PH Buying Guide: Aston Martin DB7
Go get yourself a nice piece of bespoke GT motoring...
Claims the DB7 was simply a restyled Jaguar XJ-S are nonsense. The DB7 did use some Jaguar parts, but the DB7 was a fresh design, styled by Ian Callum, and it used a bespoke 3228cc straight-six engine with an Eaton supercharger to produce 335bhp. A soft-top Volante version was always in the production plan, but it took till 1996 for this convertible model to be revealed at the Los Angeles motor show in 1996.
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This set the template for the remainder of the DB7's life, though Aston launched Zagato and DB American Roadster limited editions, with 99 of each built. There was also the DB7 GT as a last hurrah from January 2003 till September 2004. It arrived as the most potent DB7 model at the Birmingham motor show in November 2002, packing 435bhp for the manual version (420bhp for the auto), though performance remained the same as for the Vantage.
The GT was the curtain call for the DB7, which had done the trick for Aston by securing the company's financial footing. When DB7 production ceased, more than 7,000 cars of all models had been built, which accounted for more than a third of all Astons ever built at that point.
Production numbers:
DB7 3.2 Coupe - 1,605 built
DB7 3.2 Volante - 879 built
DB7 Vantage Coupe and Volante - 4,156 built
DB7 TWR - 1 built
DB7 Zagato - 99 built
DB7 GT - 190 built, plus 112 GTA models
DB American Roadster 1 - 99 built
Buying guide contents:
Introduction
Powertrain
Body
Rolling chassis
Interior
Insurance
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In short - very nice at that price, shame it isn't a manual...
In short - very nice at that price, shame it isn't a manual...
Tempted!
I fell in love with Astons in general because of the DB7. Seeing it first in one of those 'world's fastest cars' books with an F1 LM on the front and then playing Gran Turismo and tuning them up to take on the Japanese cars (even if it wasn't very good).
Absolutely gorgeous looking thing, still is after so long.
Tempted!
They have replaced the steering wheel with quite a nice looking one I think. Not sure if that's de-airbagged, may have been too old to have one in the first place?
the newer models are light years ahead under the skin, but there is something wonderfully simple about the early DB7, proper old skool GT car, no flappy paddles, no computer wizardry.. love it to bits....
When the DB9 first came out, I cancelled my order because they just weren't special enough to go through all that depreciation again and bought an 89 vantage; now there's a simple old thing.
Yes, it is a little wobbly around the scuttle when you go over bumps, and yes it is full of Mazda, Ford and Jag bits, but who cares? It really is more than the some of its parts and it has loads of character.
I have a similar vintage SL which was pitched at the same segment as the DB7 and although it feels like it is hewn from granite, does everything perfectly and starts on the button all the time, it just hasn't got the soul (or the looks) of the Aston.
In short - very nice at that price, shame it isn't a manual...
Tempted!
I think I recall there was an interim (publicly unseen) Jaguar design, between the XJ41 and NPX. Even looking at the XJ41, you have to wonder if the front wings aren't the same pressing? The rear-side window shape also gives it away. Mr Callum's main task seems to have been replacing the XJ220-style rear aspect with Mazda parts.
Did Mr. Helfet say if he had any influence on the R Coupe concept?
The 2 most perfect GT coupés ever? Was there ever better that wasn't just derivative?
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