Overview

The Aston martin DB7 is a grand tourer manufactured by the British automaker, Aston martin. The car was unveiled at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show and in 1994 it went into production. Production ended in 2004, with 7,000 units being built throughout the years of production. The Aston martin DB7 was considered an entry-level model, placed below the Aston Martin V8 Virage.

Variants

The Aston martin DB7 was built on an updated version of the Jaguar XJS. The project was financed by the Ford Motor Company, which bought Aston Martin in 1988. The design of the DB7 was made by Ian Callum and it was slightly inspired from the Jaguar XJS but with noticeable Aston martin features. The Aston Martin DB7 was built at the newly aquired Bloxham, Oxfordshire assembly plant, which previously produced the Jaguar XJ220.

In 1996 the Aston martin DB7 Volante (convertible) was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Both the coupe and the Volante were powered by a straight six 3.2-Liter supercharged engine that produced 335 horsepower and 361 lb-ft of torque. The engine was mated to a standard five speed manual transmission or to an optional four speed automatic transmission. In performance test the DB7 accelerated to 60 mph from standstill in 5.5 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 13.5 seconds. The maximum speed reached was 165 mph and fuel consumption was 20.6 mpg.

In 1999 the powerful Aston Martin DB7 Vantage was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. The DB7 Vantage was powered by a 6.0-Liter V12 engine that produced 420 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. It was mated to a Tremec six speed manual transmission or to a five speed automatic transmission. In performance tests the Vantage sprinted from 0-60 mph in 5 seconds flat and ran the quarter mile in 13 seconds flat. Aston Martin claimed that the Vantage could reach a maximum speed of 186 mph with the manual transmission and 165 mph with the automatic transmission. Fuel consumption was 11 mpg for both the manual and the automatic.

By the end of 1999 sales for the 3.2-Liter DB7 was ended, leaving only the high-performance Vantage as the only DB7 model available. The Vantage was available either as a coupe or Volante.

In 2002 the V12 GT and V12 GTA were introduced. The difference between the two was that the GTA was equipped with an automatic transmission. The GT was essentially an improved version of the Vantage model. The engine was also updated and was now producing 435 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque. In terms of performance and fuel consumption the GT was almost similar to the Vantage. The main difference between the two were the exterior changes. The DB7 GT had a mesh front grille, vents in the hood, a trunk spoiler, an aluminum gear lever, optional carbon fiber trim and new wheel designs.

Additional Information

There were four limited edition models with the 3.2-Liter engine installed and three limited edition models with the V12 engine installed.

The 3.2-Liter limited edition models were the Alfred Dunhill Edition introduced in 1998. There were only 150 units ever built and all were available only in Platinum Metallic and had a built in humidor.

The second was the Neiman-Marcus Edition introduced in 1998. Only 10 vehicles were produced.

The third was the Beverly Hills Edition also introduced in 1998. Only 6 vehicles were produced from which 2 were coupes and 4 Volantes. All 6 were painted in Midnight Blue

The fourth was the Stratstone Edition introduced in 1999. 19 units were built from which 9 were coupes and 10 Volantes.

The three DB7 V12 special edition models were the Keswick Limited Edition, introduced in 2002. A small number of aproximately 10 vehicles were produced and al were painted in Nero Daytona Black.

The second was the DB7 V12 Anniversary edition, introduced in 2003. Only 33 vehicles of an announced 100 were built and all were painted in Slate Blue. This edition was introduced to celebrate the end of DB7 Vantage production.

The last was the Jubilee Limited Edition also introduced in 2003. There were 50 units produced from which 24 for the European market and 26 for the North American market. This edition was introduced to celebrate the Golden Jubille of Queen Elizabeth II and all were painted in Jubilee Blue.