : the Aston Martin DB5 . But it hold back the canonic chassis , body and run power train of later - mannikin DB4s . Despite being built for just two years , the DB5 became one of the most renowned of all Aston Martin car . That ’s because a especially furnished DB5 service as James Bond ’s undercover agent car in the film " Goldfinger , " thus instantly reach this modelling an international star .
The best way to begin name the Aston Martin DB5 is to start with the DB4 from which it was spring up . The solid , 98 - inch - wheelbase entreat - steel platform flesh and the canonical DOHC six - piston chamber engine were retained , as was the choice of four - keister coupe and slightly less spacious convertible model .
However , a 4 - mm bore increase well engine shift from 3670 to 3995 cc . In original standard var. ( with three SU carburetors ) , the DB5 thus bear a rated 282 horsepower . The coupe , consummate with headlamp recessed behind slop covers , looked almost precisely like the last of the DB4s , while the convertible now adopted this intervention . A detachable steel hardtop remain optional .
Initial DB5 transmitting pick were as for recent DB4s : 4 - speeding David Brown manual gearbox , the same with extra - price galvanizing overdrive and optional 3 - speed Borg - Warner automatic . But there was also a third pick now , an all - synchromesh ZF 5 - amphetamine manual of arms ( also used in six - piston chamber Maseratis of the period ) in which fifth gear was effectively an overdrive . It became standard by mid-1964 and the 4 - hurrying and separate overdrive vanished .
fall of 1964 brought a more powerful engine as a new Aston Martin Vantage option . breathe through a trio of twinned - choke Weber carburettor , it was rate at no less than 325 bhp , and was to be the most popular Aston " Big Six . "
By this time , the Aston Martin DB was not only faster but importantly heavier than ever . The typical DB5 coupe librate nearly 3300 pounds , 400 more than the DB4 of five year earlier . Even so , it was still sound for about 140 mph . But the additional heft showed up in hard fuel consumption , and most possessor find they could do no secure than about 15 mpg .
Though definitely a hired hand - built thoroughbred in the best British tradition , the DB5 was a dinosaur in some respects . For model , driver did n’t have benefits like air conditioning or major power steering . But the DB5 ’s combining of Italian styling and oh - so - British naming was undeniable . Correcting those shortcoming was the squad finish for Aston ’s next - generation car , the DB6 .
Aston Martin DB6 and Volante
accede in late 1965 , the DB6 retain Aston Marin ’s then - seven - yr - quondam basic chassis design , but with a 3.75 - inch longer wheelbase and a relocated rear axle . The platform stint was given over whole to additional rear seat outer space . Running gear and intermission were practical DB5 carryovers , but all drivetrain combinations now cost the same and " Powr - Lok " special - trip differential and chrome wire wheels were standard .
From the front , the DB6 search much like the DB5 , but was quite a divergence from the cowl back , if still recognizably Aston . The clothes designer aimed to provide more passenger space , especially in the little " + 2 " rearward and improve aerodynamic constancy .
consequently , the DB6 windscreen was higher and more vertical than the DB5 ’s so the roofline could be raise for increased dynamic headroom . The familiar coupe remain a fastback , but rearward quarter window now swept up instead of down , and the tapered tail of sometime gift way to a modern , abruptly chopped Kamm - manner treatment much like that of the Ferrari 250 Berlinetta Lusso or 275 GTB .
Other acknowledgment full stop let in the proceeds of front - door quarter windows , an oil - cooler air travel scoop low on the nose and quarter - bumper at each comer . Inside inside information were dazzling — and rather haphazardly placed — instrument , sweet - smelling leather upholstery and top - quality British carpeting .
Though overall distance was up 2 inches , the DB6 weighed about the same as the DB5 even though Aston now abandoned Touring ’s patented Superleggera mental synthesis . Henceforth , all Astons would have conventional consistence , with aluminum skins , sword floor and intimate control board .
The DB6 was slipperier than the DB5 , for top speed was up to 148 - 150 mph in 325 - bhp Vantage guise , making it the adequate of the more charismatic Ferraris and Maseratis of these years , at least for all - out speed . In loyal touring , the British car was still passably " trucky " compared with its Romance contender — more study in gritty driving , though easier to manage than previous Aston Martins .
Per late practice , a new Volante convertible arrive about a yr later . Unlike the " interim " Volante built on the DB5 chassis with a DB6 - mode rear ending , this one had the longer wheelbase and a new power - operated top mechanics . Both body styles then continued with virtually no details change through the end of the serial in 1970 .
Aston ’s next generation , the DBS , had been on the scene three years by then , but the DB6 had one last hurrah beginning in the autumn of 1969 . That ’s when an update Mark II version come along with flared cycle arch to accommodate fatter DBS - character wheels and tire . At the same time , AE - Brico fuel injectant come as a new choice , but it was a very unreliable system and found few takers . Almost all DB6s so equip have since been fitted withcarburetors .
With the end of DB6 output in November 1970 come the conclusion of the majuscule line of work begun with the DB2 in 1950 . The torch had already passed to more forward-looking Aston Martin model .
Aston Martin DBS and AM Vantage
David Brown ’s Aston Martin concern held out for every potential sale before discarding a car intention , thus hoping to realize maximal tax return on investing . This helps explain why the DB2 crime syndicate last seven years and the DB4 generation lasted 12 .
Thus , when the Aston Martin DBS arrived in September 1967 , it was only the third truly new Aston Martin in 18 years . Even then , it was n’t all - unexampled , for many of its point came direct from the existing DB6 .
Work on the Aston Martin DBS commence in 1966 , a year that get wind Aston ’s fortunes at a low wane . Touring , the house ’s Italian figure and body contractor , suffer a fiscal collapse just after it had completed a distich of promising paradigm coupe now get it on as DBSC , while a government credit credit crunch in England deflate expected demand for pricy cars like the DB6 . Brown , however , could still give his " bit of fun " and put the bang on yet another new model .
This styling assignment was handed to the ambitious , young William Towns , who ’d been hired at Newport Pagnell only to design seats . Towns know that Brown want not only a newfangled Aston coupe but also a new Lagonda sedan as well , so he conjured up two close related proposals , one for each model , differing mainly in wheelbase and cap and olfactory organ styling .
By out-and-out pertinacity , Towns beget his coupe approved . ( The erstwhile Lagonda only come on as far as a couple of prototypes . ) Towns left plentitude of under hood quad for a stain - new V-8 then in development , though it would n’t materialize until 1969 .
Because upper-case letter backlog were low and the sense of urgency high , the new DBS ( the " DB7 " designation was prevail out to emphasize just how young ) depend upon the DB6 chassis , albeit with an extra inch of wheelbase and a significant 4.5 inches of front and rearward caterpillar tread .
Front suspension and the still - optional powerfulness steering were remained the same , but engineer Harold Beach last won his battle for a De Dion rearward intermission . run gear — standard and Vantage engines with manual orautomatic transmission — were also per DB6 .
Though the Modern fastback coupe dead body showed familiar Aston form in its grille and side window openings , it had a laconic , unclouded " extruded " flavor , with curving bodysides and a rather angular superstructure that nevertheless harmonized well . Quad headlamps were put within a full - breadth eggcrate grille and sum - ignition lock wire wheel were on hand — or rather , on ground — as common .
Overall , there was no trace of Italian influence , yet the DBS was as smart and modernistic as anything from Turin and offered importantly more passenger distance than the DB6 .
Because of its mass , the Aston Martin DBS was inescapably heavier than the DB6 — by a whopping 510 Lebanese pound — so its public presentation and gas milage were predictably worse . Still , it could do virtually 150 mph flat out , 0–60 miles per hour speedup stay respectable at 8.5 second and roadholding was first-class .
On the downside , handling was cumbersome without the optional power steering . In fact , all controls — shifter , steering , brake — demand somewhat " masculine " effort , a good description of Aston graphic symbol if plainly sexist . Fuel consumption slump to an appalling 10 miles per U.S. gallon , though few worried about it much because gasoline was still plentiful and punk .
The promised V-8 duly seem in a companion model called DBS - V8 ( which later prompted some to dub the six - cylinder edition " DBS-6 " ) . However , the DBS continued , albeit with no significant change , until 1972 .
That just pass off to be a watershed year for Aston Martin Lagonda , as David Brown arrest having " playfulness " and sold his interests to Company Developments , Ltd. At that full point , the DBS was rename Vantage and received the 325 - bhp locomotive engine as standard equipment . It also got a mild cosmetic surgery , with larger dual headlights flank a narrowed grille bearing a simple black meshwork insert .
The Vantage give-up the ghost after 14 months , lasting through July 1973 and accounting for a mere 70 of the total DBS - serial production run of 857 units . With it become flat the splendid Aston Martin twincam six , sad to say . All subsequent Astons have used the 1969 - time of origin V-8 .
Aston Martin DBS V-8/AM V
Drivers with a love for Aston Martin had look a retentive meter for something like the DBS V-8 and they were n’t disappoint . It was — and is — a glorious powerplant : very brawny and torquey , and quite honest with proper service . It ’s also quite expensive — built mostly by hand .
You could distinguish between the six - cylinder and V-8 DBS by the latter ’s standard mould - admixture wheels — and much greater performance : 0–60 mph was now a simple 6.0 - second affair , top speed a blistering 150 mph . The V-8 transformed the DBS from being very fast to stupendously tight — one of the two or three ready cars in the public . Because rival makers often claimed affirmative ( and sometimes incredible ) mogul and performance figures in the late 1960s , Aston refused to quote any at all , tell only that the V-8 DBS was " sufficient " and allow its performance to speak for itself .
Nevertheless , the V-8 initially delivered an estimated 350–375 H.P. with stock Bosch electronic fuel shot which , as experience soon showed , was rather finicky to service . As with the six - piston chamber fashion model it was offered with 5 - speed manual of arms ( ZF ) or 3 - fastness automatonlike transmittal , only the latter was now the well - know Chrysler TorqueFlite . physique specifications were as for the six - piston chamber car except that its optional ability direction was stock .
The DBS V-8 has been in production nearly two decades now , surviving several direction and possession change in the process . Today ’s version does n’t seem all that dissimilar from the original , but it ' s watch a just identification number of changes over the years .
The first came in 1972 , when David Brown sold Aston Martin Lagonda to Company Developments , Ltd. The DBS V-8 was renamed Aston Martin V-8 and receive the facelifted six - piston chamber model ’s new two - lamp nozzle with narrowed bleak - engagement grille and a hood " power bulge " ( replace the former scoop ) . From summertime 1973 , the engine reverted to carburetor , a quadruplet of twin - choke coil Webbers that actually improved both carrying into action and drivability .
These keep into the 1980s , when fuel injectant — a more New system — returned . ( Incidentally , there was a six - month period in 1974–75 when no Aston Martins of any kind were build , pending the arriver of unexampled management and fresh capital . ) world power was boosted by an advertised " 15 % " in 1977 , and though discharge control have since taken a cost , late official figures list output at 309 bhp net .
That same year , 1977 , brought a souped - up Vantage V-8 , a British reply to Italian supercars like the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer . It was easily identified by a deep front air dam with locomotive - chill expansion slot , big Cibié push lamps ahead of a blank - off grille , rich Pirelli P7 tyre and added - on ( later faired - in ) rearward rim coddler . Suspension was modify to beseem to the new tires and the high performance of a V-8 tweaked to 400 bhp initially ; current turnout is 406 bhp . Given the veracious condition the Vantage can outperform 170 miles per hour , thus vying with the fabled V-12 Ferrari Daytona as the world ’s fastest - ever front - engine product auto .
Aston had n’t offer a new Volante model for sales agreement since the last DB6 model in 1970 , but June 1978 brought a novel drop - top adaptation of Bill Towns ' original DBS purpose , looking just as good as — maybe better than — the fastback coupe , which by that clip was an aged 11 years honest-to-goodness . provide with most every luxuriousness appointment , the Volante was first offer with just the normal - tune V-8 but has been available with Vantage power since 1986 .
Aston Martin DB7
introduce in Europe in 1995 and in America in 1996 , the Aston Martin DB7 was the first Aston Martin develop under Ford Motor Company , which select control of Aston in 1987 . Ford also possess Jaguar and the DB7 shares with the novel Jaguar XK8 a Jaguar XJS cardinal floor goat god ; its locomotive engine block is also of Jaguar origin . Ford money help grow , prove and certify both automobile , but the DB7 was designed by Aston Martin to transport on its set DB serial .
Thus , it has a elegant dohc inline - six enhanced by an Eaton supercharger . quickening is best described as rapid ; the DB7 is too laboured to be speedy . It feels flashy with the Getrag 5 - velocity , though virtually all U.S. cars get a General Motors 4 - speed automatic .
Ride is compose on every surface , braking is secure and , despite uninvolved steering , the car is balanced , sticky and predictable in turns . This is a sporting machine that make few demands on its machine driver , but it is not the DB7 ’s performance that will oblige a leverage .
The stronger lure is the voluptuous consistency . The mix of steel and composite panels is unique to the Aston Martin DB7 , despite a visual similarity to the XK8 . Styled by Aston ’s Ian Callum , formerly of Ford ’s Ghia studio , the frame is contemporary but respects the magnificent DB4 , DB5 and DB6 , especially in the magnetic grille curtain raising .
Combine that look with exclusivity — yield of just 650 per yr , a short 200 for America — and the DB7 ’s nature is revealed . The raw sports car from Aston Martin represents discriminating gustatory perception , a certain passion . It is not Italian , and it surely is not German . In a realm where Leontyne Price is irrelevant , a car must make its owners feel limited . The DB7 does .
