Aston Martin V8

Aston Martin V8 at a glance

All Aston Martin models are in the Aston Martin catalogue.

History: from the DBS to the V8

The story begins with the DBS of 1967. Its body by William Towns was designed for a V8, but the engine was not ready, so the first DBS used the six-cylinder engine of the DB6 Vantage. The V8 arrived in 1969 in the DBS V8, and 402 of these cars were built.

William Towns was brought in at short notice. Carrozzeria Touring of Milan had built two prototypes for a DB6 replacement before it closed, and the DB6 itself could not take the planned V8. Towns gave the new car a fastback rear and a square grille, while keeping Aston Martin details such as the bonnet scoop, the side vents and knock-off wire wheels on the early cars. The DBS was built at Newport Pagnell and was the last Aston Martin developed under David Brown's control. Its dimensions — a 2,610 mm wheelbase and a width of 1,830 mm — carried over to the V8.

Its 5.3-litre engine had Bosch fuel injection. The V8 article on Wikipedia says the output was never officially published and estimates it at around 235 kW (315 hp). Wikipedia's DBS article gives 239 kW (324 PS) at 5,000 rpm and 450 Nm. The DBS V8 had alloy wheels, Pirelli Cinturato 225/70 VR15 tyres and ventilated brake discs, and it was promoted as the fastest four-seat production car in the world at the time. The DBS article gives its weight as 1,727 kg. Wikipedia gives 0–100 km/h in 7.1 seconds and a top speed of 242 km/h. The V8 car was about 113 kg heavier than the six-cylinder DBS, although the engine itself weighed only about 14 kg more. Heavier ventilated brake discs, air conditioning, wider tyres, a stronger ZF gearbox and extra bodywork under the front bumper added the rest.

From May 1972 the car was called simply the Aston Martin V8. David Brown had left the company before the Series 2 appeared.

Five series of the V8 saloon

The Bosch injection of the early cars caused problems: Wikipedia says that Aston Martin was most likely unable to make it work properly. The Series 3 therefore returned to four twin-choke Weber carburettors in 1973, under a taller bonnet scoop. Output was given as 231 kW (310 hp) in 1973, 215 kW (288 hp) in 1976 and 227 kW (305 hp) with the "Stage 1" engine of 1977, which had new camshafts and a new exhaust.

The Series 4, known as "Oscar India", arrived in October 1978. It replaced the bonnet scoop with a closed bulge, added a spoiler integrated into the tail and brought wood trim — the first in an Aston Martin since the DB2/4 of the 1950s. The Series 5 was introduced at the New York International Auto Show in January 1986. Its compact Weber/Marelli fuel injection allowed an almost flat bonnet.

Engine and gearboxes

The engine is the 5,340 cc V8 designed by Tadek Marek. Over its life it was fed by Bosch mechanical injection, by Weber carburettors and finally by Weber/Marelli electronic injection.

Buyers could choose between a ZF five-speed all-synchromesh manual gearbox and the Chrysler TorqueFlite three-speed automatic. On the earlier DBS, the automatic alternative could also be a three-speed Borg-Warner unit. In Japan only the automatic was sold, and Wikipedia notes that about a quarter of the V8 saloons sold there were driven by chauffeurs.

US-market cars

From the 1980 model year, US cars received much larger "5 mph" bumpers, which added weight and changed the car's lines; many US owners later fitted the slimmer European bumpers. To meet emissions rules, the output of US engines fell to a low of about 183 kW (245 hp) in the early 1980s.

Vantage, Volante and Zagato

The V8 family included several important variants:

The Volante convertible was introduced in June 1978. It used the Series 4 bonnet from the start, a few months before the coupé received the Oscar India update. Its frame needed reinforcement, so the Series 1 Volante is 70 kg heavier than the coupé, and each car took about four months to build. The Series 2 Volante received the changes of the Series 5.

The V8 Vantage was the high-performance version, and Wikipedia also lists the later "X-Pack" Vantage (V580X) of 1985 to 1989. The Zagato-bodied Vantage and Volante Zagato were built in 89 examples.

The Lagonda saloons and other specials

The idea of a four-door V8 began with a prototype: chassis MP230/1, registered JPP 5G, which served as David Brown's personal car from 1969. It first ran a 5-litre prototype V8 and later a 5.3-litre unit with four carburettors. Between 1974 and 1976 Aston Martin built seven four-door Lagonda saloons on the V8 platform, with a Lagonda-style grille instead of the Aston Martin one. In 1972 Ogle Design showed a DBS V8 with its own body at the Montreal Motor Show; two such cars were commissioned by W.O. Wills for a cigarette brand.

On screen: The Living Daylights

The V8 appears in the 1987 James Bond film "The Living Daylights". Timothy Dalton's Bond drives a V8 Volante, later shown with a hard top; disguised saloons were also used for some scenes. The opening scenes used a V8 Volante owned by Victor Gauntlett, then chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda. The V8 coupé appeared again in "No Time to Die".

Legacy and collectors

The V8 stayed in production for twenty years, until the Virage replaced it in 1989. For collectors the main differences are the series — the early injected DBS V8, the carburettor Series 3 and 4 and the injected Series 5 — and the variant: saloon, Volante, Vantage or Zagato. US-market cars with large bumpers and reduced output form a separate group. More about the company is in our history of Aston Martin.

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