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Aston Martin

10: briefs
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101 min: in total

On automotive.briefs10

Aston Martin V8 Vantage (1977)

William Towns · 1977

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage (1977) is a British grand tourer and high-performance variant of the Aston Martin V8. It was launched as 'Britain's First Supercar', citing 170 mph top speed and 0–60 mph in 5.3 seconds. Its engine shares architecture with the Lagonda but adds high-performance camshafts, increased compression, larger inlet valves, and bigger Weber carburettors. Early models produced 380 bhp. William Towns did not design it — he left Aston Martin in 1977.

Aston Martin Bulldog

William Towns · 1979

A one-off 1979 concept built to show off Newport Pagnell—and chase a title it never claimed.

Aston Martin DB4

Touring · 1958

The DB4 is a grand tourer designed by Carrozzeria Touring, built at Newport Pagnell, and powered by a Tadek Marek–designed 3.7 L DOHC straight-6. It features servo-assisted disc brakes, independent front suspension with rack-and-pinion steering, and a live rear axle with Watt's linkage. Its design influenced later models including the DB4 GT Zagato and Lagonda Rapide. Technically distinct from both predecessor and successor, it was produced from 1958 to 1963.

Aston Martin DB5

Touring · 1963

The DB5 is a tightly specified British grand tourer, designed by Touring, built by Aston Martin, and defined by disciplined evolution — not revolution.

Aston Martin DB6

Touring · 1965

The DB6 is a functional evolution — not a revolution — in Aston Martin’s grand touring line. Its Kammback tail and lengthened wheelbase directly address aerodynamic lift identified in wind tunnel testing. It retains the live-axle layout, rejecting the more complex de Dion prototype to prioritise production readiness. It is recognisable, stable, and rooted in continuity — not novelty.

Aston Martin DB7

Ian Callum · 1994

The DB7 is a grand tourer designed by Ian Callum and Keith Helfet. It was produced by Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2004. It was offered in coupé and convertible bodystyles. More than 7,000 were built. It was made mostly with resources from Jaguar Cars and had the financial backing of the Ford Motor Company. Ian Callum received the Jim Clark Memorial Award in 1995 for his styling work on the DB7.

Aston Martin DB9

Henrik Fisker · 2004

The DB9 is a two-door grand tourer designed by Ian Callum and Henrik Fisker. It was built in Gaydon, Warwickshire. Production ran from 2004 (coupé) to 2016, with the Volante convertible added in 2005. It uses aluminium and composites on a vertical/horizontal platform, with a front mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. It features a 5.9 L V12 engine. Henrik Fisker led its production design, drawing on Aston Martin’s heritage while enabling scalable manufacturing.

Aston Martin DBS

William Towns · 1967

The Aston Martin DBS is a grand tourer produced from 1967 to 1972. It was designed by William Towns as a modern-looking successor to the DB6, following the collapse of Touring of Milan’s design effort. It shares the DB6’s 4.0 L engine and mechanical base but adopts a larger four-seat layout and a deliberately contemporary fastback silhouette with a squared front grille. It was the final model developed under David Brown’s ownership.

Aston Martin Lagonda

William Towns · 1976

The 1976 Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2 is a full-size luxury four-door saloon designed from the ground up by William Towns. It introduced the first digital instrument panel in a production car — an LED array whose development cost four times the car’s total budget. Later Series 3 used cathode-ray tubes, worsening reliability. Only 645 units were built across all generations. Its wedge shape defined 1970s automotive avant-garde. Its electronics were a warning, not a promise.

Aston Martin Vanquish

Ian Callum · 2001

The 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish is Ian Callum’s definitive statement on Aston Martin’s early-2000s direction: a V12 coupé evolved without deviation from his 1998 Project Vantage concept, styled with DB4 GT Zagato aggression, and built as the last all-new car at Newport Pagnell.