1986 Aston Martin V8

Six-Cylinder Power
David Brown acquired Aston Martin and Lagonda in 1947, incorporating them as Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. Lagonda was acquired for its dual overhead camshaft, straight six cylinder engine, which was more powerful than Aston Martin's pushrod 2.0-liter straight four-cylinder unit. The Lagonda engine was designed under the supervision of W.O. Bentley and was primarily the work of William (Willie) Watson, an engineer whose career included work with the pre-war Invicta company.

Beginning with the DB4 of 1958, Aston Martin introduced a new platform chassis and a new double overhead camshaft straight-6 engine. The powerplant was designed by engineer Tadek Marek and was a development of the earlier Lagonda straight-6. The engine was used to power the DB5, DB6, and DBS.

The Aston Martin DBS
The Aston Martin DBS was a grand touring automobile introduced in 1967 and intended as a replacement for the DB6, although both were produced concurrently for three years. The two-door coupe was powered by the same four-cylinder engine powering the DB6, also a grand touring 2-door coupe. At the time, these were Aston Martin's only products, and since they both had the same body style configuration (2-door coupe / albeit, the styling was very different), and both were powered by the same engine, their purpose was redundant.

The Aston Martin DBS and the DB6
The DBS was intended as a replacement for the DB6. It was given a modern design that took styling in a new direction, away from the appearance of the DB4 through DB6. It had a fastback rear end, a squared-off front grille, a bonnet scoop, stainless steel brightwork, side air vents, and its knock-off wire wheels were wrapped with Pirelli Cinturato Radial tires.

The DBS had a larger footprint than the DB6, resulting in a more spacious interior with four full-sized seats. Although more accommodating to passengers, the real purpose for the larger size was to accommodate the planned V-8 engine. The DB6 was incapable of housing the engine, lacking space in its engine bay.

The Aston Martin DBS was ready for production in 1967, but its V8 engine was several years from being ready. So the DBS was given the 4.0-liter straight-six unit from the DB6, and both models were built, offering both traditional and modern products.

The Aston Martin DBS / DBS V8 / V8
The Aston Martin V8 was manufactured from 1969 to 1989, with each example being handbuilt and each car requiring 1,200 man-hours. Known initially as the DBS and powered by the straight-6, Tadek Marek's V8 engine was ready two years later, and the company released the DBS V8. After the demise of the straight-six Vantage in 1973, the DBS V8 was simply called the Aston Martin V8. It would remain in production until 1989 when it was replaced by the Virage.

The Aston Martin DBS V8 had a similar body design as the six-cylinder DBS, with four headlights and a squared-off grille. The V8 models had a larger front air dam, redesigned tail lights, and were devoid of wire wheels.

The 5.3-liter V8 engine added roughly 250 pounds (lbs), although the manufacturer stated it weighed only 30 pounds more than the outgoing six-cylinder unit. Other items that added additional weight included the ventilated disc brakes, fatter tires, a new ZF gearbox, air conditioning, and additional bodywork. Although the factory did not officially release the horsepower, estimates have it at around 315 bhp, which gave the DBS V8 a zero-to-sixty mph sprint in 5.9 seconds and a top speed of nearly 160 horsepower.

In October 1978, Aston Martin introduced the Series 4 'Oscar India' at the Birmingham International Motor Show. Most were fitted with a Chrysler 'TorqueFlite' three-speed automatic transmission. The interiors featured wood trim which was the first time it was used in the production of Aston Martins since the DB2/4 of the 1950s. The hood scoop was replaced with a closed 'power bulge', and a spoiler was integrated into the tail. Between 1978 and 1985, a total of 352 examples of the 'Oscar India' were built.

In June 1978, Aston Martin introduced the convertible 'Volante.'

At the 1986 New York International Auto Show, a fuel-injection system was fitted to the engine. The Weber/Marelli system had a compact design which meant there was no longer a need for the bonnet bulge. A total of 405 examples of the fuel-injected 'Five Series' cars were built before production came to a close in 1989.

The world previewed the Newport Pagnell's entry into the specialty supercar market at the 1986 Geneva Motor Show. Dubbed the Aston Martin Vantage Zagato, they wore lightweight aluminum coachwork that included a hood bulge for the re-tuned Vantage V580 engine, offering 430 horsepower. A total of 52 coupes were built, though at least one of those was a re-numbered show car (the show car was originally chassis number 11, which was changed to 13 post-show). Performance was enhanced even further by shortening the wheelbase and removing the rear seats, thus creating Aston Martin's first production two-seater since the DB4GT. The lightweight design and 5.3-liter V8 helped give the Vantage Zagato a top speed of 186 mph.

The 1986 Aston Martin V8
The 1986 Aston Martin V8 was offered with Fastback Coupe and Convertible (Volante) body styles, along with the optional Vantage specification.

Mechanical Specification
The 1986 Aston Martin V8 rested on a 102.8-inch wheelbase, had an overall length of 183.8 inches, stood 52.5 inches tall, and was 72 inches wide. The standard cast-alloy wheels wore GR70x15 or 235/70VR15 tires, with the Vantage specification using 255/60VR15.

The 90-degree, dual overhead camshaft eight-cylinder engine had a light alloy block and head, five main bearings, a 325.9 cubic-inch displacement (5,340cc), and produced approximately 263 horsepower at 5,000 RPM in U.S. specification. The European version was rated at around 290 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. Among the differences between these two specifications were the compression ratio and the use of four Weber dual-choke carburetors or Bosch fuel injection. Beginning with the Series 5, introduced in January 1986, the fuel injection system was a Weber unit rather than the earlier Bosch. The standard output was now quoted as 305 bhp.

The optional Vantage specification boosted horsepower to just above 400 hp. It was challenging for Aston Martin to sell the Vantage specification in the United States due to the USA DOT/EPA. Compromising, Aston Martin replaced the standard specification with electronic fuel injection. Very few Vantage Saloons were exported to the U.S.

Transmission options included a ZF five-speed all-synchromesh manual or a three-speed Chrysler TorqueFlite automatic. Disc brakes provided the stopping power.

Production
Between 1969 and 1989, Aston Martin produced 4,021 examples of the DBS V8 / V8, including 402 examples of the DBS V8 before the 'DBS' portion of the name was dropped. Eighty-nine examples were Vantage Zagatos (including Vantage Volante Zagato).

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2019