Discussion
Friends, can somebody describe the overall sound of a DB/ (both i6 and V12) to me?
Both V8V and DB9 seem to have deliberately "engineered" exhaust systems, whereas I suspect the i6 to sound fairly subtle, for the lack of exhaust flaps.
But who does have real-life insights?
Many thanks!
Both V8V and DB9 seem to have deliberately "engineered" exhaust systems, whereas I suspect the i6 to sound fairly subtle, for the lack of exhaust flaps.
But who does have real-life insights?
Many thanks!
If there is one thing which can be adapted to choice, it is the exhaust sound.
You should be able to achieve the level of sound, or quietness you want.
Even genetic after market exhaust valves are available.
Watch the Bamford Rose video about V12 cats being very close to the head ports.
I am presuming the V12 DB7 must have had exhaust cats.
I have a DB9 with a Supersport exhaust. It's very loud, burbling and quite fun. However, it's sometimes too much and my wife finds it embarrassing.
I also have a DB7 i6 with a standard exhaust. It has a lovely supercharger whine and a subtle straight six creamy engine note. It's much more subdued and my wife likes it.
I also have a DB7 i6 with a standard exhaust. It has a lovely supercharger whine and a subtle straight six creamy engine note. It's much more subdued and my wife likes it.
My garage owner´s DB7 i6 Volante has a very nice, calm/smooth sounding engine when idling. But I would describe that sound to be a little bit closer to an idling V8 sound than a straight six in old BMWs or Mercedes-Benz for example.
But this is, of course, all very subjective. I mean it had even escaped my notice that the AM 4.3 V8 allegedly had a "NASCAR" sound
, so what can you expect.
But this is, of course, all very subjective. I mean it had even escaped my notice that the AM 4.3 V8 allegedly had a "NASCAR" sound
, so what can you expect.EVR said:
A friend of mine with a DB7 GTA (12V then) described it as ''felted''.
English is my first language and I have no idea what this means either 
My DB7 Vantage with sports exhaust sounds epic / amazing. Just the right balance between sporty and aggressive.
Once the engine has warmed up it is quiet at low revs but comes alive at higher revs.
Always on the lookout for tunnels and bridges to hear the sound more. Can sometimes give a nice crackle when backing off too.
Agent57 said:
English is my first language and I have no idea what this means either
My DB7 Vantage with sports exhaust sounds epic / amazing. Just the right balance between sporty and aggressive.
Once the engine has warmed up it is quiet at low revs but comes alive at higher revs.
Always on the lookout for tunnels and bridges to hear the sound more. Can sometimes give a nice crackle when backing off too.
Ahaha, my friend is French and described the sound as ''feutré'', translated here by yours truly in felted. I am Italian, I would use ''vellutato'' in Italian as a translation, velvety.My DB7 Vantage with sports exhaust sounds epic / amazing. Just the right balance between sporty and aggressive.
Once the engine has warmed up it is quiet at low revs but comes alive at higher revs.
Always on the lookout for tunnels and bridges to hear the sound more. Can sometimes give a nice crackle when backing off too.
I think he means powerful but not too aggressive, quite smooth, progressive, linear. Just like felt I guess?
I sold Aston Martins for 20 years, and cut my teeth on the DB7 (I joined the network in the late '90s).
The DB7 i6 was, and still is, a much maligned car. It was a proper DB inasmuch as it took off where the DB6 left off back in the early '70s with a creamy straight six that didn't need revs. It was a very linear power delivery (supercharging always is, as it doesn't have to wait for exhaust gasses coming back through like a turbo does) and it wasn't loud either, unless you had the sports exhaust, which made it sound a bit "gruffer". The issue is, because the majority of DB7s were autos, it became a bit, well, "droney" on long runs, which as a GT car, was it's primary reason for existing. I never liked an i6 with a sports exhaust.
The V12 was still very smooth, and as such, had a quietness to it that was welcome on a long drive. Yet, couple it with the 6 speed Tremec gearbox, a sports exhaust gave it a bit of an angrier voice that sounded sublime right through the rev range. Again, I couldn't get on with an auto box with a sports exhaust, but with the stick-shift, it was a different beast. And then we get to the GT.......
The introduction of the GT brought with it one of Aston's first attempts at an "active" exhaust. It was a complex piece of piping that was stupidly overcomplicated in design (not to mention bloody heavy), but it brought a new dimension to the 7 that had been missing before, that of a fruity sports car. The Zagato was another derivative of this, but because of the shorter wheelbase, the design was slightly different, and whilst not as guttural or raw as the NP V12 Vanquish, it had a rasp to it that probably makes it my favourite sounding '7.
The character of the Astons changed again with the VH cars starting with the DB9, but nowadays, I am not so keen on where the brand has gone with the sounds of it's cars. An Aston Martin should never be a thug. We had TVR and Corvettes for that. An Aston Martin should be a gentleman's car, and when you go back to the sublime six cylinder in the DB2/4 (originally a Lagonda engine designed by WO Bentley) and then the DBs of the 'Sixties, the DB7, both in 6 and 12 cylinder guises, carried that torch better than anything else.
As we used to say, "Speak softly, but carry a big stick". The DB7 did that perfectly.
The DB7 i6 was, and still is, a much maligned car. It was a proper DB inasmuch as it took off where the DB6 left off back in the early '70s with a creamy straight six that didn't need revs. It was a very linear power delivery (supercharging always is, as it doesn't have to wait for exhaust gasses coming back through like a turbo does) and it wasn't loud either, unless you had the sports exhaust, which made it sound a bit "gruffer". The issue is, because the majority of DB7s were autos, it became a bit, well, "droney" on long runs, which as a GT car, was it's primary reason for existing. I never liked an i6 with a sports exhaust.
The V12 was still very smooth, and as such, had a quietness to it that was welcome on a long drive. Yet, couple it with the 6 speed Tremec gearbox, a sports exhaust gave it a bit of an angrier voice that sounded sublime right through the rev range. Again, I couldn't get on with an auto box with a sports exhaust, but with the stick-shift, it was a different beast. And then we get to the GT.......
The introduction of the GT brought with it one of Aston's first attempts at an "active" exhaust. It was a complex piece of piping that was stupidly overcomplicated in design (not to mention bloody heavy), but it brought a new dimension to the 7 that had been missing before, that of a fruity sports car. The Zagato was another derivative of this, but because of the shorter wheelbase, the design was slightly different, and whilst not as guttural or raw as the NP V12 Vanquish, it had a rasp to it that probably makes it my favourite sounding '7.
The character of the Astons changed again with the VH cars starting with the DB9, but nowadays, I am not so keen on where the brand has gone with the sounds of it's cars. An Aston Martin should never be a thug. We had TVR and Corvettes for that. An Aston Martin should be a gentleman's car, and when you go back to the sublime six cylinder in the DB2/4 (originally a Lagonda engine designed by WO Bentley) and then the DBs of the 'Sixties, the DB7, both in 6 and 12 cylinder guises, carried that torch better than anything else.
As we used to say, "Speak softly, but carry a big stick". The DB7 did that perfectly.
MrB. said:
I sold Aston Martins for 20 years, and cut my teeth on the DB7 (I joined the network in the late '90s).
The DB7 i6 was, and still is, a much maligned car. It was a proper DB inasmuch as it took off where the DB6 left off back in the early '70s with a creamy straight six that didn't need revs. It was a very linear power delivery (supercharging always is, as it doesn't have to wait for exhaust gasses coming back through like a turbo does) and it wasn't loud either, unless you had the sports exhaust, which made it sound a bit "gruffer". The issue is, because the majority of DB7s were autos, it became a bit, well, "droney" on long runs, which as a GT car, was it's primary reason for existing. I never liked an i6 with a sports exhaust.
The V12 was still very smooth, and as such, had a quietness to it that was welcome on a long drive. Yet, couple it with the 6 speed Tremec gearbox, a sports exhaust gave it a bit of an angrier voice that sounded sublime right through the rev range. Again, I couldn't get on with an auto box with a sports exhaust, but with the stick-shift, it was a different beast. And then we get to the GT.......
The introduction of the GT brought with it one of Aston's first attempts at an "active" exhaust. It was a complex piece of piping that was stupidly overcomplicated in design (not to mention bloody heavy), but it brought a new dimension to the 7 that had been missing before, that of a fruity sports car. The Zagato was another derivative of this, but because of the shorter wheelbase, the design was slightly different, and whilst not as guttural or raw as the NP V12 Vanquish, it had a rasp to it that probably makes it my favourite sounding '7.
The character of the Astons changed again with the VH cars starting with the DB9, but nowadays, I am not so keen on where the brand has gone with the sounds of it's cars. An Aston Martin should never be a thug. We had TVR and Corvettes for that. An Aston Martin should be a gentleman's car, and when you go back to the sublime six cylinder in the DB2/4 (originally a Lagonda engine designed by WO Bentley) and then the DBs of the 'Sixties, the DB7, both in 6 and 12 cylinder guises, carried that torch better than anything else.
As we used to say, "Speak softly, but carry a big stick". The DB7 did that perfectly.
Copied and pasted that.The DB7 i6 was, and still is, a much maligned car. It was a proper DB inasmuch as it took off where the DB6 left off back in the early '70s with a creamy straight six that didn't need revs. It was a very linear power delivery (supercharging always is, as it doesn't have to wait for exhaust gasses coming back through like a turbo does) and it wasn't loud either, unless you had the sports exhaust, which made it sound a bit "gruffer". The issue is, because the majority of DB7s were autos, it became a bit, well, "droney" on long runs, which as a GT car, was it's primary reason for existing. I never liked an i6 with a sports exhaust.
The V12 was still very smooth, and as such, had a quietness to it that was welcome on a long drive. Yet, couple it with the 6 speed Tremec gearbox, a sports exhaust gave it a bit of an angrier voice that sounded sublime right through the rev range. Again, I couldn't get on with an auto box with a sports exhaust, but with the stick-shift, it was a different beast. And then we get to the GT.......
The introduction of the GT brought with it one of Aston's first attempts at an "active" exhaust. It was a complex piece of piping that was stupidly overcomplicated in design (not to mention bloody heavy), but it brought a new dimension to the 7 that had been missing before, that of a fruity sports car. The Zagato was another derivative of this, but because of the shorter wheelbase, the design was slightly different, and whilst not as guttural or raw as the NP V12 Vanquish, it had a rasp to it that probably makes it my favourite sounding '7.
The character of the Astons changed again with the VH cars starting with the DB9, but nowadays, I am not so keen on where the brand has gone with the sounds of it's cars. An Aston Martin should never be a thug. We had TVR and Corvettes for that. An Aston Martin should be a gentleman's car, and when you go back to the sublime six cylinder in the DB2/4 (originally a Lagonda engine designed by WO Bentley) and then the DBs of the 'Sixties, the DB7, both in 6 and 12 cylinder guises, carried that torch better than anything else.
As we used to say, "Speak softly, but carry a big stick". The DB7 did that perfectly.
Beautifully put.
RMDB9 said:
Please help me to understand what benefit the full quote might bring?
I was trawling through some old DB7 posts doing some research for a new car. Read that & liked the sound of it. Gave kudos to the author & then popped it in a note on my ipad in case I wanted to re-read it. Didn't need quoting I agree.
Didn't need a passive aggressive comment either.
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