Aston Martin DB7
| Aston Martin DB7 | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Aston Martin |
| Production | 1994–2004 (7,000 produced) |
| Model years | 1997-1998 (United States & Canada For I6 Model) 2000-2003 (United States & Canada For Vantage Models) |
| Assembly | Bloxham, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Designer | Ian Callum |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Grand tourer |
| Body style | 2-door coupé 2-door convertible |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | Jaguar XK8 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 3.2 L SC I6 5.9 L V12 |
| Transmission | 4-speed I6 automatic 5-speed I6 manual 5-speed V12 automatic 6-speed V12 manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,591 mm (102.0 in) |
| Length | 4,646 mm (182.9 in) (DB7) 4,692 mm (184.7 in) (Vantage) |
| Width | 1,830 mm (72.0 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,825 kg (4,023 lb) (coupe) 1,900 kg (4,200 lb) (Volante) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Aston Martin Vantage |
| Successor | Aston Martin DB9 |
The Aston Martin DB7 is a grand tourer which was produced by Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2004. The grand tourer was available either as a coupé or a convertible. The prototype was complete by November 1992 and debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 1993; the car was styled by Ian Callum and Keith Helfet. The six-cylinder DB7 (based on the Jaguar non-supercharged engine AJ6) was positioned as an "entry-level" model below the hand-built V8 Virage introduced a few years earlier. This model was the highest production Aston Martin vehicle ever, with more than 7,000 built before it was replaced by the DB9.
The DB7, known internally as the NPX project, was made mostly with resources from Jaguar and had the financial backing of the Ford Motor Company, owner of Aston Martin from 1988 to 2007. The DB7's platform is an evolution of the Jaguar XJS's, though with many changes. The styling started life as the still-born Jaguar F type (XJ41 – coupe / XJ42 – convertible) designed by Keith Helfet. Ford cancelled this car and the general design was grafted onto an XJS platform. The styling received modest changes by Ian Callum so that it looked like an Aston Martin. The first generation Jaguar XK-8 also uses an evolution of the XJ-S/DB7 platform and the cars share a family resemblance, though the Aston Martin was significantly more expensive and rare.
The DB7 was engineered in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, by Tom Walkinshaw Racing on behalf of Aston Martin. The engines continued to be built in Kidlington during the production run of the vehicle.
With production of the Virage (soon rechristened "V8" following Vantage styling revisions) continuing at Newport Pagnell, a new factory was acquired at Bloxham, Oxfordshire that had previously been used to produce the Jaguar XJ220, where every DB7 would be built throughout its production run. The DB7 and its relatives were the only Aston Martins produced in Bloxham and the only ones with a steel unit construction inherited from Jaguar (Aston Martin had traditionally used aluminium for the bodies of their cars, and models introduced after the DB7 use aluminium for the chassis as well as for many major body parts).
...
Wikipedia