1972 Aston Martin DBS V8

Aston Martin built the DBS as a successor to the DB6, although the two ran concurrently for three years. It was a larger coupé than the DB6 with four full-sized seats but was powered by the same four-liter, straight-six engine as the previous car. Aston Martin had always intended the DBS to house the new Tadek Marek-designed V8, but since it was not ready in time, it received its predecessor's straight-six.

The DBS was styled in-house by Bill Towns, receiving a more 'modern' appearance than the previous series of Aston models, including the DB4 through the DB6, with fastback style rear end and squared off front grille. Signature Aston Martin design cues included the bonnet scoop, side air vents with stainless steel brightwork, and knock-off wire wheels. Its aluminum body was installed atop the platform-type chassis and an independent suspension system was located all round, comprised of wishbones and coil-springs at the front, and a De Dion setup in the back with Watts linkage.

The four-liter engine produced 280 horsepower and was backed by a Borg-Warner automatic, a ZF five-speed manual, or a Chrysler three-speed automatic transmission. The Vantage specification added Weber carburetors and boosted output to 325 bhp.

It was introduced in 1967 at the London Motor Show and was the last Aston martin introduced during the 'David Brown' era. The Aston DBS was built from 1967 until 1972 at the Newport Pagnell factory.

Two years after the introduction of the DBS, the V8 engine was ready, and Aston released the DBS V8 equipped with a 5,340cc V8 engine. With the demise of the straight-six Vantage in 1973, the 'DBS' portion of the name was dropped and simply called the Aston Martin V8. This 'new' model became the company's mainstream car for nearly two decades, serving until 1989 when it was replaced by the Virage.

At the time of its introduction, the DBS V8 was the fastest four-seater production car in the world. Along with the larger engine, it also received ventilated disc brakes, and the previous wire wheels of the DBS were replaced by alloy wheels. Transmission options included the ZF five-speed manual and an automatic.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021