Favourite Aston Martin?

[TimD]

Well, I thought I'd better post this before Slowcoach and I totally hijack the Jaguar thread!

So, which is it to be?

To be honest, there isn't an Aston built that I wouldn't have in my garage. Even the DB2/4 Mk3 has a certain charm.

But without further ado, my top five.

DB4 Series 5
V8 Vantage
DBS
DB6 Volante
Ulster

Following on from the Aston chat in the Jaguar thread, this weekend is indeed the Aston meet at Brands. Regrettably, it also clashes with the Snetterton night racing. But having been to the Silverstone StJohn Horsfall meeting and the Donington meet already this year, I am a convert to Aston Martin club racing for sure.

[Slowcoach]

My turn,my turn,my turn........

1) DB4GT Zagato
2) DB4 Series V
3) DB3/4
4) V8 Vantage
5) Virage Vantage

But as TimD says they are all fab. and no-one will ever convince me otherwise , even the later Lagonda is lovely in its own angular way.......

Next meet after BH is Snetterton on the 6th August.....

[SL]

I don't belieive you two, not a single mention of a DB5. Must be one of the best cars ever built. I must admit to a liking of all Aston's. Used to have a girlfriend who lived just outside Newport Pagnell, almost wrote my car off a few times passing the factory looking at all the gleaming DB's lined up.
The ultimate must be the Vantage that was race prepared and hurled around by Gerry Marshall at AMOC meets, did this this enter Le Man in the mid 70's ??

As for the 4 1/2 Bentley, well I take my hat off to those guy's who raced them, scares me just looking at those skinny tyres amd drum brakes. Came across one en route to Le Mans about 8 years ago, he must have had it wound up on in top gear he blasted passed us, we were a wee bit (about 20mph) above the limit. Some sight. But are these cars not discussed in the Truck & HGV Drivers Forum ???

Simon

[TimD]

The DB5 is indeed gorgeous. I tend not to aspire to one, because people accuse you of having James Bond pretentions.

I mean, they'd be right, but let's not make it easy for them!

Actually, having re-read my posting, an awful omission has just surfaced.

DB3S

I mean, how could I have forgotten it?

Now, the Bentley is something else entirely. The four-and-a-half is the car I dream of. In many ways, Aston Martin took up the role after the war that the Bentley had before. It was Ettore Bugatti who first accused WO Bentley of "making the fastest lorries in the world."

The early ones, the 3-litres, were good for 92mph. Any more than that, and you would snap the crankshaft. This is in 1924, remember. The 4.5 will top 110mph, and with a supercharger, will do more like 125 in standard trim.

The Speed Six, a car built up to 1930, possesses a performance curve not dissimilar to a V-12 Jag.

And all this from a car weighing a ton and a half, with the aerodynamics of a lightly streamlined office block, and with brakes that - frankly - didn't.

If you've never seen vintage Bentley racing, the club has its annual raceday at Silverstone on the first Saturday of September. The Bentley drivers are a sporting lot, and they send out invitations to the Aston Martin, AC and Morgan clubs to bring their best and compete with them.

It's a day's racing like no other.

[Slowcoach]

OK SL , I admit it I have a corgi model of THAT DB5 on my mantlepiece and a print of it hanging on the wall and if money was no object I would have one in my garage , for Xmas I got the complete set of JB videos and once upon a time I even had THE music on my answerphone message , a dog called Q , a horse called Moneypenny and a goldfish named M - but I'm not sad really.........

[TimD]

Thank heaven you didn't buy a cat....

[Peter Mallett]

What's wrong with naming a cat Bloefeld?

[SL]

TimD, Slowcoach,

Glad I at last got the truth, you both work for MI6, but SSSssshhhh. Must not let the reds get wind of it !!...

Did JB not have a Bentley before the Aston ?? Even further proof, sorry for the late reply but I have been on a posting in the Caribbean, Jamaica, Barbados and Havana. Can't say any more as it is secret (nudge, nudge, wink wink.)

I may well be the one dribbling over the Bentley's at Silverstone on the 21/23 July.

Simon

[TimD]

Putting away my buttonhole microcamera, and laying down the personal helicopter cunningly disguised as a fountain-pen, I find myself with time enough between espionage assignments to reply!

In the original Ian Fleming novels, James Bond is described as owning a supercharged Bentley, which he has had modified to such an extent that Rolls-Royce have disavowed any further responsibility for it.

It sustains serious damage in the "Moonraker" novel, when Hugo Drax uses his contemporary Mercedes to force the Bentley, and an innocent Alfa Romeo Monza off the road. Can you imagine the expense of trying to film that??

The Aston Martin is a mere "pool" car which is given to Bond in the "Goldfinger" novel. No DB5 this. The book predates the launch of that one, so Bond's first Aston is in fact a grey DB2/4 Mk3.

I believe that there is a fleeting glimpse of Bond's private car near the start of the movie "From Russia With Love." However, it is a little while since I've seen the film, and I seem to recall that the car had more than a suspicion of 2-litre Lagonda about it.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally posted by TimD
It sustains serious damage in the "Moonraker" novel, when Hugo Drax uses his contemporary Mercedes to force the Bentley, and an innocent Alfa Romeo Monza off the road. Can you imagine the expense of trying to film that??

Hmm.

As I recall he was on his way to Dover when he got into a dice with a Lotus (possibly Elite) whilst following a lorryload of Paper Rolls. The rolls broke free (subsequently discovered as a bungled attempt on Bond's life) and put the Elite into a field.

[Marshal]

Terribly sorry to get back to the original thread, but I'd just like to mention,

1. DBR1
2. Project Astons (As I recall I think 212 is the prettiest)
3. Dave Ellis's new Aston thing (I don't know what it actually is, but it looks stunning).

It was on show at the AMOC meeting at Silverstone and looks a bit like a bright yellow cross between a V8 Vantage and the Batmobile.

Also, the Aston that raced at Le Mans in the 70's isn't the same as the Marsh Plant car most recently campaigned by Gerry Marshall (no relation - ho ho), I have a feeling it was put together by Robin something, and I'm sure it was for sale a couple of years ago, still resplendant in its union jack livery.

Right, I'll let you all get back to the James Bond stuff now....

[Peter Mallett]

DB4GT Zagato. Original or sanction 2. I don't care as long as I have one.

Why? That combination of Italian styling with British unburstable engineering.

[johnh875]

Another vote for the DB4 here, I just prefer the first version of the car rather than the DB5. As such, I’d also nominate an earlier version rather than a Series V for example, which were lighter and I also prefer the original front end styling. I would however like to include some later model features & a 4.2 engine built with the latest tricks!

Second would be a DB3S, I would put this first but it is a bit unrealistic and impractical.

Third would be a V8 Vantage, it looked really great in The Living Daylights (obligatory Bond reference!).

Fourth is a later version of the DB2 with the slatted grille.

Fifth – the current model V8 Vantage, although I’d be interested to see the inevitable facelifted version.

If I was naming 10, I would include the twin supercharged Virage Vantage, a prewar model (don’t know much about them really), a shooting brake or sedan version of the Virage (memories of a magazine article on them in the early 90s), DB4 GT or Zagato and shooting brake version of a DB5 or DB6.

[John Turner]

I suppose it would be fair to say that almost every Aston made constitutes a favourite for me, but some more so than others. I'll start my (long) list with the latest. Taken at Brands last May, a V8 Vantage, a stunning car like all the recent Astons. Not my favourite colour though. What is it with this love of bland silver, grey and gun metal colours that seems to have gone on now for the best part of 20 years? Give me some proper colours any time (no offence to anyone else, just a personal opinion!):-

[johnh875]

Someone has been on the ball, last year at the Classic Adelaide Rally I spotted an Aston DB9 parked, with a registration plate that was quite a good score (also a change from silver colour John!) Sorry the photo is a bit blurry, it looked ok on the camera's screen at the time.

[DAVID PATERSON]

"Which Aston Martin do you like" is similar to which Supermodel do you wish to erm, entertain? All of them of course.

Aston Martin, unlike very few other car makers have never made an undesirable car.

[John Turner]

Agree with you, there, David. Perhaps we should start a thread listing those marques that build cars, all of which are automatically classics as soon as they leave the factory.

Now, how's this for oneupmanship? Spotted at the Britcar 24 hours meeting at Silverstone last September:-

[terence]

I always remember being at the first Silverstone Classic meeting when we came across Rowan Attkinson DB2 ,a friend asked[non racer]why would anyone want to "racer one of those",I must addmit that I could not think of a reason,then I was asked to race one at LeMans last year,now i know the answer!

[John Turner]

I'd love to race one; who needs a reason? Taken at AMOC, Silverstone last year, an early DB2 with a Le Mans History finishing 13th overall in 1951, and 7th overall in 1952. MKC 306 (chassis no. LML/50/57) still driven on the road and still raced. Can't get much better than that:-

[Rockmunky]

What a tough question!

I think i'd go for the DB5.... It rates very highly on the coolness factor.

[maximus]

It is a toughie! Out of the current crop I would take the DB9, beacause out of the current modern somewhat "soul less" car designs that manufacturers use there is something about it that makes me want to stare at it for hours. Oh and the V12 has a beautiful sound too.

The same would apply to the old DB5, however I think I would just stare at it and never get in the thing!

The old Vantage from the 90's, I love the sheer prescence and power the thing has.

[John Turner]

Well I haven't found a pic of a DB5 so far, but this is about as close as you'll get without actually being one. This is a DB4 Series 5. It has the stretched wheelbase of the DB5, the faired in headlamps from the DB4GT introduced with the series 4, and most series 5 cars also had the Vantage engine, although I'm not sure whether this one has it. The only key difference between this and a DB5, is the engine size. It retains the 3.7 litre engine, whereas, of course, the DB5 had/has the 4.0 litre engine. Taken at Brands Hatch, AMOC meeting in May, 2006:-

[John Turner]

Talking of favourite Astons, I think that the current V8 Vantage is rapidly coming towards the top of my list. Has anyone seen the article in the current issue of EVO? Aston's have dropped a V12 into the car and are considering putting it into limited production. Currently called the Vantage V12 RS (drop the RS guys!), what an absolutely stunning looking rocketship that will be, if it goes ahead!

[SidewaysFeltham]

DB4 GT Superleggara was a car I worked on quite a bit in the late 1960s.

I have never forgiven my wife's late uncle who lived on Long Island NYS for failing to leave me his Carmen Red/white hide/white Wilton Short Chassis DB4GT, which had all the right bits; Borranni 60 spoke comp chrome wheels with triple eared knock offs; triple Webers; ZF LimSLip Axle, etc.

He bought it many years ago when it was almost new from a lawyer in California, who had advertised it as an Aston Healey. It had been bought by an up and coming starlet for her image: she apparently drove it around the block twice and scared herself to death!

Unc thinking this was a typo and should have been Austin Healey jumped on an internal flight and finished up buying the Aston, rather than an Austin Healey (!!!) and drove it back to Long Island.

It lived in his basement garage under a dust cover as he was paranoid that it might be scratched! Had less than 10K miles on the clock when he passed on to the car park in the sky a few years ago.

It was one of these that Moss used to win the TT at Goodwood and afterwards he recounted that it was so comfortable to drive, he spent his time out front, listening to the radio!

Apart from that, I'd really the love the protoype Lola Aston Martin V8 that Nick Cussons used to try and drive me off the track in the 1972 6 hour relay at Thruxton in streaming wet! I was driving one of our Midgets and was out on the circuit as the heavy rain started - on slicks......................

Cussons, who'd gone off in practice (in the dry!) wiping all the coolant pipes off underneath in a spinning steaming cloud of greengrocery and water vapour, decided to try and emulate Rhindt just before the chicane. (Rhindt had gone straight on and right through an ad hoarding in an FII Lotus! As he would). Somehow Cussons managed to turn right!

What a fantastic sound that experimental V8 made on open pipes!

Forerunner, of course, to the DBSV8: I drove one for a couple of weeks in 1973. OK but not as a nice a car as the DB4GT.

[johnh875]

Something that might be of interest, a local Aston specialist is making DB4 GT Zagato style cars based on DBS': http://www.brooklands.com/