Aston Martin DBS

Aston Martin DBS at a glance

All Aston Martin models are in the Aston Martin catalogue.

Design by William Towns

In the mid-1960s the company needed a successor for the DB6. Carrozzeria Touring of Milan built two prototypes for it, but the coachbuilder then closed. The DB6 itself could not take the V8 engine then in development. William Towns was therefore brought in at short notice to design a new car.

Towns gave the DBS a fastback rear and a square grille. He kept familiar features of the brand: a bonnet scoop, side vents and, on the early cars, knock-off wire wheels. The DBS is a two-door coupé with four seats and the engine at the front, driving the rear wheels. It is 4,580 mm long, 1,830 mm wide and 1,330 mm high, with a 2,610 mm wheelbase.

Engines: six cylinders and the V8

The first DBS used a 3,995 cc straight-six with two overhead camshafts. It produced 209 kW (284 PS) at 4,500 rpm and 390 Nm at 3,850 rpm. A Vantage version with Weber carburettors was advertised at 242 kW (330 PS). The six-cylinder car weighed 1,588 kg.

The DBS V8 arrived in September 1969. Its 5,340 cc V8 produced 239 kW (324 PS) at 5,000 rpm and 450 Nm, according to the DBS article on Wikipedia; the Aston Martin V8 article says the output was never officially published and estimates it at about 235 kW (315 hp). The V8 car had alloy wheels, Pirelli Cinturato 225/70 VR15 tyres and ventilated brake discs. It weighed 1,727 kg and was promoted as the fastest four-seat production car in the world at the time. The V8 article on Wikipedia gives 0–100 km/h in 7.1 seconds and a top speed of 242 km/h.

Both versions used a ZF five-speed manual gearbox. A three-speed automatic from Borg-Warner or Chrysler was available as an alternative.

From DBS V8 to Aston Martin V8

According to the Aston Martin V8 article on Wikipedia, 402 DBS V8s were built between 1969 and 1972. In May 1972 the car became the Aston Martin V8 Series 2, with twin quartz-halogen headlights and a mesh grille; the first 34 Series 2 cars still carried DBS V8 badges. The V8 then stayed in production until 1989, through five series, the Volante convertible and the Vantage, with 4,021 cars of all versions. The DBS shape by William Towns therefore remained on sale for more than twenty years.

The Lagonda prototype

In 1969 the company also built a four-door version, chassis MP230/1, registered JPP 5G. It served as David Brown's personal car. It first had a 5-litre prototype V8 and later a 5.3-litre engine with four carburettors. Seven production Lagonda saloons on the V8 base followed between 1974 and 1976.

On screen: Bond and The Persuaders!

In "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969), George Lazenby's James Bond drives a DBS. It has no gadgets apart from a rifle mount in the glovebox, and the film's heroine Tracy is killed in it. A second DBS appears briefly in "Diamonds Are Forever". In the television series "The Persuaders!" (1971–1972), Roger Moore drove a Bahama Yellow six-cylinder DBS, chassis DBS/5636/R, dressed up to look like a V8 and registered "BS 1".

Legacy

The DBS marked the end of an era: it was the last Aston Martin developed under David Brown. In May 1972 the DBS V8 received a new front with single headlamps and was renamed the Aston Martin V8, which stayed in production until 1989. The six-cylinder car continued for a short time as the Aston Martin Vantage. More about the company is in our history of Aston Martin.

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