Aston Martin – more than a symbol of wealth

A car that makes a noticeable impression, due to its luxury, performance, design, or unique features, serving as a symbol of the owner's status, wealth, or taste. -Google AI

 

If you live in England and have done well financially, you might buy a Range Rover. They are quite prevalent in nice neighborhoods. But if you have done really good – made a lot of money – you might be looking for a Aston Martin dealer. Aston Martins are not only very expensive, fast and beautiful cars. They are also what you could call "a statement car" as the introduction to this post so aptly describes.
 
Compared to other car manufacturers, Aston Martin Lagonda a car brand with a low production volume. Nevertheless, they sold 6020 cars in 2024. That's a good number considering that both the cars and the engines are hand-built. But not in the same way as in the previous production facilities. Today, everything rolls forward on an assembly line and robotic arms perform the necessary lifting and other trivial tasks. It is still folk along the assembly line that assembles the cars – not robots. The sports cars are currently built near Gaydon, Warwick. In the same neighborhood we also find production facilities for Jaguar Land Rover og British Motor Museum.
 

Tight sports models

In the model program you will find three different models that at first glance look quite similar. It is Vantage, DB12 og VanquishWe can also mention DBS which was phased out last year. All models have the large grille that was first shown on ONE-77The differences in external dimensions are not greater than one could have characterized them all in the same size class. But in Aston Martin's own words, the Vantage can be described as "a compact sports car", DB12 as "The world's first super tourer" while Vanquish is "flagship"The Vanquish also has an 8-9 cm longer wheelbase than the other two, and it has a V12 engine, while the other two have V8 engines from Mercedes-AMG.
 

Why has a small car manufacturer, like Aston Martin, chosen to offer three separate models with minimal differences instead of one model in three versions?

The VH platform

Customers who can afford to buy a new Aston Martin are likely to value features such as individualisation and tailoring, rather than off-the-shelf products. Aston Martin chose to develop a modular platform ahead of the production of the DB9. The VH (vertical horizontal) platform consists of aluminium components that are glued, riveted and bolted together – and reinforced with a carbon fibre composite material. With the VH platform, the time to produce a frame was reduced from 4 hours to half an hour.

The last model to use the VH platform was Rapide S. until 2019. Today's models still use a modular chassis of aluminum components that are assembled as a kit – but now the components are glued together without rivets for optimal strength and rigidity.
 

Formerly owned by Ford

Aston Martin's history can be divided into two periods. Before and after Ford's ownership of the company. In 1987, Ford bought in 75% and in 1994 they achieved full ownership before selling the company in 2007. Together with Ford, Aston Martin was able to streamline production, create new models and – not least – a V12 engine.
 

With the help of Jaguar and resources from parent company Ford, Aston Martin was able to create the DB7, which was the start of a new generation of cars with new engines and new lines.

The turning point

The DB7 was developed and produced while Ford owned both Aston Martin og JaguarBoth automakers were in the process of developing new models. Jaguar was working on a successor to the XJS and Tom Wilkinshaw (TWR) wanted to adapt the project to a modified XJS platform. He saw that Aston Martin's new project, called XX, could also use the same platform. Walter Hayes, then CEO of Aston Martin, saw the potential in this and got it approved by Ford management. If you look closely, you can sense that the DB7 shares some lines with the XK8, especially around the rear.
 
Production of the DB7 began in 1994 – before the V12 engine had been fully developed. The first cars were therefore equipped with Jaguar's 3.2-litre straight-six – in a supercharged version. It was not until 1999 that Aston Martin's V12 engine was ready. It was installed in DB7 Vantage – the first Aston Martin V12. In the same year, the DB7 with 3.2 disappeared from the model range.
 
In total, more than 7000 DB7s were produced over 10 years of production – more than any previous model.
 
Aston Martin DB7
 

Aston Martin's V12 engines

Aston Martin's first generation V12 was a 5.9-litre naturally aspirated engine with 48 valves and 4 camshafts built by Cosworth Engineering. It was cast in aluminium to keep weight down. In the DB7, the engine produced 420bhp. At that time, fixed-roof cars could do 0-100 in 5,0 seconds with a claimed top speed of just under 300km/h. In later versions, more than 600bhp was extracted from these engines.
 
The second generation V12 was a 5.2-liter twin-turbo engine. The first model to get this engine was the DB11. Aston Martin has also developed its own V12 engines for special – and more racing-oriented – models.

The V8 engines

In 2005, production of two truly successful models began. They were called V8 Vantage or V12 Vantage depending on engine. The V8 engines were based on Jaguar's proprietary AJ-V8 design. They were hand-built as a 4.3 V8 – and from 2009 as a 4.7 V8 – both naturally aspirated.
 
Aston Martin Vantage 2005-2017
 
When Aston Martin again presented a new Vantage model in 2018, it was with V8 engines from Mercedes-AMGAston Martin has partnered with Mercedes-Benz to supply engines and electronics, including infotainment systems and navigation. Things that are expensive to develop in small series.
 

Gearboxes

The gearbox is located in the transaxle located at the rear for favorable weight distribution. Early models could be delivered with Sportshift – a semi-automatic gearbox that allowed sequential gear changes using paddles on the steering wheel. The system may take some getting used to and there have been reports of problems with the first cars. The subsequent TouchtronicThe ZF system has been trouble-free. Early cars and some special models have also been delivered with 6-speed manual gearboxes.
 

An electric future

In 2023, Aston Martin announced and Lucid about a strategic, long-term collaboration that includes, among other things, the supply of electric powertrains. Aston Martin's CEO Adrian hallmark has declared that the company's first electric car will be launched by 2030. Not before, because the market for electric cars in Europe has been slower than expected. According to Hallmark, tightening emissions regulations will likely mean the end of the V12 engine by 2030.
 

Today, Aston Martin's flagship, the Vanquish 3, is equipped with a 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 engine. It is definitely in the supercar class with up to 835 hp and a torque of 1000 Nm. The stated top speed is 345 km/h.

Aston Martin in Norway

In these times, Oslo Motor Show announced that they will be showcasing aston martin valhalla in October. This is Aston Martin's first hybrid car – a monster of a supercar that will be produced in a limited edition of 999.
 
Aston Martin's distribution here is also limited. The number of registered cars from 2022 to today is approximately 20 cars, most of which are crossover/SUV models. DBXThe peak years – if you can call them that – were 2005 and 2006 with a total of 70-80 cars, including used cars imported afterwards.
 

Buy Aston Martin?

Cars that can be included in the 20-year rule today are DB7 (3.2), DB7 Vantage, V8 Vantage (4.3 and 4.7), V12 Vantage, Vanquish 1 og DB9. A general advice is to buy the most expensive car you can afford. The most modern model in this range is the DB9 (VH chassis and 5.9 V12). The DB7 was, compared to other models, an affordable car that opened up the car brand to new buyer groups. Today they are still "cheap", especially the models with 6-cylinder engines.
 
Norway's most widespread Aston Martin is, by the way, V8 Vantage Coupe produced between 2005 and 2017. A very good choice. List prices in 2005 were NOK 1.525.000 for cars with Sportshift. In 2010 prices had risen to NOK 2.013.000. In comparison, V12 Vantage NOK 2.870.000 this year.
 
There are no known pitfalls. Cars with Sportshift should be carefully tested to ensure that it works well and that you feel comfortable with the gear system. Maintenance history is important. Take good care of the engine, as Aston Martin does not normally produce engines for the aftermarket. New body parts can be obtained from the factory, but this can take a long time and cost a lot of money. This is the disadvantage of hand-built cars.
 
The price level of early models from the 1960s – such as the DB4, DB5 (Agent 007) and DB6 – is extremely high. These cars are likely to continue to increase in value. Will newer Aston Martins increase in value? Most cars reach their lowest prices after 20 years. After that, some models may increase in value. Time will tell.

 

About the pictures

The green DB12 and DBS Superleggera were photographed while standing on a residential street in Chelsea, London in 2024. The green DB7 Volante was parked on Oksenøya outside Oslo in 2017. The blue V8 Vantage Roadster was standing on a street in Notting Hill, London in 2024. The images of the interior of the 2025 Vantage and the subsequent image of the Aston Martin Valhalla are press images from Aston Martin. The image of the new Vanquish 3 was photographed in Miami in 2025. Photographer and rights belong to VG1 / Shutterstock.com. The photo of the black Vanquish 1 was taken at a car meet for the Norwegian Jaguar Club at the old air traffic control tower at Fornebu in 2025. The DB5 with the same registration number as agent 007's car was on display at the London Classic Car Show in 2020. The rare ONE-77 was on display at the London Concours in 2019. The Aston Martin DBX was photographed while parked on Oksenøya outside Oslo.
 

See

astonmartin.com
astonmartinworks.com