Aston Martin DBS, Unloved No More |
| Affordable Classics |
| Written by SCM Staff |
Growing affection for David Brown's Astons helps out even the DBS, not long ago thought of as "hopeless"  Aston Martin was in trouble again. By the mid-1960s, it was clear that the DB6 was in dire need of modernization, based as it was on a design with its roots firmly in the now-archaic DB4, which was launched in 1958. William Towns, who would serve Aston well (if controversially at times) through the 1970s, was brought in to design a thoroughly modern car. The resulting DBS was the last of the David Brown Aston Martins, and while looking little like its predecessor, save for the hood scoop, side vents and fastback design, it was nonetheless a pleasing if bland design. When originally released, under the bonnet there was the same 4-liter Tadek Marek-designed, DOHC, straight-6 as in the DB6; later cars got Marek's 5.3-liter V8. And while some people dump on the first-gen 6-cylinder DBS, they do put out a healthy 325 hp in Vantage form. Figures weren't released for the V8, but it's doubtful that in normal tune it put out much more than the Vantage six. For the record, the normal six made 280 hp. |