1963 Aston Martin DB5

Aston Martin introduced the DB4 grand tourer in 1958 and established an instantly recognizable look that would remain with the company until 1970. They were classically proportioned with a Touring-designed body and signaled a major turning point for Aston Martin as it was the first car of the David Brown era not powered by an engine co-designed by W.O. Bentley nor did it use a chassis derived from the experimental Atom of 1939. It was also the first Aston Martin to wear Carrozzeria Touring's 'Superleggera' bodywork, in which light alloy panels were fixed to a supporting framework of light-gauge steel tubes.

The styling was by Touring with the coachwork being applied under license at Newport Pagnell by Aston Martin. The DB2/4-type multi-tubular spaceframe was deemed incompatible with the Touring Superleggera body construction, so engineer Harold Beach designed a strong platform-type chassis. The prior trailing-link independent front suspension was replaced with unequal-length wishbones and the rear setup used a Watts linkage instead of the prior Panhard rod. Power was from an entirely new engine designed by Tadek Marek, which had first been used at LeMans the previous year in the DBR2. The 3,670cc unit was an all-alloy, twin-overhead-camshaft six with 'square' bore and stroke dimensions of 92mm and offered 240 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. The David Brown gearbox was a new four-speed all-synchromesh unit. At the time of the DB4's introduction, it was Britain's most powerful and fastest production car.

Five (unofficially designated) series were built as the model gradually became the DB5. DB4 production came to a close in 1963 after 1,204 examples had been produced, including 19 DB4GT/Zagatos. Introduced in July 1963, the Aston Martin DB5 came with a 4.0-liter engine, which had first been used in the Lagonda Rapide in 1961. Equipped with three SU carburetors, it offered 282 horsepower at 5,500 RPM and was backed by a four-speed/overdrive gearbox. A ZF five-speed unit was standardized later.

The DB5 was the same size as the lengthened, 'Series V' DB4 and its cowled headlamps had previously been showcased on the DB4GT. Visually, there were few remarkable differences between the DB4 and DB5 apart from twin fuel filler caps, although these had already appeared on some cars. The trunk lids also differed slightly between the DB4 MK5 and the DB5. Underneath the skin, however, were numerous changes and improvements including Girling disc brakes that replaced the prior Dunlops, Sundym glass, alternator electrics, an oil pressure gauge, and electric windows as standard equipment. Other standard items included reclining seats, chrome wire wheels, oil cooler, magnesium-alloy body, full leather trim, a fire extinguisher, and wool pile carpets.

Sixty-five examples received the 314 horsepower, triple-Weber Vantage engine, introduced in September 1964. A convertible body style was also offered, and independent coachbuilder Harold Radford offered a shooting brake conversion. Production lasted from July 1963 until September 1965, with 1,021 DB5s produced, including 123 convertibles and 12 shooting brakes.

The Aston Martin DB5 has the distinction of being the first and perhaps the most famous of all the 'James Bond' cars, having appeared in no fewer than five movies of the series, beginning with Goldfinger in 1964.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2019