1976 Aston Martin V8

The automotive landscape significantly evolved during the 1960s and 1970s, reacting to the growing safety concerns, fuel shortages, oil embargo, and emission standards. Aston Martin's grand tourer from 1965 was the DB6, which remained in production through 1970. The larger DBS Coupe followed in 1967 and was designed to house a V8-engine, but it was not ready in time so it used the same 4.0-liter straight-6 engine as its DB6 sibling. Unlike the DB6, the DBS had four full-sized seats.

DB6 production ended in 1970 and production of the DBS ended in 1972. A new Grand Tourismo arrived in 1969 dubbed the Aston Martin DBS V8. Like its predecessors, it was entirely handbuilt, but with a more modern design and eight-cylinder engine. The Aston Martin V8 would remain in production for nearly two decades when it was replaced by the Virage in 1989.

The DBS V8 shared its body and name with the six-cylinder DBS, with the DBS V8 receiving a squared-off grille and four headlights. It had a larger front air dam and rode on 225/70VR15 tires, though the wire wheels of the DBS (albeit some DBS models used the V8s alloy wheels) were replaced by alloys. In the back, the lights were sourced from the Hillman Hunter.

The Tadek Marek-designed V8 engine displaced 5,340cc (5.3-liters) and produced an estimated 315 horsepower. Early examples four double down-draught Weber carburetors, later replaced by a Bosch fuel injection system, before reverting back to carburetors with the Series III. Zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in 7.1 seconds with a top speed of 150 mph. The engine was backed by a ZF five-speed manual transmission with synchromesh or a three-speed Chrysler automatic. The wheelbase measured 102.8 inches, a length of 180.5 inches, and a height of 52.4 inches.

In April of 1972, the DBS V8 became simply the Aston Martin V8, corresponding with the departure of the DBS model and the acquisition of Aston Martin by Company Developments. This left the Aston Martin lineup comprised of the six-cylinder Vantage and the V8. The V8 later became known as the AM V8, a model retroactively referred to as the Series 2 V8 to separate it from later models. The AM V8 cars had a mesh grille and twin quarter-halogen headlights. This design would last until the end of production in 1989. Electronic ignition and air conditioning were now standard. Production of the AM V8 cars lasted from May of 1972 through July of 1973 with 288 examples built (the first 34 examples wore leftover 'DBS V8' badging). Series II cars had Bosch fuel injection instead of carburetors.

The Series 3 cars arrived in 1973 and reverted back to Weber carburetors. To accommodate the four twin-choke (two-barrel) Weber carburetors, a taller scoop was added to the hood. The engine produced approximately 310 horsepower but by 1976, output had fallen to 288 bhp, crippled by emission regulations. To compensate for the loss, a more powerful 'Stage 1' engine with new exhaust and camshafts arrived in 1977 with 305 horsepower. Cars equipped with an automatic transmission rode on 235/70VR15 Turbospeed Rolls Royce or 225/70VR15 Avon TurboSpeed tires. Pirelli Cinturato CN12 (255/60R16) from the Vantage were also optional. Styling features of the Series III cars were similar to the previous Series II, but with a small lip at the bottom of the panel. Series II cars had louvers cut into the little panel mounted beneath the rear windshield.

Series 3 production lasted from July 1973 to December 1974, and then from Spring 1976 to October 1978 (the pause in production was due to Aston Martin's financial difficulties). A total of 967 examples of the Series III were built.

In October of 1978, at the Birmingham International Motor Show, Aston Martin introduced the 'Oscar India' Series 4 specification. The previous bonnet scoop was replaced by a 'power bulge' and a spoiler was integrated into the tail. Most Series 4 received a Chrysler 'TorqueFlite' three-speed automatic transmission.

The Series 4 'Oscar India' was produced from 1978 through 1985 with 352 examples built. In June of 1978, the convertible 'Volante' body style was introduced, weighing approximately 155 lb more than the coupe due to the reinforcements made to the frame.

Beginning in 1980, cars destined for the U.S. market were given much larger bumpers to meet U.S. regulations.

The Series 5 was introduced in January of 1986 at the New York International Auto Show and came with a fuel-injected system that eliminated the need of the bonnet bulge. Produced through 1989, a total of 405 examples of the Series 5 were built. The Volante Series 2 received the same changes with 216 examples built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2021