Aston Martin Dbs V8 (U65)

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Vehicle Description
If you know your Aston Martins, then you may be thinking, hold on, what are the boys at Cult Classics on about, Aston Martin never made a convertible in the early 70s. You would, of course be right, it was 1977 before they offered a convertible, in the shape of the V8 Volante.
So, what exactly do we have here? Well this is one of just a handful of DBS’s converted by Banham Conversions, a company well known for their cabriolet conversions on Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Daimler, Jaguar and Aston Martin cars.

The Car
Our Aston started life in 1971 as a Red DBS V8 with the ZF dog leg manual gearbox. It has had 7 previous keepers and is showing 75352 miles recorded. To say this car is rare, is an understatement, only 402 DBS V8s were made, of which only 70 were manuals, add to that the fact that it is believed Banham Conversions only converted 5 or 6 DBS’s, it is fair to say, you are highly unlikely to bump into another one!
The DBS V8 was a fast car, we don’t mean fast for a 70s classic, but proper fast!! The 5.3 V8 has Bosch fuel injection which helps it pump out 370BHP, enough power to propel it from a standstill to 60mph in in sub 6 seconds and then on to 170mph, that’s not a typo, this car was capable of 170mph! That’s pretty damn fast by todays standards, in 1971, it was jaw dropping stuff. It was, for a time, the fastest 4 seat car available, by some margin!

The History
As mentioned, our Aston started life as a Red DBS and passed between 7 lucky owners before being bought in 1989 by the gentleman who had the car converted into a cabriolet and repainted in British Racing Green He was so happy with it he kept it for the next 34 years. Oddly despite the huge amount of money that must have been spent on the conversion, the DBS was hardly used and spent most of its time in storage. In 2007 it had quite a bit of recommissioning work carried out and was again tucked up and hardly used. Fast forward to this year and the DBS finds its self coming out of hibernation and being treated to a new fabric hood and a full wheel refurbishment.

The Exterior
Now, the DBS has had a couple of refurbishments over the years and although from 10 paces back, it looks fantastic, the paintwork is not show standard. The paint does have a deep shine to it but under close inspection there are bits of overspray visible and some prep marks under the paint. The chrome work is pit and corrosion free but the bumpers are a bit wobbly. The hood and the wheels are immaculate and do set the car off beautifully.
Moving underneath, the DBS is very solid, with next to no signs of corrosion. There is evidence of previous rust repairs which are a bit agricultural in their appearance but they have all been executed to a good standard.

Interior
Inside the DBS, everything appears to be original and in very nice condition. The leather seats have that gently aged look which is lovely. The carpets are all clean and damage free, in fact the only damage we can see is small tear in the rear seat just above the pull down centre arm rest. The original radio/8 track player is still in place and all the chrome ringed Smiths instruments are present and correct, with only the rev counter not working. Our DBS has electric windows, which work fine and the convertible hood folds up and down nicely.

Mechanicals
Our inhouse mechanical team have inspected the DBS and replaced the spark plugs, fuel and air filters in order to improve the idle and running. It now starts on the first turn of the key and idles ok. We have done a 20 mile road test and it is remarkably powerful, though we did feel it wasn't quite giving us its all. We believe the engine would benefit from an overhaul for reliability purposes or if you were looking to rack some miles up in it. The wonderful dog leg manual is a joy to use and the clutch is smooth and progressive.

The Paperwork
There is quite a big file of paperwork with the car including the V5, lots of invoices for servicing work dating back to 1984, a photo album with lots of pictures of the car through the years, including some restoration progress photos and an HPi report.

Conclusion
If exclusivity is high up on your must haves when looking for a classic car, then this Banham converted DBS has to be near the top of your wish list.
Any DBS V8 manual is a rare car with extraordinary performance for its time and is a truly collectible and appreciating classic. Despite the cosmetic approach to the recomissioning not up to our standard, our DBS does present nicely and is very solid underneath. Just requires some finishing and a little mechancial appreciation.
Technical Details
Performance
Engine Size cc
Top Speed 160 mph
0-62mph 7.1 sec
Power 370 bhp
Dimensions
Height 1327 mm
Length 4585 mm
Width 1829 mm
Emissions & Performance
CO2 g/km
Combined 19.3 mpg
Extra Urban 22.2 mpg
Urban 11.5 mpg
Vehicle Performance
370
BHP
398
Torque
7.1
0-62
160
Top Speed
Running Costs
Fuel Economy*
Combined
19.3 mpg
Extra Urban
22.2 mpg
Urban
11.5 mpg
Vehicle Tax**
12 months
-
6 months
-
CO2
-
-
Insurance
Insurance Group
-
Fuel Type
Type
Petrol