Elite Auto Rental Blog

Dynamically, the Aston Martin DB7 is as good as it needs to be, and at $125,000 ($135,000 for the convertible), it needs to be plenty good. But the obligation of a car like this is to provide its owner that which isn’t measured by stopwatch or skidpad.

Aston Martin DB7 was the first Aston Martin developed under Ford Motor Company, and the DB7 qualifies as the highest-volume Aston Martin ever.

 

Introduced in Europe in 1995 and in America in 1996, the Aston Martin DB7 was the first Aston Martin developed under Ford Motor Company, which took control of Aston in 1987. Ford also owns Jaguar, and the DB7 shares with the new Jaguar XK8 a Jaguar XJS central floorpan; its engine block is also of Jaguar origin. Ford money helped develop, test, and certify both cars, but the DB7 was designed by Aston to be an Aston — to carry on its defining DB series, in fact.

Thus it has a refined dohc inline-six enhanced by an Eaton supercharger. Acceleration is best described as rapid; the DB7 is too heavy to be quick. It feels sportiest with the Getrag five-speed, though virtually all U.S. cars get a General Motors four-speed automatic. Ride is composed on every surface, braking is strong and, despite uninvolved steering, the car is balanced, sticky, and predictable in turns. This is a sporting machine that makes few demands on its driver, but it is not the DB7’s performance that will compel a purchase. Neither will the 2+2 cabin, which relies on Connolly hides and gleaming walnut to divert attention from generic switchgear.

The Aston Martin DB7 has a central floorplan and engine block of Jaguar origin, which is a popular sports car also owned by Ford Motor Company.

 

A stronger lure is the voluptuous body. 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 shape is contemporary but respects the magnificent DB4, DB5, and DB6, especially in the charismatic grille opening.

Combine that look with exclusivity — production of just 650 per year, a scant 200 for America — and the DB7’s nature is revealed. The new sports car from Aston Martin represents discriminating taste, a certain breeding. It is not Italian, and it certainly is not German. In a realm where price is irrelevant, a car must make its owners feel special. The DB7 does.

Given the uncertain fate of Aston Martin remaining a part of Ford’s Premiere Automotive Group, it’s understandable that the high-end British make has decided to keep its presence at the Geneva show decidedly low-key. As a result, the Vanquish S Ultimate Edition wasn’t on the Palexpo’s show floor, but instead, will be rolled out to customers who request one of the 40 models that will be handbuilt at the firm’s Newport Pagnell works. Priced over $360,000, the Vanquish S Ultimate features no real changes to the mechanical package, but features a new exterior color, Ultimate Black, and a semi-aniline leather interior with coarse stitching and black chrome accents. Each car is fitted with personalized sill plaques denoting the limited-edition number. Aston also announced that owners of existing Vanquish models can now order a factory retrofit 6-speed manual if they wish to convert their automatic paddle-shift models to a conventional gearbox. The price for the conversion is approximately $26,000.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=4844

Aston Martin has confirmed details of its N24 race car, based on the critically acclaimed V8 Vantage road car, which will be showcased at the Autosport International Show this week.

The Vantage N24 is based on a standard European specification production V8 Vantage, with modifications undertaken to prepare the car for the competitive racing environment.At the 2006 British Motor Show, Aston Martin Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, announced that the company would build a limited production run of cars based on the V8 Vantage that completed the Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race that June. The near standard V8 Vantage finished 24th overall out of 220 starters, completing some 130 laps of the 15.77 mile circuit – in a field of mostly specialised race-homologated entrants. The Nürburgring 24-hour race not only gives its name to the V8 Vantage N24, but provided a conclusive demonstration of its abilities; a near standard car capable of tackling the demands of one of the world’s most arduous racing circuits.

The Vantage N24 subsequently went on to finish eighth overall in the inaugural 24-hour race of Bahrain in December 2006, again competing with highly modified race cars. During the course of the race, the Vantage N24 covered over 2600km, needing only fuel, brake pads and tyres.