Aston Martin V8

Aston Martin V8
1972 Aston Martin V8 coupé
Overview
Manufacturer	Aston Martin
Production	1969–1989 4,021 built (incl. Vantage & Volante)
Assembly	Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
Body and chassis
Class	Grand tourer (S)
Body style	2-door coupe 2-door convertible
Layout	FR layout
Related	Aston Martin DBS Aston Martin RHAM/1
Powertrain
Engine	5.3 L V8
Transmission	3-speed automatic ZF 5-speed manual all-synchromesh
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,610 mm (102.8 in)
Length	4,585 mm (180.5 in)
Width	1,830 mm (72.0 in)
Height	1,330 mm (52.4 in)
Curb weight	1,820 kg (4,010 lb)(approx)
Chronology
Predecessor	Aston Martin DBS
Successor	Aston Martin Virage

The Aston Martin V8 is an automobile which was manufactured by Aston Martin in the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1989. As with all traditional Aston Martins, it was entirely handbuilt – with each car requiring 1,200 man-hours to finish.

Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring for an eight-cylinder car for years, so Aston Martin designed a larger car. The engine was not ready, however, so in 1967 the company released the DBS with the straight-six Vantage engine from the DB6. Two years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was ready, and Aston released the DBS V8. With the demise of the straight-six Vantage in 1973, the DBS V8, now restyled and called simply the Aston Martin V8, became the company's mainstream car for nearly two decades. It was retired in favour of the Virage in 1989.

From 1969 through 1972, Aston's flagship model was the DBS V8. Though the body and name was shared with the six-cylinder DBS, the V8 sold for much more. The body was a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Aston Martin look, with a squared-off grille and four headlights (William Towns admitted that the rear quarters were "borrowed" from the early Ford Mustang). Distinguishing features of the V8 model are the larger front air dam and lack of wire wheels, though some six-cylinder DBS cars also used the V8's alloy wheels. The tail lights were taken from the Hillman Hunter.

A road test report of the time noted that the car had gained 250 lb (113 kg) in weight with the fitting of the V8 in place of the previously used six-cylinder unit, despite the manufacturer's assurance that the engine weighed only 30 lb (14 kg) more than the older straight-six. Other contributions to the weight gain included heavier ventilated brake discs, air conditioning, fatter tyres, a new and stronger ZF gearbox as well as some extra bodywork beneath the front bumper.