Aston Martin DB7 v12 Vantage

The DB7 was the car that revived Aston Martin’s fortunes and laid the foundations for its continued success today. Achingly pretty, in V12 Vantage for the DB7 is very quick too – but is it a wise buy today?

So much has been written about the DB7 that it’s hard not to delve into well-trodden clichés. Achieved on a fraction of the budget you might expect, the DB7 nevertheless transformed the company when it was launched in 1994, propelling it back to ‘cool’ status. And it’s still a very desirable car today.

On a recent visit to a renowned independent Jaguar specialist, Arun Cars of Pulborough, beside the many Jags for sale in its well-kept showroom was a V12-engined 2002 DB7 Vantage (Arun has, for some time, offered other interesting cars alongside its mainstay Jaguar stock). It gave us a prime opportunity to see how a five-year-old example of this most iconic of modern sports cars has fared.

Specifications

While the six-cylinder DB7 brought some much-needed cash to a financially famished carmaker, it was a product of some rather resourceful thinking, borrowing extensively from Ford and Jaguar parts bins, albeit to good effect. The V12 Vantage, however, definitely raised the class bar a notch or two.

Rather than a Jaguar-sourced straight six with an Eaton supercharger bolted on, the V12 DB7 is armed with a 420bhp Cosworth developed engine. So for many, this was a ‘proper’ Aston. A lot of the XJS derived underpinnings were ditched in favour of more substantial suspension components to cope with the extra weight from the bulky quad cam 48-valve V12 power plant, and the consequently greater performance.

The already pretty face of the DB7 was tweaked with new fog lamps, a re-profiled lower valance and grille. The overall effect was no less stunning, just a little more aggressive.

Inside, a mildly revised centre console and the choice of six-speed manual, five-speed auto and Touchtronic were the major changes; and, as you’d expect on a car fast approaching six-figure prices, it was luxuriously appointed. Connolly leather seats with electric adjustment, air-conditioning and a six-speaker Kenwood stereo system were just some of the accoutrements you could enjoy. Despite the still blatant use of Ford and Jaguar switchgear (buttons and vents from a Granada, stalks and handbrake lever from the XJ-S) the fascia is stylish enough to feel special in the most part.

Power-assisted rack and pinion steering was well geared at a mere 2.54 turns lock-to-lock. The suspension front and rear comprises independent double wishbones, coil springs and anti-roll bars. The V12 DB7 is overbraked if you believe some specialists, but that’s no bad thing in our view on a car weighing over 1,700kg and capable of propelling itself to 165mph. There are ventilated 355mm diameter discs with four-pot calipers up front and ventilated 330mm discs at the back with a drum handbrake. A TEVES standard and is ably assisted by electronic traction control.

On the road

It’s interesting to note the consensus that the V12 DB7 is far more of a complete car than the six-cylinder version ever was. But isn’t that the luxury of time and hindsight? With five years’ experience behind them, engineers could throw all those lessons-learned into the V12 model.

On start-up an aural delight awaits as those 12 cylinders thunder into life. You’re left with no illusions that this is no tamed kitten, more a caged lion – treat it with respect.

Once you’ve fathomed the infuriating ratchet handbrake down to the right of the driver’s seat you’re ready for the off, and it’s surprisingly easy to coax this open-top machine along. A progressive throttle means that it’s easy to deliver that power smoothly to the rear wheels without any jerkiness or tyre smoking antics. Well, unless you want to, that is.

The steering is well weighted; it’s not as a precise as some of the more modern setups but it is very direct thanks to the high gearing. The Touchtronic ‘box as featured in this particular example enables the driver to opt for full-on auto, or select up and down through the ratios. In truth, we didn’t really see much benefit in the manual selection side of it. The auto mode is smooth enough, and the engine sufficiently torquey to make the best of the five available ratios.

If you’re really in the mood for gunning from corner to corner, then the manual feature is useful, otherwise we reckon it’s a largely redundant feature, and not one that’s particularly joyous to use, lacking any real resistance between gear changes. So, our advice is to stick to using the auto setting only, or, better still, find a six-speed manual.

The suspension is firm but not overly harsh, while grip and cornering prowess are prodigious. On our fairly limited test route, we barely delved deeper than into two-thirds of the DB7’s potential, but we think it would very hard to exploit the full performance of this machine without resorting to a test track.

The brakes feel solid. Early cars did apparently have a reputation for warping discs, especially if they were driven hard over short journeys and then parked up for a long time before enduring another thrash. Most of those early editions have been upgraded now, on all accounts, and certainly the brakes on the car we drove felt plenty man enough for the job.

Whether or not it’s the engine, or the overall car, though, the DB7 V12 Vantage does feel rather heavy. Powerful and meaty, sure, but it lacked a sensation of agility. This is a real Brit bruiser in every sense of the term – enjoy it and appreciate it as such and you won’t be disappointed. It’s got speed, raw acceleration, a fine chassis balance and well mannered cruising ability in abundance, but what it won’t do is leave you feeling like every corner should

Market impressions

The example tested here, up for sale at Arun Cars, was priced up at a notinconsiderable £52,995. But then, original new price, or the amount a similar age Bentley or Ferrari will command, and the Aston Martin starts to look decent value. It is well specified, too, including sat-nav, and has only covered 30,000 miles. It’s also in desirable Nero Black – most V12s we’ve seen for sale recently seem to be in dark blues.

On a scan of the market, V12 opentop DB7s can be found for as little as £37k, but it’s worth seeing several cars before parting with any money. Be fastidious with your inspection, because overall condition and spec will count for a lot. At this level of car also, there’s a lot to be said for buying from an approved dealer or independent specialist, as that backup may be very useful.

Few DB7s will have covered megamiles, but they do need to see a workshop every 7,500 miles or six months, so make sure there’s documentation to suggest that this has happened. If it hasn’t, then the price is naturally affected; we’d walk away if there weren’t the requisite number of stamps in the service book.

Conclusion

The Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage as tested here is a supreme heavyweight sports car. It’s got the style, it’s got the pedigree and it’s certainly got the performance.

Roof down, V12 growling away up front, there’s no better way of enjoying open-top motoring. It’s luxurious, good to drive and feels pretty solid all in all. But there is a nagging doubt.

We know it wears one of the coolest automotive badges on the planet, but, at £50k, DB7s are still on the pricy side. While they’re generally regarded as reliable, even the newest ones are four years old and will inevitably need careful – and expensive – maintenance. So be sure you’re absolutely convinced it’s the right car for you before taking the plunge as there are plenty of alternatives out there. At Arun, for example, a younger, 2004, 4.2-litre Jaguar XKR had lower mileage, was marginally better equipped, but was £16k cheaper.

But then as one chap mentioned, one’s a Rolex, the other’s a Seiko. How much badge appeal means to you will ultimately decide whether the highly competent, ultra-desirable and super quick Aston Martin DB7 V12 Vantage is the one for you.

Faults, flaws and fixes

The six-cylinder DB7 model earned a perhaps ill-deserved reputation for unreliability and poor trim fit and finish. By the time the V12 arrived on the scene five years later, most of those gremlins were laid to rest. The V12 engine is generally regarded by specialists as bullet-proof, but there are a couple of provisos.

It uses a mineral-based coolant, and has been known for unsuspecting owners or non-qualified garages to drop in a generic anti-freeze which doesn’t do the job properly; overheating will be the result. If the previous owner’s unsure of the type of coolant sloshing around in there, have it flushed and refilled.

Coil packs can be temperamental, mostly because they’re exposed to such extreme heat, sited as they are in the valley of the engine’s ‘vee’ under fuel rails and engine covers. They’re not cheap to buy and not cheap to replace; if one goes, it’s best to replace them all – and it’ll cost the same as a family holiday!

The only other labour-intensive job worth knowing about is the airconditioning. If it’s not working due to a tired evaporator, the entire dash and centre console have to come out, so the hourly rate racks up. If the aircon’s not working, prepare to haggle at least £1,000 off the asking price.

Otherwise, it’s standard wear and tear issues. Check for warped discs, tyre wear, especially at the front, and suspension bushes, which will either lead to vibrations or rattles from the

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