When you hear the magical name ‘Aston Martin’, your thoughts naturally turn to a coupé in the style of the DB7 introduced in 1993. This was the car that would determine the design direction of Aston Martin for years, first of all by remaining in production for no less than ten years. Just before the turn of the century, the car was therefore once firmly held up to the light.
The Vanquish, the DB9, the Rapide, the V8 Vantage and to some extent even the most recent models from Aston Martin: they all build on the blueprint called DB7. Master designer Ian Callum’s piece of art was a complete revolution for the British, who in the years leading up to the DB7 introduction focused on large, heavy square monsters. Now we’re the last to claim that those muscle-car-esque executioners had no charm, but with the DB7, refinement was resolutely returned to Aston Martin.
The fact that the DB7 is such a symbol of Aston Martin beauty is quite special, because the first lines were put on paper with the aim of creating a successor to the Jaguar XJS. In the end, the project ended up with Aston Martin, which, like Jaguar, was then part of Ford. Technically, the DB7 relies heavily on Jaguar technology, which included the (very old) XJS platform and the basis for the 3.2-liter six-in-line. Jaguar opted for a V8 in its XK8 in the same style, but the Aston Martin was clearly positioned higher.
The beauty of the DB7 is not only proof that Mr. Callum is good at paper and pen, but also shows that a lot is possible if you are resourceful enough. The budget for the development of this car was by no means endless, so they eagerly used parts from other Ford brands. The Mazda 323F-derived rear lights are a well-known example. The light clusters taken over from the folding headlamp-323 were captured in a ‘mask’ in such a way that you have to look closely to recognize them. The outside mirrors from the Citroën CX also fit wonderfully into the picture, while the door handles borrowed from the MX-5 on the inside at least deserve the label ‘acceptable’.
In 1999 the original DB7 disappeared from the scene to make way for the heavily modernized DB7 Vantage. The biggest difference from the predecessor is without a doubt the 5.9-liter V12, which provided the car with a hefty load of extra prestige. On the outside, which we would like to focus on in this section, however, there was also some news to report. The front bumper was completely redesigned with a redesigned grille, a new central air intake and bright, round fog lamps with integrated turn indicators. The rear bumper was subtly thicker, while new colors and wheels made the car look remarkably more modern. However, more modern is not always better, so the polling stations are also open this week!