The Crittenden Automotive Library

Aston Martin - every model explained

Topics: Aston Martin

Aston Martin - every model explained

Matt Hubbard
Speedmonkey
November 15, 2012

One-77

V12 Zagato

Vanquish

DBS Coupe

DBS Volante

Rapide

DB9 Coupe

DB9 Volante

V12 Vantage Coupe

V12 Vantage Roadster (flipped for same perspective)

V8 Vantage S Coupe

V8 Vantage S Roadster

V8 Vantage Coupe

V8 Vantage Roadster

Cygnet

Aston Martin currently professes to sell 15 different cars. They are (deep breath) One-77, V12 Zagato, Vanquish, DBS Coupe, DBS Volante, Rapide, DB9 coupe, DB9 Volante, V12 Vantage Coupe, V12 Vantage Roadster, V8 Vantage S Coupe, V8 Vantage S Roadster, V8 Vantage Coupe, V8 Vantage Roadster and Cygnet.

That's a lot of different models from a manufacturer who produces 4,000 cars a year. Aston Martin claim to make cars that look uniquely Aston Martin. That, with the badges removed, could only be Aston Martins. The problem is, it could be said, they have gone so far down the route of making an absolutely identifiable car that all modern Aston Martins look the same.

Or do they? We'll try and unpeel the same/different skins and try and make some sense of Aston Martin's current range.

From that long list we need to extract basic model types. Lets start with the two bespoke models - V12 Zagato and One-77. Both are expensive and available only in limited quantities.

The One-77 is limited to a production run of 77 and costs £1,200,000. It has a 7.3 litre V12 engine which produces 750bhp - and all without the use of turbo or superchargers.

The V12 Zagato is basically a V12 Vantage in fancy Italian dress. It costs £400,000 and 150 are being made - or rather it cost £400,000 and all 150 have been sold. They're all gone and will be secreted away in dust free environments where their owners will cherish them and drive 100 miles a year in them.

Now we move on to the mainstream Aston Martin model line up which cost mere hundreds of thousands of pounds, euros or dollars and which you can trot down to your friendly dealer and purchase safe in the knowledge that they are not all sold out.

The Vanquish has a 5.9 litre V12 and costs £190,000. It is a new car and based on the DBS coupe. The Vanquish is Aston Martin's flagship car - the company describes it as a luxury sports car.

The DBS is available either as a Coupe or Volante, which is Italian for 'flying'. In this context Volante means it's a convertible. The DBS is a sports GT version of the DB9 and was the flagship car until the Vanquish arrived. It uses the same V12 engine as in the Vanquish and costs between £180,000 and £196,000. The DBS is being phased out due to the arrival of the Vanquish. James Bond used a DBS in Casino Royale.

The Rapide is easily identifiable from it's lookalike siblings in that it is a four door saloon. But one that is still instantly identifiable as an Aston Martin. The Rapide is fitted with a 5.9 litre V12 that produces 470bhp. It costs between £150,000 and £163,000.

The DB9, in Coupe or Volante guises is basically a 2 door coupe that sits slap bang in the middle of the Aston Martin range. It's been recently revised. The engine is the 5.9 litre V12 with 517bhp and it costs £132,000 in Coupe and £142,000 in Volante form.

The Vantage models are a little more troublesome purely because there are so many of them. They come in 4.7 litre V8 and 5.9 litre V12 configurations, in Coupe and Roadster forms. There is also the V8 Vantage S, which is a standard V8 Vantage (Coupe or Roadster) with an extra 10bhp and costing an extra £10,000. The whole Vantage range spans from £85,000 for the V8 Vantage Coupe to £150,000 for the V12 Vantage Roadster. The following images should help unravel matters somewhat.

Finally we come to the runt of the litter - the Cygnet. Basically a Toyota IQ with 1.3 litre engine and costing £31,000