Aston Martin.

[pmcgsmurf]

I heard a 69 plate Vantage recently and I was impressed by the sound of it.

Not sure if it was running a standard exhaust though.

Was it on it's own or on the back of a tow truck as it could have been the trucks engine?

Sorry, could not resist, I'll get my coat........

 

[Darrell]

Was it on it's own or on the back of a tow truck as it could have been the trucks engine?

Sorry, could not resist, I'll get my coat........

They are very good looking cars.
In all honesty, why have they got such a bad rap? They look good, they are fast and they have a Merc engine. What’s not to like?

 

[pmcgsmurf]

They are very good looking cars.
In all honesty, why have they got such a bad rap? They look good, they are fast and they have a Merc engine. What’s not to like?

I was pulling leg based on previous generations of AM's that got a bad crack (local guys DB was never out of garage).

I'd have a new Vantage in a heartbeat as they look great and the Merc V8 is an obvious draw.
Would first have to get rid of the wife, x kids, x grandkids, a few Imps and maybe stop drinking so much.

 

[C240Sport97]

Ferrari probably would have gone out of business if it was not purchased by Fiat. I don’t think any super car manufacturer is independent apart from AM.

Ferrari is now independent of, and worth much more than, Fiat.

 

[219]

A current luxury brand, and a non-Germanic dimension. Maybach struggled as a stand alone brand, I suspect Aston Martin branded cars engineered by Mercedes might do alright.

Weren’t they well enough funded under Ford ownership?

 

[219]

Well I would have to guess. RR seem to be mythical beasts post-BMW takeover.

When I was growing up I used to see quite a few new'ish RRs around the local area or when travelling.

I don't recall seeing ever a new'ish RR around anywhere outside London in the last few years.

You should take a run through Bothwell

 

[pmcgsmurf]

You should take a run through Bothwell

I right

 

[alabbasi]

I heard a 69 plate Vantage recently and I was impressed by the sound of it.

Not sure if it was running a standard exhaust though.

I don't know what a 69 plate is but my 2007 sounds glorious when I open it up.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Weren’t they well enough funded under Ford ownership?

Relatively speaking Aston Martin prospered under Ford ownership, it was probably the flagship of Ford's Premier Automotive Group (PAG). The ability to share platforms and technology across the other Ford brands was more limited than it is today with Mercedes, and so I suspect a much stronger fit. Ultimately Mercedes make cars which are very similar to those made by Aston Martin, which makes potential to share technologies and therefore costs more realistic.

 

[C240Sport97]

Relatively speaking Aston Martin prospered under Ford ownership, it was probably the flagship of Ford's Premier Automotive Group (PAG). The ability to share platforms and technology across the other Ford brands was more limited than it is today with Mercedes, and so I suspect a much stronger fit. Ultimately Mercedes make cars which are very similar to those made by Aston Martin, which makes potential to share technologies and therefore costs more realistic.

AM under Ford had its own bespoke platforms and engines, not used anywhere else in Ford empire. Volvo sat nav and switch gear made it into Astons.

Current AM uses MB engine and electronics which is more than what happened under Ford.

Trouble is, Aston is a rounding error in the big corporate MB picture.

 

[Will]

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Ford switchgear and keys etc in Aston Martins

 

[Deleted member 149005]

Wasn't the DB7 engine derived from the Mondeo version- or was it a Jaguar engine?

And the chassis a derivation from the old XJS from the 70s?

The indicators were from an MX5 and the tail lights from the Mazda 323. Oh and the mirrors from a Citroen CX.

The last DB7 I drove had a Ford Fiesta key....

Quite a mixed bag of components...

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Wasn't the DB7 engine derived from the Mondeo version- or was it a Jaguar engine?

And the chassis a derivation from the old XJS from the 70s?

The indicators were from an MX5 and the tail lights from the Mazda 323. Oh and the mirrors from a Citroen CX.

The last DB7 I drove had a Ford Fiesta key....

Quite a mixed bag of components...

The DB7 was developed off the back of an aborted Jaguar project, which was originally intended to be a successor to the XJS, and hence the use of components and sub-assemblies from Jaguar, Ford and connected companies like Mazda. Ford owned both Jaguar and Aston Martin, and was a major shareholder in Mazda, and so it's not as haphazard as it might first appear. Ford needed a new car quickly, to try and turn around Aston Martin's fortunes, and it did a blooming good job of it. It saved Aston Martin (again).

Low volume car manufacturers have to source what they can from other sources. The cost of designing, testing, and approving light unit is an expensive business which can be avoided, and many people don't notice or don't care. The people who object are usually people who are interested in cars but wouldn't actually buy that car. The DB7 is a great example, Mazda 323 lights did nothing to detract from the design, and 99% of people wouldn't know and would be surprised if they found out.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The DB7 was developed off the back of an aborted Jaguar project, which was originally intended to be a successor to the XJS, and hence the use of components and sub-assemblies from Jaguar, Ford and connected companies like Mazda. Ford owned both Jaguar and Aston Martin, and was a major shareholder in Mazda, and so it's not as haphazard as it might first appear. Ford needed a new car quickly, to try and turn around Aston Martin's fortunes, and it did a blooming good job of it. It saved Aston Martin (again).

Low volume car manufacturers have to source what they can from other sources. The cost of designing, testing, and approving light unit is an expensive business which can be avoided, and many people don't notice or don't care. The people who object are usually people who are interested in cars but wouldn't actually buy that car. The DB7 is a great example, Mazda 323 lights did nothing to detract from the design, and 99% of people wouldn't know and would be surprised if they found out.

The wing mirrors from the Citroen CX were used on all sorts of low-volume cars!

 

[Deleted member 149005]

The DB7 was developed off the back of an aborted Jaguar project, which was originally intended to be a successor to the XJS, and hence the use of components and sub-assemblies from Jaguar, Ford and connected companies like Mazda. Ford owned both Jaguar and Aston Martin, and was a major shareholder in Mazda, and so it's not as haphazard as it might first appear. Ford needed a new car quickly, to try and turn around Aston Martin's fortunes, and it did a blooming good job of it. It saved Aston Martin (again).

Low volume car manufacturers have to source what they can from other sources. The cost of designing, testing, and approving light unit is an expensive business which can be avoided, and many people don't notice or don't care. The people who object are usually people who are interested in cars but wouldn't actually buy that car. The DB7 is a great example, Mazda 323 lights did nothing to detract from the design, and 99% of people wouldn't know and would be surprised if they found out.

True - I was responding to another comment that "AM under Ford had its own bespoke platforms and engines, not used anywhere else in Ford empire"

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

True - I was responding to another comment that "AM under Ford had its own bespoke platforms and engines, not used anywhere else in Ford empire"

Agreed, a large proportion of the car came from other parts of the Ford empire, whether from the parent (Ford), siblings (Jaguar), or step-siblings (Mazda).

Back then the benefit of sharing was very limited as there weren't really any other brands in the Ford family (apart from Jaguar) which could share technology, certainly not modern technology. Back then even Jaguar was in desperate need of investment, so the stuff they could share was old, but perhaps in better shape than Aston Martin (in relative terms).

 

[John]

I don't know what a 69 plate is but my 2007 sounds glorious when I open it up.

Our current number plate system runs March > August as the year it is, so 20 this year, and then +50 for the second half of the car-year registrations September > February, which will be 70.

So a "69 plate" is September 2019 > February 2020 - like this one:

 

[alabbasi]

Our current number plate system runs March > August as the year it is, so 20 this year, and then +50 for the second half of the car-year registrations September > February, which will be 70.

So a "69 plate" is September 2019 > February 2020 - like this one:

I understand. No mine's a Ford, not a Mercedes. But it still sounds great.

 

[219]

I understand. No mine's a Ford, not a Mercedes. But it still sounds great.

Although I’m sure yours has an Aston engine , Ford have made some great V8s in their time , and I’m mildly surprised AM never got a big block Ford engine .

 

[alabbasi]

Although I’m sure yours has an Aston engine , Ford have made some great V8s in their time , and I’m mildly surprised AM never got a big block Ford engine .

I believe the engine design used in the V8 was based on the same engines used in Jaguar and For (in the Lincoln LS and Thunderbird). I heard that the V12 ASTON engines were basically two Ford V6's joined together.

Ford made some amazing big block engines, but I'm partial to the exotics with the Chrysler Engines