The Classic Aston Martin Cars

Historically, it has to be said that many of the classic Aston Martin sports cars are in the DB series. This series of cars is named after David Brown. He was the owner of Aston Martin at the time the first of these cars was introduced in 1948. Although the first and second cars, known simply as the DB1 and DB2, were in very limited production the DB series of motor cars became more popular as time went on. The DB4, which was in production from 1958 to 1963, was the first car in this line to have more than a thousand units produced. This vehicle was noted for its 3.7L I6 engine.

The DB5, which was produced from 1963 to 1965, was the first of these luxury sports cars to truly become recognized around the world. This was thanks to the vehicle's prominent use in Ian Fleming's James Bond films. This car was a unique design as it used a triple SU carburettor system that enabled the car to reach speeds of 140 miles per hour. This made it one of the fastest cars in the world at the time.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the V8 line of Aston Martin cars were in production. A V8 engine was used in this line with a Bosch fuel injection system that could get the car from zero to sixty miles per hour in six seconds. Various models of cars, including the Vantage line featured a stronger compression ratio for improved engine performance. The compression ratio is the amount of air in the cylinder head between the piston being at the bottom and the top of its motion.

In the 1990s the Virage line of cars was the top of the range. Over the years this car used the same 5.3L V8 engine but customers were offered a conversion option that allowed the engine to be replaced with a 6.3L V8 engine.

In this decade, the Vanquish was in production from 2001 to 2007. It was most noted for its V12 engine but it also employed many new technologies. Among these included an electronic brake distribution system and an easy to use manual transmission that allows for seamless shifting of gears.

Launched in 1993 the DB7 has been the Company's best selling car exceeding the combined production of the classic DB4, DB5 and DB6. Since 1914, Aston Martin has built just over 22,000 models 7000 of which are DB7s proving how important the model has been in providing continued growth to the company. In Britain a series of pre-production models of the DB7 Vantage were subjected to continuous 30 day accelerated durability tests at the Motor Industry Research Associations Proving Ground - each equivalent to 100,000 miles of regular driving. Halting only for refuelling and routine analysis the V12 coupes and Volantes were driven day and night at a range of speeds from one to 140mph.

About the Author

Alex West is a luxury car enthusiast. Currently I drive a Mercedes C-Class and I'm slowly working my way up. You can find out more about Aston Martin experience at Click Here