1968 Aston Martin DBS

The late 1960s and early 1970s brought about several dramatic changes throughout the automotive landscape, as the industry reacted to the fuel crisis and oil embargo, along with increasing safety and emission standards on the all-important North American market. Aston Martin had been rescued by Company Developments Ltd. in 1972, which, after a valiant attempt at building cars, found itself once again in jeopardy in late 1973 under the weight of a shaky world economy that had evaporated the market for expensive fuel guzzlers.

Aston Martin's grand tourer built during the second half of the 1960s was the DB6, produced from 1965 to January of 1971. It came equipped with a Tadek Marek-designed inline six-cylinder, twin-overhead camshaft (DOHC), 3,995cc engine offering 282 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. In Vantage specification, output rose to 325 bhp. Compared to its predecessor, the DB5, it had better luggage capacity and comforts expected of a modern grand tourer.

The Aston Martin DBS was introduced in 1967 as a successor to the DB6 and remained in production through 1972 with 787 examples built. Although it succeeded the DB6, both models were built concurrently for three years. The DBS was a larger coupe than the DB6, with four full-sized seats, a wheelbase of 102.8 inches, and a length of 180.3-inches (compared to 101.5-in and 182-inch of the DB6 respectively).

The larger size of the DBS compared to its DB6-sibling was intended to accommodate a new Tadek Marek-designed V8 engine, but it was not ready in time. Instead, the DBS models arrived powered by the 4.0-liter 'six' of the concurrently produced DB6. It was a tried-and-true engine that in standard tune offered 282 horsepower. In Vantage specification with triple Weber 45DCOE carburetors, special camshafts and a higher compression ratio, output rose to 325 bhp.

The styling was performed in-house by Bill Towns and the aluminum-bodied four-seater had a sharper, more Italian-inspired appearance than the curvaceous DB6. Its shapely exterior rested on a platform-type chassis with independent suspension all round: wishbone and coil-spring at the front, De Dion with Watts linkage at the rear. The interior was more luxuriously appointed than the DB6, which increased the vehicle's overall weight and slightly reduced its performance. The top speed remained impressive, however, with the Vantage version capable of 140 mph and a standing quarter-mile time of 16.3 seconds.

The DBS was lesser known than the earlier 'DB' series, yet it is another 'James Bond' Aston Martin, having featured in the 1969 motion picture, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, starring George Lazenby as the eponymous secret agent.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2021