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.
It could have ended up in the crusher when its work as a development hack was over, but this early XE SV Project 8 prototype was saved by Jaguar Heritage and we’ve taken it for a scary spin.
With a longer body, faired-in headlights and distinctive shape, the DB4 Series V Vantage was a precursor to the all-conquering DB5. Yet the car was more than just a trial and is an important and highly desirable model in its own right. We drive a rare example to explain why.
As supercharged grand tourers, not only are the Aston Martin DB7 and Jaguar XKR similar in concept but, due to their joint Ford parentage, they share much below the surface. The pair even arrived around the same time, too. We get an early example of each side-by-side to look at these similarities as well as their many differences.