Aston Martin DBS Vantage : 1968

Unveiled at Blenheim Palace on September 25, 1967, the William Towns designed DBS was originally only intended for limited production.

In its original guise the DBS retained the six-cylinder, 3,995 cc engine employed in the DB6. However, after an announcement on 27 September, 1969 the DBS was also made available with a V8 engine, with the car being known as the DBSV8 – a four-seat grand touring car, capable of 160 mph.

Besides the engine differences, notable visual differences between the two variants included, on the DBSV8, the use of specially designed 15’’ light weight alloy wheels with ventilated brake discs for the first time on an Aston Martin production car (as opposed to the distinctive wire wheels employed on the DBS).

A distinguishing feature of both the DBS and DBSV8 are the four quartz iodine headlights set into an alternative version of the iconic Aston Martin grille.

The DBS and the DBSV8 were produced concurrently until May 1972.

DBS.
• Engine: Six cylinder, 3995cc
• Power: 282 bhp @ 5,500 rpm
• Top speed: 140 mph
• 0-60mph: 7.1 seconds

DBSV8 (in production from April 1970 – May 1972):
• Engine: V8, 5340cc
• Power: 320bhp @ 5,000 rpm
• Top speed: 160 mph
• 0-60mph: 6.0 seconds
• Transmission: ZF five-speed manual gearbox or Borg Warner automatic transmission. Limited slip differential.
• Final drive ratio: 3.73:1 (manual) or 3:54:1 (automatic)
• Length: 458 cm
• Height: 133cm
• Width: 183 cm
• Wheelbase: 261 cm
• Weight: 1,588 kg (1,727 kg for DBSV8)

Price at launch: £4,473 (1967 – DBS) and £5,281 (1969 – DBSV8)

(source: Aston Martin)