Despite the V8 Vantage and DB9 having much in common – including age, performance and current values – with one a pure sports car and the other more of a comfortable GT, they’re also very different. To discover which we prefer, we’re comparing an example of each.
When the then Prince of Wales ordered a standard-looking Aston Martin V8 Volante but with a Vantage engine, 22 customers ordered similar cars, creating a now mythical series. We track down a rare example to explain the history and significance of the V8 Volante PoW.
By being based on a 1966 DB6 but converted in the Nineties, this modern interpretation of a DBR2 is as close to the real thing as a re-creation can get. We look at the car’s background before experiencing the formidable machine for ourselves.
Which do we prefer out of this still popular pair of Nineties coupes – the traditional Aston Martin DB7 or the more modern BMW 840Ci E31? There’s only one way for us to find out…
The final update of the DB2 series, the DB Mk III from 1957, was the first production Aston Martin to feature the now familiar shape of radiator grille making it an important model in the company’s past. We look at the car’s development, explaining why it’s more than just a grille before driving a beautiful example.
Not only was this 1961 E-Type the first open-two-seater to feature factory seat belt mountings but it was later transformed into an evocation of the rare Lightweight model.
Jaguar never produced a MkVII drophead coupe but that hasn’t stopped enthusiast John Lucas from creating a model that could have easily have been penned by Lyons’ own hand.
If you’re not a slave to originality, the Series 3 E-Type has massive potential. We sample one man’s vision of a sharper V12 with input from some famous Jaguar names.
This 1956 XK 140’s first owner kept the car for six decades and also restored it over a 19-year period resulting in the perfectly presented example seen here.
Although Jaguar had stopped offering the XJ-S with a manual gearbox in 1978, two were produced in the early Eighties which also had the Lucas P-Digital injection. We’ve tracked down what’s thought to be the sole survivor.
