Aston Martin V8 - World Of Classic Cars -

Aston Martin V8 Series II Coupé 1973

The six cylinder William Towns styled DBS had been around for a couple of years, but customers were anxiously awaiting the new V8 engine. Raced in 1967 in a Lola, the 5.1 V8 needed three years of development to turn it into a powerful and reliable road engine of 5.3 litres. It was in April 1970 that the DBS V8 was finally made available, immediately making it one of the fastest cars in the world. With space for four people in luxury, it was a true Grand Tourer. From April 1972, the DBS V8 received a restyle and a new name. The 'DB' was dropped as David Brown had sold the company and the car became known simply as the 'Aston Martin V8'. The most visible change was the adoption of two seven inch quartz iodine headlamps and black mesh grill, the design of which was the work of the original designer, William Towns, to bring back the familiar shape of the DB3S and DB Mk. III. In August 1973, a new Aston Martin V8 was unveiled. The V8 became known as the AM V8. Visual differences included twin quartz headlights and a mesh grill, a front design which was to last until the end of production in 1989 and used a similar engine to the DBS V8 with just 288 Series II cars built.