Lot 136: 1972 Aston Martin V8 Saloon

Aston Martin had always planned that the DBS of 1967 would be powered by its new V8 engine, first seen in 5.0 litre form in the Lola-Aston Martin sports racing cars. Production problems, however, intervened and the DBS used the 4.0 litre, twin overhead camshaft straight six of the concurrently produced DB6. It was not until September 1967 that the DBS V8 was finally announced, production commencing the following April. With its platform chassis and independent suspension - coil spring/wishbone front, de Dion tube rear with Watt linkage and twin radius arms - the fine handling DBS was a perfect home for Tadek Marek's all-alloy V8. Boasting four overhead camshafts and Bosch electronic fuel injection, the 5,340cc V8 produced an impressive 320bhp at 5,000rpm and 360lb.ft; the resultant 160mph plus performance was nothing short of staggering in 1970. After David Brown sold Aston Martin in February 1972 the DBS V8 was replaced by the Series 2 model, now simply called the Aston Martin V8. Gone were the four headlamps and slatted grille, in their place a black mesh grille flanked by single headlamps; mechanical changes were limited to electronic ignition and standard air conditioning. August 1973 saw the Series 3 arrive with quadruple Weber carburettors, larger bonnet bulge, improved seats and central locking; power rose to 304bhp in June 1977. With just four owners recorded and 44,000 miles on the clock, this fine example has been under the meticulous eye of Rikki Cann, Aston Martin Specialists in Essex for the last year and a half, up tothe beginning of this year when the formidable RS Williams took over. Over 20,000 has been spent on a top end engine rebuild as well as an unleaded conversion. Other modifications include the addition of a high performance radiator and a rebuilt differential. A large file of works undertaken accompanies this car, as you would expect and vital service history is up to date.