ASTON MARTIN
POWER, BEAUTY AND SOUL
DAVID DOWSEY
Sixth reprint 2022
Copyright © The Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd 2022
The Images Publishing Group Reference Number: 1645
Second edition first published in Australia in 2017 by The Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd
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Author: Dowsey, David
Title: Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul (Second Edition) // David Dowsey; (ed. by Robyn Beaver)
ISBN: 978 1 86470 730 4 (hbk.)
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What’sinaname?
Theanswertotheage-oldquestion,‘What’sinaname?’is everything! EspeciallywhenthatnamehappenstobeAston Martin:anamereveredaroundtheworldasrepresentingthe pinnacleinautomotivesophistication,luxuryandoutright performance.
ItisremarkablethatAstonMartinhassurvivedintothe21st century–afeatthatattimeslookedimprobable.Thecars,and theaccompanyingmystiqueandcharisma,arestillproduced simplybecausethegoodnameofAstonMartinmeanssomuch tosomany.
In1912,whenLionelMartinandRobertBamfordsetuptheir modestmechanicalbusinessinHennikerPlace,Chelsea,itwas possiblefortinyconcernssuchastheirstooperateburgeoning motorcarmanufacturingbusinesses.Theresultwasthatroads, racetracksandshowroomswerefilledwithawonderful assortmentofmotoringexotica.
‘BruceBlythetookouthisinkpenandonanapkinwrote,
“TheFordMotorCompanyherebyagreesnottodiscussor discloseanydetailsrelatingtoAstonMartin.”Howaboutthat! Thatwasourconfidentialityagreement,writtenonanapkin.’ PeterLivanos
TheDB2’sGranTurismoconceptsetthesceneforsubsequentAstonMartins
Motorracingbackthenwasextremelycompetitiveand marquessuchasBugatti,Hispano-Suiza,AutoUnion,Maserati, MG,Salmson,Stutz,Vauxhall,Delage,Talbot-Lago,Darracq, AlfaRomeo,Mercedes,Lagonda,LanciaandBentleyactively campaignedontheworld’sgreatracetracks,roadcircuitsand hillclimbs.Scoresofindependentmotorcarmanufacturers competedfiercely,notonlyontheracetrack,butalsoforthe businessofgrowingmiddleclasspopulationswhoweretaking tothenewestformoftransportwithopenarms.
WhenLionelMartin’sservicesweredispensedwithandthe companyreorganisedin1925,allthatwaslefttopurchase, alongwithsomebasictoolingequipment,wasthegoodname ofAstonMartin.Similarly,whentheSutherlandfamilybought thecompanyin1932,ineffectwhattheypurchasedwas11 letters.DavidBrown,likewisein1947,purchasedlittlemore thantheAtomdevelopmentalcar,someplans,somemodest infrastructureandthatall-importantname:AstonMartin.
Ford’sdecisiontopurchaseAstonMartinin1987couldn’t havebeenbasedonlargeimmediatefiscalreturns.Theonly thingthatcouldhavepossiblyattractedFordexecutiveswas thegoodnameofAstonMartin:anamesynonymouswith qualityandheritage.AstonMartinwouldsurelybringalotof prestigetotheBlueOvalcompany.Anditdid.
In1925,justmonthsbeforethereceiverswerecalledin,Aston MartindisplayeditswaresattheOlympiaMotorShowforthe firsttime.Alongwiththefledglingmarquewerenearly100 Britishmotorcarmanufacturers,almostallofwhichhavenow vanished.WithoutFord’stakeoverofAstonMartin,ittoo wouldbeextinct.
WalterHayes,thenFord’sUKboss,andformerAstonMartin WorksDriverCarrollShelbywereinstrumentalintheearly Ford–AstonMartinassociation.Shelbyhadthebrilliantideaof combiningapowerful,large-capacityAmericanV8enginewith astylishEuropeanbodyandchassis.Beingveryfamiliarwith thecars,thefirstchassisonhisshoppinglistwasAstonMartin’s DB3S.HeapproachedDavidBrownandaskedifhewouldbe interested,buttheideawasrejected.SoShelbyandHayes approachedACCarsandtheCobrawasborn.
ThedualhistoriesofAstonMartinandFordaremore intertwinedthanatfirstmaybeapparent.DavidBrownand HenryFordIIwerelong-timefriendsandduringits‘Total Performance’years,Ford’sbossesconsideredanacquisitionof bothFerrariandAstonMartin.In1963FordexecutiveDon FreyapproachedJohnWyer,thenGeneralManagerofAston MartinLagonda,withtheideaofaFordpurchaseofthe company.Apparently,JohnWyerwasenthusiastic,butDavid Browndefinitelywasnot.Thesaledidn’tgoahead,butWyer, whowasaracingmanthroughandthrough,lefttojoinFord AdvancedVehiclesasGeneralManager.
Wyer’snewrolewastooverseetheGT40programme,which wasanenormoussuccess.TheGT40wentontodominateatLe Manswithfouroutrightvictoriesin1966,1967,1968and1969. FordgaveupanyideasofanAstonMartinpurchaseandtheir pathsdidnotcrossagainforaquarterofacentury.
Afurtheropportunityappearedwhen,inMay1987,Walterand ElizabethHayeswerestayingontheestateofContessaCamilla MaggiinItalywithVictorGauntlettandHRHPrinceMichaelof Kent,whowerebothpilotingaDBR2intheMilleMiglia. Inevitably,talkcentredonAstonMartin,pastandpresent.Later, ElizabethwasimpressedwiththeV8VolantePrinceMichael usedtodrivehertotheairport,andonherreturnhome,urged herhusbandtoconsiderbuyingthestrugglingcompany.
Meanwhile,HenryFordIIhadretiredandwasspendingalot oftimeinEnglandathiscountryhousenearHenley-onThames.WalterHayeswasafrequentvisitorandovercoffee onedayFordinquired,‘Whatshallwedotoday?’Hayes replied,‘WecouldalwaysbuyAstonMartin’,1 andcontinuedto tellFordofhisexperienceattheMilleMiglia.
HenryFordIIsetthepurchaseinmotioninMay1987byasking thePresidentofFordEurope,AlexTrotman,toinvestigatethe acquisitionofAstonMartin.Fordofficiallyapproached shareholdersPeterLivanosandVictorGauntletton1Julyand fromtherethingsmovedquickly.
PeterLivanosrecalled:‘Afriendofmine,PeterSachs,asked meifIwouldbeinterestedinsellingAstonMartintoFord.So
V8Volante
V8wings
Sincetheinceptionoftheautomobile,motoristshadenjoyed yearsofopen-toptouring.Butduringthe1970sAmerican politicianRalphNaderandgovernmentlegislationalmost eliminatedconvertibles,especiallyintheUnitedStates.The convertiblesproducedduringthaterawereoftenuglyhybrids withungainlyTargaroofsandrolloverbars.
VirtuallyeveryAstonMartinmodelhadbeenavailableinan openversion,butaconvertiblehadnotbeencreatedafterthe demiseoftheDB6MkIIVolanteinNovember1970.Alackof financesmeanttherewasnoDBSconvertibleandwithAston Martin’sAmericanmarketonthewaneintheearly-tomid1970s,therewasnopressingneedtodevelopaV8versioneither.
Thesituationhadthawedbymid-decadeandatthebehestof hiscustomers,AML’srepresentativeintheUS,RexWoodgate, alongwithLosAngelesdealerChuckVandergriff,petitioned AstonMartintoconstructaV8convertible.Theyevenengaged automotiveartistDaleW.Kingtofashionadesignsketchof whataV8convertiblewouldlookliketohastenthedecision.
Itworked,butbecauseoftheprevailingsafetylegislation,the V8Volantewasalongtimecoming.HaroldBeachhad designedaconvertibleplatformbytheendof1976andinmid1977consultantsWoodallNicholsonconstructedaprototype. Afterinevitabledevelopmentproblemshadbeensolved, productionwasconfirmed.TheV8Volantewaslaunchedon 21June1978,almostnineyearsafterthefirstV8hadbeen announced.Productionbeganinmid-1978,buttheVolante wasonlysoldintheUSforthefirsttwelvemonths.
ThenameVolante,‘flying’inItalian,wascoinedbyAston Martin’sSalesAdministrator,KentMonk,andwasfirstusedto describewhatisnowknownasaShortChassisVolante. Previously,allrooflessAstonMartinswereeitherknownas dropheadcoupesorconvertibles.
ThefirstV8Volantewaslaunchedwhiletheoriginal carburettorV8Saloonwasinproduction.Thearrivalofthe VolanteprovidedAstonMartinwiththeperfectopportunityto revisetheV8Saloontocreateamoreluxurioustouringcar.The changesinvolvedaneater,redesignedbonnetandburrwalnut cappingsandpipedleatherinterior.
TheV8VolanteprovedtobeoneofAstonMartin’sbestsellersduringitslifespanofmorethan10years
ThenameVolante,‘flying’inItalian,wascoinedbyAstonMartin’s SalesAdministrator,KentMonk,andwasfirstusedtodescribe whatisnowknownasaShortChassisVolante.
V8ZagatoVolante Zagatodropsitstop
TheannouncementoftheV8VantageZagatoin1985 arousedimmenseinterest.Plentifulfirmdepositswere receivedandall50exampleswerespokenforwithinfive months,leavingsomecollectorsdisappointed.Hopeful prospectivecustomersdemandedanincreaseoverthelimited productionrunof50cars,evenatthehighpriceof£95,000.
Buthonourably,VictorGauntlettkepthisword,almost:52cars weremade.Originalbuyersbreathedacollectivesighofrelief. Theywerepromisedexclusivityandtheygotit.
Thesolutionthatwouldpleaseeveryonewastoproducean openversionoftheV8Zagatowithadifferentengine specification,whichwasapprovedinNovember1986.Itwasa fairlypredictabledecision,giventhatopenAstonMartinshave alwaysbeenexceedinglypopular.CarrozzeriaZagato’s GiuseppeMittinowasonceagainentrustedwiththedesign, whichhebeganattheendof1986.
TheVolanteZagatofollowedthesamebuildprocessasthe VantageZagatocoupe.AstonMartinconstructedarolling chassis,completewithengine,transmission,suspensionand wiringandsentittoZagato.InMilananewsuperstructurewas addedtomountthealuminiumbodypanels.Thistime, however,theframerequiredadditionalstiffeningbelowthe waistlinetocompensatefortheconvertible’slackofroof.
‘ChassisrigidityisactuallystifferthanthatoftheVantage Zagatoinbothtorsionandbendingmodes,albeitwithasmall weightpenaltyofapproximately[77lb],’wroteMichael Bowler.‘ThebasicplatformisthesameasthatfortheVantage Zagatoandthereforehastheadvantageofincorporatingthat car’sexcellentsuspensionpackage.
‘Whileitmaysoundeasyjusttocuttheroofoffacoupeand changethefront,considerableworkhasgoneintothenewcar bothinengineering,toolingandhomologationrequirements. Thesmallproductionrunofnewcarsmeanshigheramortisation costspercar;tokeepthesewithinreasonableboundstheVolante ZagatowillonlybeofferedinUKspecification.’7
Officially,theZagatoVolantewasnotproducedinVantageform;itsfuelinjectedenginethereforeallowedaflatterbonnetline
DB4GTZagato SanctionII
Rebirthofalegend
TheDB4GTZagatoSanctionIIsareessentially1960s vehicles,built new in1991to,asVictorGauntlettputit, ‘tidyupabitofAstonMartinhistory.’Thehighlydesirable DB4GTZagatoshavespawnedseveralcopiesovertheyears, buttheSanctionIIcarsarenotamongthem.TheseareAston MartinLagondaproducts,thoughtheyweren’tbuiltatthe NewportPagnellfactory.
Itisironicthatthemostcollectableroad-goingAstonMartinwas adismalsalesdisappointmentinitsday.AstonMartinsimply couldn’tselltheexpensivecoupeswhennewandwhile23were slatedforconstruction,only19werebuilt,thelastfewofwhich wereoffloadedtoHWMtosellasa‘joblot,’asGauntlettrecalled.
Theshort-chassisDB4GT,styledbyTouringofMilandebuted attheLondonMotorShowinOctober1959.Itwasdesignedas aproductionroad-racingcarandanintendedproductionrun of100carsensuredhomologationforracing.Theywerehighly soughtafter,evenat£4534.
ThefollowingOctober,attheLondonMotorShowatEarls Court,aspecialeditionDB4GTwasshownwithlightweight coachworkstyledbyErcoleSpadaoftheMilanese coachbuildingfirm,CarrozzeriaZagato.
StartingwithchassisnumberDB4GT/0176/R,theintentionwas tobuild23Zagato-bodiedcarsfinishingwithchassisnumber DB4GT/0200/R.(Thefirstonebuiltwaschassisnumber DB4GT/0200/Rtosatisfyhomologationrequirements).An astronomicalpricetagof£5470andthemuchcheaperJaguarETypescuttledthatideaandonly19ZagatoDB4GTswere constructed.Chassisnumbers0192,0196,0197and0198i were notbuiltandwhentheDB4wassupersededin1963,itlookedas thoughtheremainingfourcarswouldneverbecompleted.
VeryconsciousthatDB4GTZagatoswerefetchingupto£1.7million atauction,athoughtoccurredtoGauntlett:whatifAMLandZagato werereunitedandbuiltthefour‘un-built’cars? iChassisnumbers0194and0195wereusedforthe214Projectcars
SanctionIIZagatosmarriedthestylingoftheoriginalswithsympatheticupgradestoimprovethedrivingexperience
LagondaShootingBrake
LesVacances
‘InspirationforthesenewLagondas,’saidWalterHayesin November1993uponthelaunchoftheLagondaSaloon andShootingBrake,‘…isentirelyduetotheowners…The renewalofindividualdemandforamorecapaciousfour-door hasbeenmetthroughtheexpansionofourcoachwork facilitiesandtheyareveryspecialexamplesofBritishbespoke craftsmanshipandtheheritageofAstonMartinLagonda.’
AstonMartin’sWorksServiceSpecialProjectsGroup constructedthefirstLagondaShootingBrake:astretched versionoftheVirage-basedthree-doorShootingBrakein1993. Astraditiondecreed,itwasnamedLagondabyvirtueofthe numberofdoors.‘Thegreencarsusedinthepublicityphotos werecalledLagonda.Iwonthatargument.IarguedthatallfourdoorsshouldbecalledLagondas.Youcancall“two-doors”Aston Martins,butitdidn’tseemrighttometocall“four-doors”Aston Martins,’remarkedMikeLoasby.
LiketheVirageandVirageVolante,thecarcouldbeordered with,orconvertedto,6.3-litrespecification.Thefitmentofa 6.3-litreenginealonecostanextra£28,116inanalready expensivepackage.Manualandautomatictransmissioncould alsobespecified,alongwithalmostanyoptionthecustomer demanded.TheGermanownerofthefirstcar,chassisnumber DP2099/1,andthesubsequentcollectionofsixcarsordered by‘anoverseasclient’fromtheFarEast,chassisnumbers 50246(EmeraldGreen),50251(Black),50403(CobaltBlue), 50404(TitaniumGrey),50408(TitaniumGrey),50409 (TitaniumSilver),allspecified6.3-litreenginesandfour-speed automatictransmissions.
Havingsatisfiedthedemandsofaspecialcollector,many,more radical,specialsweretofollowinsubsequentyears.
Themechanicalpackageremainedalmostthesameasthe LagondaSaloon,includingthelargeAPRacingbrakes, polishedsplit-rim18-inchalloywheelsandGoodyeartyres.The FarEastcarshadsomespecialinteriorfeaturesincluding bespokefittingsforcarryingsupplies,fittedluggageanddark tintedwindows.
Thefive-doorLagondaShootingBrakewasthemostcapaciouscareverconstructedbyAstonMartin
VantageSpecialSeriesI
OnHisMajesty’sSecretServicePartIV
Whilethefour-doorTypeIImodelswerebeing constructed,theSpecialProjectsGroupreceiveda commissionforafurtherseriesofthreecars.Thistime,the customersoughtfurtherindividualityandgreatersportiness. Movingfromfour-doorsaloons,theclientrequestedavehicle moreintheveinofasportscarandthetwo-doorSeriesIand IIsupercarsweretheresult.
‘Theclienthadexpressedaninterestformoreofasportscar,’ recalledSteveBolton.‘Amodelhadbeendoneforwhatwas calledtheSeriesItwo-door,whichwasdesignedbyMike Loasby.Itwasonseeingthismodelthattheysaid,“That’sthe carwewant!”
‘Theideawasthatwewouldhavea[common]two-door platformthatcouldbeskinned.Sowedevelopedwhatbecame theV600platform,whichhadtheabilitytogiveusthefull600 horsepowerinalltemperatures.’
‘Wetookthefirsttwo-doorSeriesIcartothewindtunnelinsemicompleteformandfoundthatat200mphithad70–80 horsepowertospare.Itwasquiteafastcar.’
MikeLoasby
‘IstartedontheSeriesItwo-dooranddidafullquarter-scale [model],’saidLoasby.‘ItwasmodifiedbyShaunRushto increasethesizeofthecarsoitwasthesamesizeasthe productionVantage.Ihadmadeitalotsmallerinheight particularlybecausethatwaswhattheartist’simpression intendedittobe.Thenitwasbroughttocompletionusingthe samestructureasthedonorcar.Sothat’swhywerevertedto thatpoint;theyusedmygeneralbodyshape,but[mine]wasa bitsmaller.Ifthey’dusedmine,itwouldhavebeensomewhat fasterbecausespeedisproportionaltofrontalarea,dependant toadegreeonheight.’
‘TheSeriesIprogrammestartedinearnestwhenMike completedhisquarter-scaleblackmodel,’recalledShaun Rush.‘Itwasalovelylookingthingandeveryonewaskeento getonwithit.
ASpecialSeriesIcoupe’saluminiumbodynearingcompletion;onlythreewerebuit
VantageVolante SpecialEdition
Endofanera
Bymid-2000andafteralifecyclespanning30years,Aston Martin’sVcarswerenearingtheendofproduction.Plans wereinplacefortheNewportPagnellfactorytobegutted, reorganisedandre-tooledatacostof£5millioninpreparation fortheVanquish.ButthestoryoftheV8wasnotquiteoveryet.
TheV8VantageLeManswasoriginallyslatedasthelastofthe hand-builtV8models,butAstonMartinhadbeenapproached byanumberofcustomersaskingtoproduceamissingvariant. TheV8wasgivenalastreprieveandaVantageversionoftheV8 VolantewasbuiltfornineselectedcustomersfromEngland,the ChannelIslandsandGermany.
TheVantageVolanteSpecialEditionwasdesignedand developedjointlybetweentheSpecialProjectsGroupatWorks ServiceandNewportPagnellmanufacturing.Theywerebuiltin productionatNewportPagnell,butmostcarswerewheeled acrossTickfordStreettoWorksServicetohavethe600horsepowerupgradeandspecialoptionsfitted.
‘Youalwayshaveyourshareofromanticswholookbackwards andlikethewaythingswere.Iunderstandthemisty-eyedbit, butinrealityit’snotthewayoftheworld.’ NickFry
Thecraftsmenworkingonthelineonthesecarsmust havedonesowithagreatsenseofnostalgiaandtrepidation, fortheendofcoachbuildingatNewportPagnellalsomeant theendoftheirjobsinsomecases.Redundancieshadtobe madeastheengineandbodybuilders,manyofwhomhad workedattheFactoryforyears,werenolongerneeded.
‘Therewasalotofemotionattachedtothesecars,’ recalledKingsleyRiding-Felce,‘becausethesecarsreally representedtheendoftheeratosomepeople.Someofthe employeeshadbeenbuildingcarsinthatwayfor30or40years andthesewerethelasttobemadethatway.TheV8Vantage VolanteSpecialEditionswereatestamenttothosecraftsmen intermsofthequalityofthecarsandthewayinwhichthey werebuilt.’
VanquishS
Backatthetop
WiththeDB9universallyacclaimeduponitslaunch,Aston Martinfounditselfwithasmallproblem.Atover50 percentmoreexpensiveandwithonlya10bhpandslightspeed advantage,theVanquish,onpaperatleast,lookedoverpriced.A VanquishVantagewasneededtoaddressthebalance.
Developmentforanupgradedmodelbeganshortlyafterthe firstVanquishcustomercarsweredeliveredinmid-2001.Aoneoff500-plushorsepowerVanquishwasdevelopedin2002foran AstonMartinexecutiveandwasinregularuse,providing valuablefeedbacktoitsengineers.
TheSportsDynamicPacktransformedtheaccomplishedGT intoamorepotentcarbyimprovinghandlingandbraking,but itstoppedshortofofferingtheultimateinperformance.Itwas, however,adevelopmentalstepalongthewaytotheproduction VanquishVantage.
While,innameatleast,aVantagemodelneverarrived,Aston MartinreleasedtheVanquishSinstead;VanquishVantage consideredtoomuchofamouthful.
TheVanquishSwasfirstshowninSeptember2004attheParis MotorShow.Thefirstproductionmodelwassoldsoonafterwards. ‘Thisderivativemakesthecarmorespecial,’saidDrUlrichBezat thecar’slaunch.‘Itisthefastestandbesthandlingcarwehave produced,theultimatehigh-performanceAstonMartin.’
Flaggedasthe‘UltimateAstonMartin’,theVanquishS,witha 520bhpengineandtopspeedinexcessof200mph,putAston Martinonceagainnearthetopofthesupercarleague.The VanquishSwasasubstantiallyredevelopednewcarincorporating suspension,mechanicalandaestheticenhancementsthat completelytransformedthevehicle.
Theenginehadnewcylinderheadcastingswithfullymachined inletportsandcombustionchamberstoimproveairflow,while newfuelinjectorsandrevisedenginemappingincreasedpower to520bhp@7000rpmandtorqueto425lb/ft@5800rpm.A speciallydevelopedtransmissionandnewdifferentialratioof 4.3:1improvedaccelerationwiththe0–60mphsprintachieved in4.8seconds.TheVanquishSwastestedat205mphatthe NardotesttrackinItaly.
Opposite: Subtledetailssuchasthefrontsplitterdistinguishedthe VanquishSfromitsearlieriteration,butitwasamuchbetterperformer
AstonMartinRapide Concept
Four-doorsportscar
AstonMartinhasalwaysbeenasportscarcompany.Twodoorcarshavebeenitsfortebutovertheyearsseveral attemptshavebeenmadetoincorporatefour-doorsaloonsinto therange.Post-war,theyhavemainlybeenbadgedasLagondas. Foratimeduringthe1970sand1980stheLagondasoldwellbut customerdemandhadneverbeenstrongenoughtosustaina continuouslineoffour-doorsaloonsintheAstonMartinrange.
AstonMartineliminatedLagondafromitstradingnamein 2001anditlookedforatimethatafour-doorcarwouldnotbe seenagain.SoitcameasagenuinesurprisewhentheAston MartinRapideConceptwaslaunchedinearly2006.
TheRapideConceptgrewoutofthethoughtthattheDB9didn’t offerrealisticseatingforfouradultsandalong-wheelbaseversion wouldgiveAstonMartingreatermarketpenetration.Alongwheelbasetwo-doorDB9wasinvestigated,butoncetheextension hadbeenmadeandroomcreateditwasdecidedtoincluderear doorstoprovidethenecessaryaccess.‘Ifthere’saspace,’ explainedDrUlrichBez,‘thenyoushouldalsoofferaccessibility, otherwiseyou’renotbeinghonest.’
AswithallAstonMartin’sGaydon-producedvehicles,the RapideConceptwasbuiltupontheextrudedaluminiumVH architecture.UsingatestedandprovenplatformmeantAston Martincouldquicklydevelopadifferentrangeofcars,in differentsizes,thatallmetsafetyrequirements.Provingthe versatilityofthisplatform,thelong-wheelbasefour-door ‘coupe’gaveAstonMartinagreaterrangeofcarsspanning two,2+2andamorerealisticfourseater.
Inlinewithpost-wartradition,considerationwasgivento callingthefour-doorcaraLagonda.Butthatstrategyhad neverworkedparticularlywellbeforeandthistimeitwas thoughtbettertocallthecarwhatitreallywas:afour-door AstonMartin,thefirstsincetheSpecialSeriesVantagesofthe mid-1990s.TheRapidenamecamestraightfromtheLagonda historybook.DiscountingtheZagatoLagondaRapidestyling exercise,itwaslastusedforafour-doorDB4-basedsaloon producedbetween1961and1964.Only55weremade.
TheremarkableaspectoftheRapideConcept’sdesignwas howwellproportioneditwas.Inordertoretainthescaleofthe DB9,alldimensionsoftheRapidewerealtered.Itwas11.5 incheslongerinwheelbase,1.5inchestaller,1.5incheswider
TheRapideConcepttookAstonMartinbackintofour-doorterritoryforthefirsttimesincetheSpecialSeriesVantageTypeII
AstonMartindroppedLagondafromitstradingnamein2001and itlookedforatimethatafour-doorcarwouldnotbeseenagain.
V8VantageRoadster
Roadburner
AstonMartin’sV8VantageRoadsterwasunveiledon29 November2006attheLosAngelesAutoShow,withthe firstcustomerdeliveriestakingplaceinmid-2007.Thenew convertibleV8Vantagewasahandsomemotorcarendowed withhighperformanceandaclaimedtopspeedof175mph and0–60mphin4.9secondsdespitea239lbweightincrease overthecoupeversion.
Likethetwo-seatDBAR1,theopen-topV8Vantagewas labelledaRoadster;AstonMartinretainedthetraditional Volantenameforitsfour-seatconvertiblemodels.Thefully linedhood(whichcanberaisedorloweredin18seconds, whiledrivingatspeedsofupto30mph),withglassrear windowfollowedtheset-upoftheDB9Volante:aflush-fitting panelcompletelyconcealedthefabrichood,whichallowedfor aneatrearlinewithmaximumrearwardvision.
ThecabinfollowedthemodernlinesoftheV8Vantagecoupe, withoptionaltimberinserts,Bridge-of-Weirleatherseatsand trimandfullcarpeting.Theleathertrimwasextendedat therearofthecabinwithtwinpods,reminiscentofZagato’s DBAR1.
Likethetwo-seatDBAR1thenewopen-topV8
VantagewaslabelledaRoadster;AstonMartin retainedthetraditionalVolantenameforitsfourseatconvertiblemodels.
BuiltonAstonMartin’sVHarchitecture,theRoadsterwas suspendedbyindependentdoublealuminiumwishbones,coiloveraluminiummonotubedampersandanti-rollbarsfrontand rear.Considerableengineeringwentintoensuringtheopencar hadcoupe-likestiffnessaftercriticismoftheDB9Volante.Ithad 18-inchaluminiumalloywheelsshodinZ-ratedBridgestone Potenzatyres,with19-inchwheelsavailableasanoption.
ThenewRoadstersharedthesamerunninggearastheV8 Vantagecoupe,includingits380bhp4.3-litreV8engineand wasequippedwitheitherthesix-speedGrazianomanual gearboxorthenewlyavailable‘Sportshift’six-speedautomated manualpaddle-shifttransmission.
Following Ford Motor Company’s majority purchase of Aston Martin in 1987, grave fears were held for the sports car company’s future, indeed, for its very ‘Britishness’. These fears however proved unfounded as the company went from strength to strength under the new ownership.
Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul details 64 unique Aston Martins produced in the exciting and productive period following the Ford acquisition. Some are well-known production models, others are after-market conversions by Aston Martin or outside styling houses and engineering companies. Aston Martin’s forays into motorsport during this period are also examined.
Author, David Dowsey was granted unprecedented access to photos and details of some of the most extraordinary custom-made vehicles manufactured by Aston Martin for some very special customers. Never-before-seen details of these ultra-expensive hand-built cars are included, along with behind-the-scenes commentary from those closest to these sometimes top-secret projects.
Interwoven throughout are stories of the people who brought the cars to life and who were responsible for making this niche company a world-class manufacturer of the most envied luxury vehicles. Comprehensive technical specifications accompany each vehicle, while Mike Harbar’s delightful renderings add a charming bespoke dimension, befitting their subject.
