The Definitive Guide to Gaydon-era ASTON MARTIN

[Grant3]

dkatwa said:

Got the 5th Edition book and well worth buying. I was toying with buying a DB9 (LM Edition?) but house renovation has put paid to that plan. However, I have yet to touch an Aston, much less drive one and I am sure the house renovations would take a back seat if ever I drove an Aston!
Love the posts on this forum - so informative.....

The DB9 is so good looking you will want to sleep in the garage anyway, so that will save on building costs and you can't get a V12 adrenalin rush with a house so it may be time to arrange that test drive.

Joking aside, thanks for the post and I hope the house renovation goes well. With regards to the LM, just be sure you don't pay near 09MY money as this is the better car and worth the stretch for the extra power, revised suspension set-up, improved Touchtronic II, new centre console, HDD sat-nav etc etc.

Let us know when you take that first drive.

[Grant3]

Just a quick one to say that the 6th edition of the guide hit the streets a few weeks back.

This now includes the new Rapide S, Centenary Editions and SP10, along with extra information, updates and additions to all the sections. We will be popping through a small PDF update, to those that have a previous edition, but this may not be for a few weeks.

A huge thank you to all who are supporting and contributing to the ongoing project .



Here is a link to the latest contents PDF & the current small website

Edited by Grant3 on Friday 10th May 17:21

[GuyGhibli]

Grant

Sixth edition arrived this morning - fantastic!

Absolutely spot-on reading material - If you are reading this thread, you should have a copy of this book.

[Hyde]

GuyGhibli said:

Grant
Sixth edition arrived this morning - fantastic!

Mine arrived this morning
Have only had a quick flick, it looks superb

[Moycie]

Arrived today. Looks great. I have some reading to do, and a decision to make.

Thanks for the fast delivery!

[Grant3]

Cheers guys the feedback is very much appreciated, looking forward to seeing the photos of your new cars when you have found the right new steed... looking is all part of the enjoyable experience, but be warned once you own an Aston it will get under your skin.. it's not just a car rather a new life experience

[Neilc123]

Hi Grant. The book was really useful when looking at my own Aston and very informative. I have the 5th edition. Will there will a pdf for a small update?

Regards

Neil

[Pentoman]

Had mine a month. Great read, properly excellent work.

[Grant3]

Hi Neil and Pentoman a big thank you for the feedback....and to all who continue to support the guide, which is very much appreciated.

The project marches on and I'm pleased to say the 6th edition is now sold out but..................

........... the 7th edition is now with the printers and back into stock next week, with the latest information including the new V12 Vantage S, Vanquish Volante (etc) and additional information in all sections.

Here is a low resolution image of the new opening page


Available from the usual place www.astonmartinreview.co.uk

[v12v2013]

Made a very pleasant change to the usual Christmas haul of dross; have read the Fifth edition several times now! A fabulous fount of information, keep it up!

[Grant3]

v12v2013 said:

Made a very pleasant change to the usual Christmas haul of dross; have read the Fifth edition several times now! A fabulous fount of information, keep it up!

Cheers for the post Jonathan, and I love your new steed by the way

Also just to let everyone know, the latest 7th edition should be in stock from tomorrow , apologies for the slight delay.

[FrogInLondon]

What an amazing book! A "must have" to navigate in the complex world of the Vantage V8 to select the wright one. It should be a compulsory reading book in the educational curriculum!

[V12woollie]

FrogInLondon said:

What an amazing book! A "must have" to navigate in the complex world of the Vantage V8 to select the wright one. It should be a compulsory reading book in the educational curriculum!

OK, now you've read it, just get one bought!!

[shropshireAston]

Grant3 said:

Cheers for the post Jonathan, and I love your new steed by the way

Also just to let everyone know, the latest 7th edition should be in stock from tomorrow , apologies for the slight delay.

I just got my new edition - thanks very much.. well worth the wait - even though I got the car - then the book... :-)
It's my bible.. in fact all hotels should have this book in the bedside cabinet

[renmure]

Another happy camper here.
Now that I have my own copy of the book I guess I can lend my mate his copy back again

[Grant3]

shropshireAston said:

I just got my new edition - thanks very much.. well worth the wait - even though I got the car - then the book... :-)
It's my bible.. in fact all hotels should have this book in the bedside cabinet

renmure said:

Another happy camper here.
Now that I have my own copy of the book I guess I can lend my mate his copy back again

FrogInLondon said:

What an amazing book! A "must have" to navigate in the complex world of the Vantage V8 to select the wright one. It should be a compulsory reading book in the educational curriculum!

Cheers guys, I'm also loving your ideas ...... if only I had hotel and government contacts

[divetheworld]

I bought the last edition before buying my 2007MY Vantage. Soon after my buddy decided he wanted a DB9 and the book was donated. I've bought the latest edition, read it for a week or so and found it invaluable in upgrading to a 2010/2011 model.
A couple of suggestions. The foreward should include a warning that reading the book may have the effect of causing the purchase of an AM (wallet health warning).
Second, it is the buyers and enthusiasts guide, so the Pro-Drive mods are relevant. As an enthusiast, I also think that other mods should be detailed more than a cursory mention. Maybe not specific company products but items like 100/200 cell cats, manifolds and twin plate clutches should be described and critiqued (IMHO).

Great work Grant, it is INVALUABLE.

[bentley01]

Grant just wanted to say thanks for your recent advice on my car purchase. The car is in fantastic condition and Top555 went beyond expectations with their service. I have your book purchased Xmas 2012 is it worth buying the most upto date version. Has much changed or been added . Cheers Darren

[Grant3]

divetheworld said:

I bought the last edition before buying my 2007MY Vantage. Soon after my buddy decided he wanted a DB9 and the book was donated. I've bought the latest edition, read it for a week or so and found it invaluable in upgrading to a 2010/2011 model.
A couple of suggestions. The foreward should include a warning that reading the book may have the effect of causing the purchase of an AM (wallet health warning).
Second, it is the buyers and enthusiasts guide, so the Pro-Drive mods are relevant. As an enthusiast, I also think that other mods should be detailed more than a cursory mention. Maybe not specific company products but items like 100/200 cell cats, manifolds and twin plate clutches should be described and critiqued (IMHO).

Great work Grant, it is INVALUABLE.

Thanks for the feedback Brent, congratulations on the new Aston, she looks a stunner, but be warned the books wallet health warning hasn't fully damaged your bank account yet, not until you end up with a Vanquish on the drive

I appreciate what you are saying about including more information on aftermarket modifications, but this area is a potential minefield, full of claims for big performance increases without affecting reliability. The problem is many conversions aren't proven in the long term so it is hard to honestly critique their real world performance and reliability. The problem is compounded by the large range of aftermarket cats, ecu tweaks and exhaust systems that are used, and the same firm may offer a conversion package that keeps the same name/output but change their cat' supplier for example and they may offer a stage 1-2and 3 conversion ( for engine and exhaust etc) that would need assessing! Even with exhaust upgrades alone I have experienced some that sound absolutely awesome but on one example the next model up with a sort of super sport version created a horrible resonance at certain revs that I disliked but the owner loved (loud is a personal judgement!!). I did include Prodrive as an example because of their official Aston links, plus of course A.M's own offerings and a summary on modifications.
This is not to say I'm anti-modification and there is no question that it is proving more popular particularly as the cars age and reach a younger market while being out of main warranty. So within the guide I have included 5 pages on "mods" which provide an over view and the essence is - cat and exhaust changes are pretty straight forward, and can greatly enhance your driving experience, just check out the quality of the components via the main Aston websites and ensure you are happy with the noise levels + ensure you keep the original components for best re-sale. Major conversions need very careful inspection, but companies like Bamford Rose have won many fans for their quality modifications while established packages from Quicksilver and Larini (etc) have also established a good track record. I direct readers to check out the latest via the websites as these tend to keep track in real time with how each aftermarket company is performing. In honesty it takes a huge amount of time just to keep track with all things A.M. let alone all the aftermarket options and I would want to do the job thoroughly, having said that the guide has evolved in line with enthusiasts input so I'll look at adding some owners views on their experience with various mods

Edited by Grant3 on Friday 8th November 10:44

[KarlFranz]

Grant, any chance I can get the latest update PDFs? Seems like somehow I got behind by 3 or more versions. Or do I need to buy the book again to get the latest info?