The Flashiest New Jewel in the British Crown
There will always be an England and substantial traces of a commonwealth clout that was.
Her thatched pubs and Westminster Abbey are pretty much indestructible. The Savoy, stiff upper lips, limp monarchs, cold winds, warm beer, five-day cricket matches, adulterous politicians, Cockney humor, a countryside to die for and breakfasts that kill by cholesterol remain immortal customs. Thankfully, so are old-school-tie sports cars by 70-year-old Aston Martin. In particular, the DB series of fastback coupes.
And with its 1996 DB7, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. may have a car that not only saves this financially fragile company, but restores a national treasure. Rather like discovering Yeats lives.
This low, crouching 2+2 is wickedly quick. But certainly no uncouth, bare-knuckle brute. Instead, it slides toward a top speed of 165 m.p.h. with a smooth, howling surge from a supercharged, in-line-six until motorways shrink to spaghetti and hedgerows blur. It’s all very pure, all rather aristocratic.
And given just enough daylight on any two-lane byway, that unbridled acceleration and ungoverned top end translates to passing four cars and a truck loaded with Herefords in a single swallow. And I’ll be in Chipping Campden before ye.
The DB7 certainly is the most beautiful thing to be formed in Britain since the Malvern Hills.
As with all thoroughbreds, touches of its wonder years have been retained by Ian Callum, a designer who clearly values traditions above trendiness.
So the DB7’s hood bulge again whispers of much inner muscle; Perspex contact lenses once more cover headlights and follow the racing slope of the hood, and the grille still shows yesterday’s broken geometry with the upper plane angled into a smirk at both ends.
All are desirable lifts from the DB4s of more than three decades ago--as is an aperture behind the front wells, an air vent bisected by a bar, that is as much a signature of Aston Martin as are side strakes on a Ferrari Testarossa.
The look is modern without betraying heritage; a discreet silhouette that is noticeably classic, but enormously graceful and fresh enough to navigate this quintessential British coupe into the next millennium.
Quality of the DB7’s components, accessories, assembly and finish is unquestioned. The paint--from nationalistic Cheviot red to patriotic Pennine Grey, with endless custom hues for buyers who want to match their Saville Row suiting or Princess Di’s eyes--is applied by color crafters from Rolls-Royce.
Of course, leather is by Connolly, carpets are by Wilton, there’s the warm feel of suede to the headliner, and fascia trim is in burr walnut with a polish that’s elbow deep. Handcrafting is everywhere, and it takes 180 hours to build a DB7 from first bolt to final roll out--compared to 20 hours for most Detroit mid-sizes.
And the only equipment options are a car phone, CD player, fitted luggage as the standard compensation for a smallish trunk, and a Harrod’s charge card.
The in-line-six engine, as might be expected, was developed by Tom Walkinshaw Racing, the speed shop that built Le Mans winners for Jaguar. It is 3.2 liters supercharged by an Eaton blower, decants 335 horsepower, and transitions the car from brisk canter to full gallop in a fluid, unfaltering flash of might and motion.
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Would that all of this was affordable.
Unfortunately, the DB7 is stickered at 78,500, which translates to $125,600--and that could require the crown jewels as collateral.
But for those in search of justification: Of 700 DB7s to be built this year, only 200 will be shipped to the United States, and there’s big resale value in exclusivity.
This is an iteration of the DB3S that Stirling Moss and Carroll Shelby drove to world championships. That certainly will add distinction, discernment and museum quality to anyone’s automotive portfolio.
And James Bond drove a DB4.
Final argument for your credit union: If Aston Martin’s DB7 has any companion in the realm of high performance, limited-edition exotica, it is Ferrari’s new 456 GT. Both are blistering speedsters that are collectible, comfortable, even easy to drive. Yet the Ferrari lists for $207,000.
Although the badge on the bonnet says Aston Martin, the brains behind the marque’s apparent rebirth belong to Ford. In fact, the Detroit company seems to be making a mini-career of midwifing ailing British car companies and rescuing them from esteemed but unprofitable places in history.
Five years ago, Ford made a $3-billion purchase of Jaguar, a company rapidly sliding from endangered species to extinction. Now the reliability and sales of Jaguar cars are rebounding.
Ford bought into Aston Martin in 1987, when ownership changes were biannual events. The company was persistently underfinanced, usually in receivership, and always making excuses for selling overweight, mechanically inept and terminally ugly cars.
Now Ford appears to have worked its Jaguar magic on Aston Martin. So it’s not surprising that portions of the DB4’s chassis and sections of its engine are effective, indeed wise borrowings from Jaguar’s XJ6 series.
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We spent five days thrashing and touring a DB4 from Canterbury to the Cotswolds. Even in stiff upper England where a Bentley Continental rarely rates a second glance, there were loving stares for the gorgeous Aston Martin. Even from the driver of a Bentley Continental.
The car’s performance--apart from a thirst for unleaded at almost $4 per Imperial gallon, which works out at $80 per tankful and suggests gin might be cheaper--was flawless.
The mechanical and manual processes involved in getting up to speed and enjoying it, however, beg some fine-tuning.
The DB4 is equipped with an ignition immobilizer. Open the door, lower the buttocks, close door, find pedals that are a little offset, insert key and turn to start. If you haven’t completed all of that in 15 seconds, the ignition circuits shut down.
Only Olympic gymnasts dexterous with card tricks can do it in 15 seconds. For fat-fingered mortals, it’s out with the key, hit a button on the fob, reinsert key, etc. It is frustrating to drivers and really infuriating to carjackers, who might then decide to shoot you.
We suggest doubling the delay. Or ripping it out.
The front seats, although snug without being stiff, are operated by iconographs set in the walls of the center console. They are a fumble to find and it’s usually quite dark down there. Nor is there a control to raise or lower the seat.
Similarly, the five-speed manual gearshift--although automatic transmission is available--was something of a wrestle. Shifting, a motion that should be instinctive to achieve maximum smoothness, required just too much attention. Spring loading, particularly when snick-shifting from fifth to fourth, was lazy and the gear ratios just a little mismatched.
Visibility of the primary instruments was another problem. Not by size or location, but by the use of light gray needles that provide minimal contrast against dark gray dials.
Aston Martin must learn, and immediately, what other manufacturers have done with frameless windows. Windows up, the DB4 generates intolerable wind noise. Windows down, at speeds over 60 m.p.h., that’s Hurricane Nigel bashing your ears and splattering sideburns.
But this is minor stuff. There’s enormous substance in the basic platform with room to flex and grow. Having come back this far, knowing that one more financial upheaval could be a death throe, Aston Martin will not resist criticisms.
Although just on sale in England, the DB4 will not go public in the United States until the Detroit and Los Angeles car shows in January. For fans of Aston Martin, it will be a very long summer and impatient fall.
* A photo caption in the March 24 Life & Style section misidentified the maker of the engine in Bentley Azure convertibles. The engine is by Rolls-Royce.
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1996 Aston Martin DB7 Cost * As tested, $125,600 (includes driver and passenger air bags; cruise control; leather upholstery; walnut trim; power seats, windows, mirrors and steering; five-speed manual; heated seats; ignition immobilizer with theft alarm; anti-lock brakes--but no traction control. CD player a $1,300 option.) Engine * 3.2-liter, Jaguar-bred, supercharged in-line-six producing 335 horsepower. Type * Front-engine, rear-drive, 2+2, high performance sport coupe. Performance * 0-60 m.p.h., as tested, with five-speed manual, 5.9 seconds. * Top speed, manufacturer’s figure, 165 m.p.h. * Average fuel consumption, highway and city, 17 miles per Imperial gallon (13.6 miles per U.S. gallon). Curb Weight * 3,740 pounds. * The Good: Unbridled, blistering performance, but docile handling. A British classic restored to former glories. Brilliant styling that blends car’s traditions with today’s lines. Brave effort by Ford through Jaguar to keep Aston Martin alive. * The Bad: Even in pounds, the price is awfully high. Shifter and seat controls need refining. Wind noise is a pain in the ear. * The Ugly: All DBs before this one.
