Wonderful job Steve! As an original DB7 buyer and still owner (1998 i6 Coupe), thank you so much for memorializing this on film! Being a US buyer, I never had the pleasure of visiting the Bloxham factory so thank you for bringing it to life for me now.
Congratulations on the car! Do you have a manual or an auto? I've been hunting for an early DB7 stateside (97-98), but they seem rather tough to find (let alone to find a sorted one that's been well-maintained). How has it been?
@@flyingphoenix113 My i6 Coupe has a manual 5-speed transmission. To me, that is the only gearbox to have on an i6 since the car gets it's power from the Eaton Supercharger which requires revs to deliver that power. With an automatic transmission, the gearbox keeps shifting on you, lowering the revs and making the nearly 2-ton car a bit of a slug in anything but high speed highway driving. But with the manual, you can always find the right gear to keep the engine delivering satisfying power in all situations. As such, it's a very engaging drive with a manual gearbox, as you really feel connected to the car, working with it to get maximum performance at all times. The ownership experience has been wonderful. Relatively few mechanical issues over my 20+ years with it. I keep up to date on all service with an outstanding Aston Martin certified mechanic, and drive the car mainly on nice sunny days, so it admittedly has lived a pampered life. Finding a good, used i6 DB7 will be increasingly challenging, as many have sadly not been well maintained. And if your sights are set on a manual gearbox, it's going to be even harder. Only 45 5-speed coupes were ever imported to North America, and only 80 5-speed Volantes. That's only about 26% of the 478 total (Coupes & Volantes) that were brought to this side of the pond. Good luck. You might contact Steve Serio at Aston Martin New England. He knows lots of people and cars in the Aston world and might be willing to keep an eye out for you.
@@andrewphillips8573, oh my goodness! Thank you so much for the information! I am indeed looking for a manual i6 model (specifically a coupe), and I've even entertained swapping a manual into a better-maintained auto model since the market prospects are so rare/grim. Since you've had yours since new, have you ever heard of/seen any of the US models being fitted with the upgraded performance pack? Be it that I have a habit of track days (and that I live in the South), I know that an upgraded intercooler would be on top of my "to-do" list.
Now that prices have risen, and the '02 Vantage manual convertible [basketcase] I fancied got away, this short and informative recollection lends valuable context to my low mileage '01 XK8 vert which I curate. Close enough by many measures; well, sort of... Thanks to all involved creating this delightful historical insight.
Thank you so much for adding even more soul to my very treasured 2000 DB7 Vantage. Still used regularly and still smells like it had just come out of the showroom. It shares a garage with an equally cared for E-Type jag. Both in BRG. Arguably two of the most stunning looking cars ever created. Neither steals the thunder from the other.
Many thanks to AMHT and Steve for this very interesting and brillant vidéo 😃😃 Very glad to see the very place where my pride and joy was built and came to life ✌🏻✌🏻👌🏻 Thanks again !!
An interesting bit of history of the Aston Martin story. I well remember being interviewed by Bob Dover at Newport Pagnell for the job of Sales Director back in the day. I didn't get that one and so carried on at BMW for some years afterwards. And now? At 66 years old I've just taken delivery of a V8 Vantage 4.3 Roadster - my third Aston and the best yet.
Love this video!! I always wonder if one of the 5 DB7 i6s I've owned is somewhere in the video. :) :) My favorite car ever!!! The i6 coupe is very underrated. :)
I worked at Bloxham July - December 1994 when the first cars were being built. It was a bit 'work in progress' at that time - the composite boot lids didn't fit properly at first and had to be fettled plus the usual new car niggles. The DB7 was basically an XJS and iirc there were some ex Jaguar assembly staff there plus some fairly disagreeable Ford and TWR folk. The only Top Brass guy I liked was Nick Fry who could be found on the shop floor helping out when the chips were down - not bad for a managing director.
The db7 is quite the parts car, the chassis and drivetrain are jaguar xjs, the body is from the cancelled F type and the tail lights, indicator stalks and exterior door handles being from mazda, wing mirrors from the Citroen CX with of course various Ford parts scattered throughout
OK. There is something good about that. So some people talk about the traditional AMs, those built before or in Newport Pagnell, and the "new age" AMs built in Bloxham or later. Can the dividing line be drawn with Ford? Or with the last hand-built Vanquish? To each his own ...
