THE KEY TO SUCCESS? The Gaydon company introduced the novel way of accessing and starting its cars for the launch of the new DBS in autumn 2007. I remember the day well and commented then that the “chunky metal and polished-sapphire lozenge [was] more akin to a luxury sporting watch than a humble ‘key’.” Since than it has enthralled and infuriated in equal measure; although my impressions that its name sounded “a little camp” never made it into the mainstream. The ECU later found its way to the DB9 in March 2008 for the 2009 model year. Two months later, Aston announced the V8 Vantage 4.7 and this, too, carried the now- standard centre console, with a slippery starting device and a snazzy new fascia. From then on, all new cars, including the Gaydon Vanquish up to the introduction of the now keyless-start DB11 were fired up by a shiny ECU. In between, it’s that familiar story of chipped ECUs dropped on concrete, errant ECUs boinging out of the dash and disappearing under a seat, and ‘where did I leave it?’ ECUs that cannot be attached to a key ring in a normal way, requiring a dinky leather holder akin to a mobile phone case. But let’s start at the beginning. Having gained access to company briefing documents, ASTON can reveal that the ECU was part and parcel of the yet-to-be-launched DBS’s ‘Tough Guy in a Dinner Suit’ persona. The design team had looked at “DB9's shortcomings” and concluded that “one of our weakest components on current cars is the centre stack, and we had the chance to improve things on the DBS\". Their inspiration? “Not other vehicles, but other products.” The presentation then showed, in sequence: diamond and platinum rings; stainless steel; a cut diamond (we think we know what they were getting at now…) and a sporting watch from then-brand partner Jaeger-LeCoultre. The ECU is actually made from a stainless- 51
ASTON 21 steel core with polycarbonate sides. The “The concept gave the could order another sapphire one (at buttons and head are synthetic sapphire. engineers at Gaydon many great expense) should they wish. After diamond, sapphire is the second months of head-scratching hardest substance known to man. to turn the dream into The concept gave the engineers reality. The ECU key had at Gaydon many months of head- The way it works is that you slip it to be tough enough for scratching to turn the dream into into the ‘lock’ (actually a ‘docking everyday use. It also had reality. The ECU key had to be tough station’, in Aston-speak) mid-dash, to be reliable” enough for everyday use. It also had to press it in all of the way with — on be reliable — the company obviously manual cars — your foot completely 52 did not want its hard-won customers depressing the clutch. The entire unit locked out of their new pride and joy glows red. Pressing the button starts the — and secure. With criminals coming engine, the ECU is locked in place and up with all sorts of ways to steal cars, the the unit returns to white illumination. key’s security features were paramount. Stopping the engine is a simple matter It acted as the means to physically of pressing the button again, the ECU unlock the car, disable the immobiliser then rises for removal. A spare was and start and stop it — a hard ask. provided in plastic, although customers But for all its frustrations, the ECU ‘worked’ both in the literal sense and also as a means of creating a genuinely individual ‘key’, if you like, component of a super-luxury car. In brand marketing-speak, it was ‘emotion’, ‘excitement’, ‘enchantment’ and ‘discovery’ — all in a small shiny clear lozenge that fitted neatly in the palm of a hand. It certainly got people talking and has, to our knowledge, not been repeated in the same way elsewhere in the automotive world — like the modern-day cars from Gaydon that featured it.
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ASTON 21 IN THE BEGINNING: THE ORIGINS OF ASTON MARTIN’S V12 BY ANTHONY MUSCI, PRODUCT DESIGN ENGINEER, FORD MOTOR COMPANY 1991 TO 1997 The first V12 DB7. The car was an I6 fitted with the V12 and Borg Warner (now Tremec) T56. Vantage improvements were not fitted to this chassis Over the years I have read a lot in the media, seen many TV features and heard much said about the background story of the Aston Martin V12. None of these accounts even comes fairly close to a historically accurate one. There are many reasons for this: the large number of seemingly conflicting pieces of information in circulation, the secrecy of the project at the time — even internally at Ford — and the many Ford-related V12 concept cars from that era. All could cause confusion, particularly to those lacking insider knowledge and an understanding of what’s needed to bring a new V12 from concept to a solidly engineered and practical design. 54
IN THE BEGINNING: THE ORIGINS OF ASTON MARTIN’S V12 The original 'Three Guys' (Bernard Ibrahim, second left, the author in striped shirt and Don Nowland, fourth left) with Chris Zucker, Luis Cattani and John Hahn, without whom we wouldn't have been able to accomplish what we did W hilst by no means a complete Town Car with a specially modified Powertrain) was looking once again at account (that would take at Ford automatic four-speed. A number a compact, world-class Ford V12. This least an entire book) this is an overview of years later, one of these engines was time he considered the soon-to-be- of how the AML V12 really came modified and used in the Ford GT90 released 2.5-liter, all-aluminium, four- about… show car presented on the 1995 show valve, 60deg DOHC V6 as its basis. In circuit, which we will return to later. production, it would be known as the I had the pleasure and privilege of Duratec V6 and debut in the Mondeo starting the Aston Martin V12 engine As luck would have it, prior to my (Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique programme as a young engineer at the graduation with a degree in Mechanical in North America). At first a 2.4, beginning of my career. I did not know and Aerospace Engineering in spring Porsche led the Duratec’s initial design where it might take me, but I had a 1991, FOMOCO offered me a full- and development. It was a compact, sense that it could be, if well executed, time position. Late summer that year I light and state-of-the-art unit the revival of a famous brand. It wasn’t started at Ford as an employee, joining combining high power with excellent just me, of course, there was an Ford’s FCG (Ford College Graduate) durability. Unsurprisingly, it influenced indispensable team within Ford Motor Programme, a fantastic opportunity the Stuttgart company when it Company (FOMOCO), Aston Martin, for a young engineer that gave new designed the first water-cooled flat-six Jaguar, parts and software suppliers etc, graduates the opportunity to rotate for the 1996 Boxster. without whom the V12 programme around the company for two years. I would never have come to be. But that’s worked in factories, test facilities, To meet Clarke’s request for a ‘quick getting too far ahead. component design, systems design, study’ on the possibilities, ECS Roush product planning etc, all of which gave (Roush Industries today) was tasked to Arguably, the origins of the late- me exposure to many aspects of the quickly put together an ‘external 1990s production Aston Martin V12 business. Further, it grew my network package study’ engine. At ECS Roush, can be traced back years earlier to an throughout the company and quickly Jerry Wagner contributed in making experimental V12 from Ford Advanced proved its worth. the first V12 concept engine by Powertrain. It was summer 1990 and welding three sections of Ford's new my second year working as an intern During 1992, Jim Clarke (Chief 2.5-liter Duratec V6s together. It was at FOMOCO in Dearborn, this Engineer of Ford Advanced time at Ford Advanced Powertrain Engineering. I was shown a running 90deg, 5,927cc V12 prototype created by precision-welding together sections of blocks and heads from two development Ford 4.0-liter Modular V8s (The 4.0-liter was expanded in early development and launched as the 4.6-liter V8). It was testing the waters for a Ford V12. Several were built and the first was installed in a Lincoln 55
ASTON 21 LOOKING BACK… simply to provide the package space required for a V12, not I am often asked, what is my proudest achievement to be a running engine. Clarke obviously liked the idea and from working on the Aston Martin V12? As a young had some of his team at Advanced Powertrain transform the engineer looking forward, a few things immediately engine from the package study Roush had done to a show- come to mind: challenging Ferrari, winning at the quality concept engine, still by no means functional. Le Mans 24 Hours or restoring Aston Martin to a prominent position on the world stage. All were Aston Martin launched the DB7 at the 1993 Geneva wonderful things to be a part of, particularly since one Motor Show and it was also decided to showcase a concept. of my childhood heroes, Carroll Shelby (who I had the That was the Aston Martin Lagonda Vignale, and Clarke’s honour of meeting a number of times), had a big role in study was shown alongside it. Moray Callum designed the achieving similar successes with the British company. Vignale while at Ghia; his brother Ian penned the DB7. That show engine was actually 5,088cc, but since it was two But with experience and hindsight you understand that Duratecs most (incorrectly) thought of it as a ‘5.0-liter V12’. your original goals may not be the most important. In fact, I didn’t recognise the real high point until many A close look at this unit reveals a few peculiarities. The years after the event. We had just installed the V12 in FEAD (Front End Accessory Drive) had an alternator, the first DB7 Vantage prototype earlier in the week and hydraulic power-steering pump and an A/C compressor — everyone knew we had a winning product on our hands. exactly identical to the 2.5-liter V6 first-generation Mondeo. One of the AML workers commented to me that he had What this V12 didn’t have was a water pump. Incredibly, been at AML a long time and the whole Aston Martin nobody noticed! In the Mondeo the water pump was driven ‘family’ had been through uncertain times. But with the by a small belt off the back of an overhead intake camshaft. new V12 it was suddenly fun to come to work again. For the V12 display engine it was simply eliminated. What was noticed by many in the press was that the display engine I knew exactly that, for the first time in a long time, he never had its weld lines fully hidden. This started the rumour could see a stronger future. It was only looking back, that the production engine is ‘just two welded-together V6s’. years later, that I realised that being part of helping so There are many technical reasons why that approach would many people at AML have a bright future once again never work very successfully if creating a V12 from two is by far my proudest achievement of the entire V12 60-degree V6s. programme. The Vignale was based on the Lincoln Town Car, a Anthony Musci, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA relatively simple transition to make a concept since the October 2019 original was body-on-frame that could be removed to reveal a fully functional rolling chassis with powertrain. Two were I was a full-time member of Ford Advanced Powertrain made and utilised the donor car’s 4.6-liter two-valve V8 and Engineering in Allen Park, Michigan. One of my first four-speed auto. Selected members of the press were assignments was to take the architecture of the Duratec V6 permitted to drive the Vignale, but access to the engine bay and see just how light we could make a small run of test was restricted as the hood (bonnet) pull was disconnected. engines, including one for display on the 1994 show circuit, No one could notice its lack of V12. A third, fully functioning from a whole range of advanced materials. Dow Chemical car was later handbuilt at Newport Pagnell. had just developed a new magnesium alloy (ZC63-T6, or just ZC63) that really drove the idea, so working closely On the 1993 international motor show circuit, both six- with the Ford Advanced casting team I designed a 2.0-liter cylinder DB7 and V12 Vignale generated considerable version with cylinder block, heads and cylinder-block attention for AML. The original 1993 press release stated: bedplate all cast in ZC63 by specialist Eck Industries. With “Drawing on the worldwide resources of the Ford Motor the 2.0-liter magnesium V6 engine prototypes made, I Company, Aston Martin engineers have identified an needed to get a cutaway of the engine and I had the good advanced concept for a V12 engine which could be developed fortune of finding Al English of Cutaway Services, who put for the Lagonda Vignale”. With just the display-only show unit, Clarke was determined to take matters to the next step. Towards the end of 1993, FCG rotation programme over, 56
IN THE BEGINNING: THE ORIGINS OF ASTON MARTIN’S V12 together a great version for the motor \"Since I was young and The memo to Jim Clarke show circuit that year. stupid, I saw no possible that started it all issues with writing a memo Meanwhile, there was still the 90deg directly to the chief engineer I had seen Jim Clarke V12 for the Lincoln Town Car based (several levels above my boss) before but when I walked on the 4.0-lite model, now 4.6-litre of Ford Advanced Powertrain into his office in January V8 family, under development. Even Engineering. I also had 1994 that was really my first though it was fundamentally balanced, my then boss, Bob Natkin, time meeting him in person. it was an ‘odd-fire’ engine with a sign the memo as I routinely “Who the hell are you?” he common pin crank design. It was wide had Bob sign documents for asked. I promptly explained — remember, we had not yet launched me in the course of normal that I had seen the prototype the compact 60deg V6. Although Ford business. \" V12 hardware at EMDO and wanted was still deliberately short on details of to bring a few critical issues to his the 1993 show circuit V12, we knew comes to me and says, quite surprised, attention. Much later, I realised what the new Duratec had many desirable “Jim Clarke wants to see you and me Jim saw before him was a young and characteristics upon which to base a in his office tomorrow”. I replied that I highly motivated junior engineer who new V12. was sure it must be about the memo. was one of the few people that would What memo? The one I wrote, and tell him, unvarnished, exactly what he At the same time, work was had you sign! Bob just about had a was thinking — not what he thought continuing on Jim Clarke’s V12 at heart attack when I showed him a the big boss wanted to hear! I presented Ford’s EMDO (Engine Manufacturing copy, and I realised that he never read an alternative plan that would create Development Operations) facility at through in detail what I had him sign. an all-new V12 unique for Aston Allen Park, Michigan. I had only just Martin Lagonda, but still allow us to recently readied the show-circuit leverage a lot from the company 2.0-liter magnesium cutaway and was showcasing the best of Ford in AML wandering through EMDO to see products. By the end of that meeting what new engines were being worked Jim gave me the green light to see what on. I came across a V12 being prepared I could come up with. for Clarke that this time used two of I believe that was the day that the the in-development 3.4-liter SHO AML V12 was truly born as I set out on (Super High Output) Ford/Yamaha a new direction for a V12 that would be JTT (Joint Technology Team) V8s. I the basis for a new era at AML. was very familiar with this powertrain, The first reaction from my boss Bob as I had completed one of my earlier once we left Jim’s office was that he FCG rotations with the JTT and knew didn’t want this to take too much of this approach was not going to work my time. I thought to myself, “Is he very well, so wrote an internal memo joking? This is going to be a lot of directly to Jim Clarke. work”. But I let it go and quickly formed a good rapport with Clarke Since I was young and stupid, I saw no possible issues with writing a memo directly to the chief engineer (several levels above my boss) of Ford Advanced Powertrain Engineering. I also had my then boss, Bob Natkin, sign the memo as I routinely had Bob sign documents for me in the course of normal business. About a week later, Natkin 57
ASTON 21 who was always looking for progress. I put a rough plan and gaining momentum, we needed to grow the team so together that called for an all-new block, cylinder head and quickly added young engineers Don Nowland and Bernard crankshaft designs using the piston assemblies and valvetrain Ibrahim. All three of us were in our early twenties and saw components from the upcoming V6 Duratec family. I also this as a fantastic opportunity to use our engineering skills. quickly proposed shifting the base V12 from using 2.5-liter We’d already all participated in the Formula SAE (in Europe, components to the 3.0-liter that was to debut later. They Formula Student) racing design competition, which quickly both had the same 79.5mm stroke but differed in bore gave us the opportunity to build up a great rapport. (82.4mm vs. 89.0mm). I knew the increased displacement would be more appropriate, especially for the large Vignale. We quickly split up the general (but often shared) responsibilities as follows: It is important to understand this was not an official programme in any sense at FOMOCO. My personal goal • Don Nowland: cylinder heads, ports, chambers, intake every single day was to not get the programme cancelled by manifolds, throttles, valvetrain and cams. the end of it. In the first few weeks I was able to go back to Clarke and request additional CAD (Computer Aided • Bernard Ibrahim: Throttles, exhaust manifolds, front end Design) personnel to speed the process along. Seeing enough accessory drive, front cover and electronic controls progress, he quickly agreed. At this point, I had all the engineering for this new, still-unofficial engine as my • Anthony Musci: Cylinder block, oil system (and pump), responsibility, but as it was quickly becoming a serious effort cooling system (and pump), pistons, rods, crankshaft and electronic controls. Cylinder block No.1. Due to time, the this was done on an open setup. CNC-machined parts had to wait until later 58
IN THE BEGINNING: THE ORIGINS OF ASTON MARTIN’S V12 Often there was overlap, such as in the The author with engine No. 1, for This would require significant cooling system, where we all had a Indigo. No. 2 — for first DB7 — is design features. hand at some point in aspects of the visible in the rear 3) Industry-leading in under-hood design. Each of us were fully familiar (bonnet) design. We would not with all of the details of the entire It was an interesting time to be cover the engine with ‘junk’ but engine and considered it our working on such an engine project. make sure every part was functional responsibility to be so in order to At Ford Motor Company our team and looked great for the long-term. create a world-class engine. had complete access to the data and 4) Redefining what a V12 could be: designs for the Duratec family, which very high torque from low rpm, as By April 1994 we could reveal more already had bespoke versions well as high-revving power. of the planned engine details, as the engineered by Porsche, Yamaha, Ford 5) Making sure this unit was well Lagonda Vignale and V12 show engine of North America, Ford of Europe and designed to not only perform in were garnering a lot of attention, whilst Jaguar. We endeavoured to make a the car, but be really well-thought- the V6 Mondeo was about to launch. I unique V12 for AML, whilst leveraging out for high quality and great wrote much of the engine-related many of Ford’s best resources. value. If we could help AML be words for a more detailed press release independently profitable, there that described the 60deg V12’s Although not explicitly written out would be funds available for a solid attributes and capacity — now at the time, we developed guidelines future. officially a 6.0-liter — more in depth. for the new V12 that we stuck by: 6) Designing the engine to deal well 1) Only use a component from another with long-term storage and future At the invitation of Jim Clarke, in rebuilds. After all, this was planned mid 1994 John Oldfield and Nick Fry programme when it made sense and as a collector’s car. came to visit Advanced Powertrain and not compromise the design. our new small team to review the 2) Version 1.0 (DB7 Vantage) would progress on the rapidly progressing just be a starting point — the engine V12 being proposed for AML. There would be set up for lots of future were no new engines installed and power-growth potential, well running, however, we arranged a host beyond a ‘normal duty’ Ford engine. of high-performance vehicles (Ferrari, Viper, Mustang, Corvette and Porsche) 59 to evaluate. We also had one of the earlier design, 90deg V12 Lincolns. There then followed detailed discussions on what we could really do to bring AML back in a big way. Publicly, the DB7 was having a strong positive response and deliveries were set for later that year. But the inline six was felt not to have the legs to sustain it in the long term. Ferrari was an obvious target, but fellow Ford family brand Jaguar had the new XK8 and a powerful supercharged XKR waiting in the wings. Both would be a problem for Aston Martin, so it was decided the first application for the new 60deg V12 would be in a DB7 Vantage.
ASTON 21 There was one other closely held secret \"From the start, Howell, MI. We invited both design condition. It was secret because the V12 would be companies in for a detailed discussion management would not want us to designed to compete for bidding on being the low-volume ‘overdesign’ the V12. The truth is, with at the Le Mans 24 assembly site of a Ford-designed new clever engineering, planning for Hours. Of course, the AML V12. significant power increases adds very rules could change little weight and cost if you know what from when we started Uni Boring was first up, and you are doing and if it is done up front. the design, but in although a relative unknown we found principle the engine their team really convincing; we liked 7) From the start, the V12 would be was designed from the ‘can do’ approach backed up by a designed to compete at the Le Mans day one to be ready thorough in-person review of their 24 Hours. Of course, the rules could for racing. We knew if team and facilities. Cosworth was the change from when we started the we did a good job the logical choice, especially given their design, but in principle the engine desire to take it racing deep relationship with Ford over many was designed from day one to be would come.\" years. Our discussions with Cosworth ready for racing. We knew if we did merit a separate article but, in short — a good job the desire to take it racing an all-new engine for a fraction of leaving out individual names — their would come. We also knew that what was thought possible and that representative’s attitude was: Ford had a little bit of a tradition allowed us to proceed with Jim’s challenging Ferrari on the street and blessing to do this programme ‘under “Look boys, this is how it is going to on the track! the radar’. work: Ford is too stupid to be able to design a good V12 for AML. Instead, The team was growing, and we We soon needed to involve third you will give me a big bag of money added Scott Deronne to handle parties for the sourcing of parts, off- and go away for about two years. At the material (parts) control and tracking. site development and small-run end of that time Cosworth will come One thing we still were not was manufacturing — tricky, as we had no back with a shiny new V12 for you. We ‘officially sanctioned’. We were going official programme and suppliers were will design it, we will make it, and Ford to have to run things differently unsure they were going to see their will pay for it all. It is that simple…” because of that, for example the costs participation rewarded by business in to tool the new unit came out of Jim the future. But we convinced a We made it quite clear that Ford Clarke’s Advanced Powertrain dedicated group to give us a shot, was strictly looking for an assembly Engineering research budget, not as a starting with finding an assembly site partner and that was it. When sanctioned programme. suitable for a low-volume engine, Cosworth’s proposal came in it something not possible in-house at purposely intertwined the design and We realised one very important the time, though we did try. Two manufacturing proposals so tightly as a thing had changed that just might candidates were in the frame: single proposal that you could not get a make this all possible. In the early Cosworth, the leading contender, and number out of it that included only the 1990s technologies such as CAD long-shot outsider Uni Boring Inc. of manufacturing. What the Cosworth (Computer Aided Design), CAM representative did not understand (or (Computer Aided Manufacturing), seemingly want to) was that even if we CNC (Computer Numerical Control) wanted to give them a ‘big bag of machine tools, computer simulation, money’ it just was not there. We were rapid prototyping, etc. had come of ‘overhead’ in Jim’s organisation; part of age. This part of the AML V12’s his research budget. All he had to do history is a story all on its own. We — and even that part was a stretch — were able to use these tools to design was start funding the V12 part by part. We threw out the Cosworth proposal and started working with Uni Boring. 60
IN THE BEGINNING: THE ORIGINS OF ASTON MARTIN’S V12 Left: Engine No. 1 nearly complete at Uni Boring Cosworth was stunned and protested loudly. It took them V6? And an AML V12? Do they sound the same? Does the well over a year, but they finally got the decision overturned V12 pull like two Duratecs?” I am certainly a fan of the at the highest levels of Ford (to simply be the assembly site). Duratec V6s, but we knew we needed to do something more By that time the engine design was completed and had passed — a lot more, in fact — to truly make the AML V12 stand durability testing. out. I did not know it at the time, but designing the magnesium Duratec V6 could not have prepared me better Once this decision was made we needed to transition the for designing the V12. assembly from Uni Boring to Cosworth. The on-site liaison from Cosworth assigned to help bring the completed design Take the cylinder block for example. I struggled to make into Cosworth was Paul Ward. Although he didn’t know the the magnesium 2.0-liter block work and now suddenly I had details of exactly what had happened, Paul sensed the a material (aluminium) that was a third stronger and stiffer tension and did an exemplary job in a difficult situation. I — no problem! The Duratec V6 is A319 cast aluminium count him and a number of the Cosworth personnel as with cast-in iron liners and a bed-plate bottom end. The friends today. V12 is A365-T6 aluminium, features a deep-skirt six-bolt main block, thin-wall press-in liners and directly mounts The rumour that Cosworth ‘designed the AML V12’ is nearly all of its driven accessories. It features 3.0mm-larger simply untrue and really sells short the many dedicated (significant) main bearings, a bank-to-bank offset people both within Ford Motor Company and throughout approximately 15mm less than the V6 and has a completely the industry that worked really, really hard to make this different casting design including a precision water jacket. programme the success it turned out to be. I would, though, be remiss if I did not mention Cosworth’s participation in It’s a similar story for the cylinder heads. The Duratec V6s the engine’s calibration, not its design. Ford personnel were are from A319 cast aluminium, the V12s are A365-T6 cast responsible for the new V12 strategy (software control aluminium with unique combustion chambers, a higher algorithm) and Cosworth’s personnel, led by Graham West, compression ratio, a precision water jacket and unique intake jointly developed the engine calibration (software/engine ports (one of the design features that significantly improved tuning) with Ford personnel. low-end torque whilst maintaining high-end power). Although we used many of the best parts available within For the 1995 motor show circuit Ford showed the GT90 Ford, the V12 really is a unique engine designed for AML. I concept with the earlier 90deg, 6.0-liter Lincoln V12 by Jim often ask people who state that it is simply two Duratec V6 Clarke and Bob Natkin, this time with (non-functioning) glued, welded or taped together, “Have you driven a Duratec quad turbos. Claimed power was 720bhp at 6,600rpm. 61
ASTON 21 This was the first ‘running’ Ford V12, but it remains a one- Above: Indigo Debuting at the North American off and was never seriously considered for production. engine… almost. International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Actually, the Detroit in January 1996, the Indigo The 60deg AML V12 continued to progress quite well display engine was shown at events throughout that and by September 1995 we were ready to fire it up. was a DB7 unit year, though the accompanying display Unfortunately, Bob Natkin was at Le Mans with the GT90 with Indigo engines were straight production DB7 doing a press drive and he was going to miss its first firing. exhaust and Ford Vantage units except for the exhaust We were working many long hours and Bob kept checking nameplate manifolds and the Ford V12 in via landline from France; email, cell phones and texts nameplate. We had no desire to reveal were not what they are today. By chance, Bob called right too much detail of the dry sump etc before we were about to attempt the first successful firing, installation. As a nod to the and once we had the computer sorted it roared to life! We forthcoming DB7 Vantage, we used were very tired and only realised the next day that when the the European spelling ‘litre’ on the AML V12 ran for the first time it was heard not only at our nameplate after the Ford emblem test facilities in Michigan, but also at Le Mans. It was an instead of the traditional American excellent portent of its racing future. spelling ‘liter’. The Indigo was a runner out of the box and had phenomenal Earlier that summer another ‘Ford supercar’ was hatched press reviews with around 500bhp as in parallel. Given the internal name ‘TSC’ (Technology installed. Sports Car), this car was to be an extremely lightweight and technology-driven ’showcase’. Subsequently titled Indigo, We had Al English (the same much of the venture was outsourced to RSVP (Reynard gentleman who did the magnesium Special Vehicle Projects), and it was allocated the very first engine cutaway earlier for me) convert running AML V12, which was dry-sumped (with the oil the intake and cam covers from raw pump now running off the defunct A/C position) and castings to motor show-quality pieces. installed as the main structural member aft of the bulkhead. We worked closely with Al choosing The DB7 Vantage was already an ongoing programme and the colour scheme for the show engines engine number two went in the first car. and liked it so much that the later powder-coated AML production parts used this original colour scheme as a basis. Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) had experimented with a 475bhp 6.4-liter Jaguar V12 in a DB7 around this time, but I was not aware of this car until I read about it in the press and I am not really sure how much TWR knew about the ongoing Ford V12 effort that was planned for the DB7 Vantage. When we read about it in the press there was no official reaction one way or the other. The new Aston Martin V12 made its debut, presented as an AML engine 62
IN THE BEGINNING: THE ORIGINS OF ASTON MARTIN’S V12 Above: The author next to an I6 DB7 at Bloxham — his first time in an Aston Martin for the first time, in Project Vantage — complete with motor holds pilot licenses for both rotary-wing (helicopter) and fixed- show-quality Indigo intake manifolds by Al English — at wing (conventional) aircraft. the NAIAS in January 1998, one year ahead of the March 1999 Geneva Show reveal of the production DB7 Vantage. Anthony has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Rutgers University and a Master I can easily see with all these V12s floating around that of Business Administration (MBA) from The University of there were ample opportunities for confusion as to the origin Michigan — Ross School of Business. of the AML V12 engine. I hope I’ve set the record straight. Today, Anthony is VP Product Development and Technical In addition to his early start at Ford Motor Company’s Services at Cahill Services, LLC, a Private Equity funded start-up. Advanced Powertrain Engineering, Anthony has had a wide and varied career and has worked all over the world including 1 Ford owned the original Sorrento Blue show car until June 2002 when Europe, Asia and the Americas. His vehicle development it was disposed of at a Christie’s auction for $403,500. The second car experience spans everything from high-volume production cars, was never fully engineered, used by Ford at various PR events, then to low-volume specialty vehicles to high- performance racecars. scrapped. He has also worked across industries, including software and electronics in Silicon Valley, jet engine development, alternative 2 Code-named XM02 and subsequently numbered DP2138, it was energy, consumer products and electronic control systems. built in 1995 and featured a V12 (Anthony Musci remembers it as a Jaguar unit). Intended to sound out the market for a production In addition to leading the design engineering on complex version and differing in many ways from the other two cars, DP2138 projects and vehicle development programs, Anthony is an was later sold by Kingsley Riding-Felce to a collector in the Far East for experienced professional behind the wheel and has driven $1.3m. all kinds of vehicles as a test driver on open roads and test tracks all over the world. His experience is not restricted to 3 Family owned since 1948, Eck Industries is based in Manitowoc, the ground - Anthony has flown a wide variety of aircraft and Wisconsin. Walter and Robert (‘Harley-‘) Davidson were early investors. 4 Who had, in February 1994, become executive chairman of Aston Martin. 5 Managing Director at AML who had overseen the DB7 project. 63
ASTON 21 EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY AND THEY’RE OFF! THE START OF THE FINAL GOODWOOD NINE-HOUR RACE, 20 AUGUST 1955. From left: Mike Hawthorn (GB)/Alfonso de Portago (E), Ferrari 750 Monza; Peter Walker (GB)/ Dennis Poore (GB), Aston Martin DB3S; Peter Collins (GB)/Tony Brooks (GB), Aston Martin DB3S; Reg Parnell (GB)/Roy Salvadori (GB), Aston Martin DB3S; Desmond Titterington (GB)/ Ninian Sanderson (GB), Jaguar D-type; Jacques Jonneret (CH)/Ken Wharton (GB), Ferrari 750 Monza; Duncan Hamilton (GB)/Tony Rolt (GB), Jaguar D-type; Harry Schell (USA)/ Jean Lucas (F), Ferrari 750 Monza; and Lance Macklin (GB)/Bill Smith (GB), HWM Jaguar. 64
EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY Mike Hawthorn (in unmistakeable green windcheater) has got the drop on eventual winners Peter Walker and Dennis Poore in 63 EMU (No. 3, DB3S/7). The Farnham Flyer’s Ferrari 750 Monza was the pace- setter and headed the field until gear selection troubles dropped him down the field. After six hours he was back to third, until co-driver ‘Fon’ de Portago brought the scarlet car into the pits with a broken axle. “The Monza was magnificent whilst it lasted,” the Englishman later recalled. The Feltham team lost car No. 1 (Parnell/ Salvadori, DB3S/8) after only three laps with hub failure. Parnell’s exuberant start was to blame. The other Aston, DB3S/6, number 2 of Collins/ Brooks, finished third overall. The meat in the green Aston Martin sandwich was the metallic blue production Jaguar D-type XKD501 of Ecurie Ecosse pairing Desmond Titterington and Ninian Sanderson, who ran the winners close. Remembering the race for Chris Nixon’s definitive book ‘Racing with the David Brown Aston Martins’, Dennis Poore recalled conducting the latter stages of the race without lights, a problem that also affected the third-place car. To top it all, the lighting in the pits also went out. “I came round to find a pit signal held out with GOON on it. I thought, ‘Now what have I done — is the race over?’ Later, I learned that because of the lights failure, they were telling me to GO ON, but in the darkness had omitted the gap between the two words…” Photo copyright jarrotts.com. This is a wonderful colour photo by the late John Ross, who died earlier this year. His collection now resides with Jarrotts, to whom we are grateful for this shot. See jarrotts.com. 65
ASTON 21 From The AMHT Library Smiles all round at the 1966 Earls Court Motor Show. From left: Hollywood actor Tony Curtis, Stirling Moss, David Brown and Peter Sellers (with his ever-present expensive camera). Sellers, the pro, spots the photo opportunity. 66
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ASTON 21 IN A FLAP: THE DEBUT OF THE 2001 ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH BY ANDREW ENGLISH Of course there was a lot going on under the surface hoped for. The PR operation went into damage-limitation and behind the scenes at the 2001 launch of the first mode, counter briefing that journalists had not listened to Aston Martin Vanquish (and we’ll come back to advice, had mucked around with the car and had been culpable both), but the defining moment of the Scottish launch of this in damaging the car’s advanced Magneti Marelli automated most advanced Aston came on the first day. I brought the car to transmission. This manual six speed with a robotised clutch- a halt on a quiet lowlands road with a flat, grippy surface, pulled less shift was a development of the system used by Ferrari on the right-hand steering wheel paddle to select first gear and here the 360 Modena. Up-changes were at the time the fastest I had I quote from the road test of this £156,000 sports coupé from experienced in this type of system and in medium-to-fast road The Daily Telegraph 11 August 2001... conditions, it was the most refined of the road-car semi-auto ‘boxes albeit with a rather lumpy fully automatic mode. “I floored the throttle and the engine yowled as the clutch engaged and the rear tyres started to spin. Then I smelt a whiff of clutch and I was, and still am, pretty hurt by the implied accusation came off the throttle, fast. Within seconds, the cabin was filled with that I’d misused the gearbox and that the damage was my fault. acrid clutch smoke, which also poured from the engine chimney Behaviour such as that would not have been tolerated by Peter vents, almost as if a smoke grenade had gone off under the bonnet. Hall, The Telegraph’s motoring editor, or anyone further up the Even after leaving the car for 20 minutes to allow the friction paper’s editorial hierarchy. The Telegraph is a serious newspaper linings to cool and gingerly driving the 60 miles to the end of the and employs serious journalists; we don’t ‘muck around’... route, the car still ponged of burnt clutch. Later on that same launch, Ian Minards, Aston’s chief “All of the five journalists I have since spoken to experienced engineer admitted that the Vanquish’s clutch-less gearchange similar problems; one even had the driven plate of the clutch explode “is no substitute for the human brain and the seat of the pants and smash its way through the bell-housing, clattering against the feel”. He explained that there was a technique to getting the carbon-fibre transmission tunnel inches from his legs. Vanquish off the line for 0-60mph times, which involves pressing the throttle slowly at first whilst the software fully “Is this important? Standing starts are certainly the sort of stunt engages the clutch, then flooring it and allowing the ferocious you will witness at track days where well-heeled folk show off their engine torque to spin the wheels. Later still I learned of the cars in front of their friends. Ferrari’s F40 is the undisputed king method of zeroing the settings for the transmission so it could at lighting up its tyres in first, second, third and even fourth gears. relearn its approach to individual driving techniques. Yet not A Porsche 911 will do it all day long and even the DB7 Vantage one jot of this was known to us as we drove away on the first manages to leave straight black lines on the road without complaint. day of the launch. We later learned that on that launch Aston’s More worryingly, we have also heard tales of Vanquish clutches mechanics changed so many clutches they halved the workshop burning badly whilst simply manoeuvring the big car around.” replacement time to just 2.5 hours. Oh dear. This wasn’t the reception that Aston Martin had 68
IN A F LAP: T H E DEBU T OF T H E 2001 AST ON M ART INPVAAGNEQTUITI SLHE And it was also later that same year, when interviewed at Aston Martin was building just five cars a week in September the Frankfurt Show, that Richard Parry-Jones, Ford's chief 1987 when Ford purchased 75 per cent of the stock for £20 engineer and a man who had driven the Vanquish during its million from the Livanos family. With former Ford director development, growled that “there was nothing wrong with the Walter Hayes at the helm, it was the Ford-funded, Ian Callum- Vanquish that a good manual gearbox wouldn't have solved”. designed 1993 Bloxham-built DB7 that saved the company and became the best-selling and “most important-ever Aston Aston did eventually offer a retrospective manual conversion. Martin” - though to be fair, Aston has a habit of bestowing that By 2007 and the launch of the run-out Vanquish Ultimate S title on just about every car it launches. model, you could drop your Vanquish off at Works Service with a cheque for £15,568.75 and they would replace the Magneti It was perhaps significant that by 2001 Aston Martin had Marelli transmission with a conventional six-speed manual, made less than 16,000 cars in its 86 years, where its owner, which is part of the ludicrous conceit of the exotic motor Ford, made more Focus models in 10 days. Many senior Ford business that you pay more for less. Actually, the acute need managers were completely unaware of Aston Martin, or knew for a manual replacement was by then dampened, as the 2004 they owned it as part of the company’s $17 billion Premier Vanquish S model had a host of software revisions to ensure Automotive Group (PAG), comprising at its height: Lincoln, that the transmission could take the pain of full-bore starts and Mercury, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo. manoeuvring round a car park without (much) complaint. The entire group was controlled from some Ritzy London Whilst we’re on the subject, though, this problem need not offices by the egregious and nattily dressed former BMW boss, have happened at all, but here we need to introduce some Wolfgang Reitzle, who had been partly responsible for running background... Rover when it was owned by BMW. He replaced Bob Dover 69
ASTON 21 at the top of Aston Martin with the mercurial Ulrich Bez, an Bez arrived into this impasse like a bolt from the blue. opinionated but undoubtedly effective development engineer, “He came in like an iron fist saying, ‘no more!’” said who had been formerly at Korean car maker Daewoo and Tim Watson, who had recently joined the company as before that with Porsche and BMW. communications director. “There was screaming and kicking, but he was right. If the company was to survive, this was the Although he officially joined Aston Martin as chairman way we would have to behave: professionally, working together and chief executive in July 2000, Bez had advised Ford at and no more in-fighting. board level before that. The press had been first acquainted “The key to us moving forward was Bez going to Dearborn,” with the Vanquish’s striking looks at the 1998 Detroit Auto he said. “I don’t think they quite ‘got’ him at Ford. They Show, where Callum’s DB7-on-acid design took a bow. It’s thought, ‘we’ve got this complete mad man in charge’. I only UK appearances that year were at the Hurlingham Club never went with him to those meetings; he always went by and the AMOC race at Donington in October, although himself, but despite his bonkers approach, he was actually it was subsequently displayed for some years in the Works getting results which gave them [Ford management] more Service showroom - the concept car was sold in May 2016 for confidence, so they were prepared to give more - thinking, £ 87,740 at the Bonhams Aston Martin auction at Newport ‘this crazy German engineer is getting results, let’s give him Pagnell. Two years later the press was invited up to Newport another chance’.” Pagnell and sworn to secrecy before being shown the proposed The story at the time, lapped up by the media, was that Bez production version. didn’t like the Ford Ka dashboard vents so refused to display the car at the 2000 Birmingham Motor Show and put the And what a thing it was. Even standing still it looked fast and launch back by six months. That wasn’t the whole story, as he brutal, with a shape dripping testosterone, clearly derived from revealed later. the DB4 GT Zagato as well as the DB7. Its hybrid aluminium “What no one wanted to hear at the time is that Vanquish was and carbon-fibre construction was as advanced as anything at the time, arguably more advanced (and expensive) than the VH crap,” Bez explained to me on the launch of the second-generation structure which succeeded it. The 6-litre V12 was made out of two Ford V6 ‘Cleveland’ engines already introduced in the DB7 Vanquish. “I changed 200 things, and even then, it burned Vantage, but with power up 40bhp to 460bhp and the same peak torque of 400lb ft. It also had a revvier demeanour thanks through gearboxes...’ to weight saving in the crankshaft and valve gear. A 190mph The way Watson tells it is that engineers had already resigned top speed was claimed, with 0-60mph in 4.4sec, fuel economy of 11mpg and CO2 emissions of 396g/km. At that time the themselves to a manual gearbox by then, but Bez wanted that Magneti Marelli semi-automatic was being considered, but semi-auto. True, he didn’t like the air vents (they were swapped from sources inside the company it became clear that Aston engineers doubted the company’s ability to successfully develop for Volvo items), but what he didn’t like most of all was the mend- and deliver this advanced ‘box and didn’t want to ask Ford for any more money. It all looked depressingly like situation and-make-do attitude at Aston that had been the norm.” normal at Aston: a great concept ruined by a lack of budget, poor attention to detail and awful reliability. “There was a ton of things wrong with it,” said Watson from California, where he now lives and works as a writer. “And the delay was primarily driven by the problem that Bez brought in a new way of thinking about how we did things and also about standing up to Ford and saying, ‘we need to do this properly and we need the money to do it properly’. 70
IN A FLAP: THE DEBUT OF THE 2001 ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH He inherited Vanquish from guys who were super talented, probably as significant as Bond’s old charger the DB5. It was but very nervous about asking for more money from Ford. Bez the toast of screen (James Bond’s 2002 Die Another Day and simply waded in and said, ‘no’, he cancelled the launch and 2003 remake of The Italian Job), music videos, video games told everyone they were going to do it his way.” and songs - a rapper’s delight of Lil Kim’s Lighters Up and The Pussycat Dolls’ Don’t Cha. Vanquish was a habitué of EventuallyWatson was given the green light to kick start Aston’s Premiership football players’ car parks and seen outside the launch machine into action and Vanquish finely appeared in sauciest nightclubs. ‘production form’ at the Geneva Show in March 2001. Various testing stories were then ‘placed’ with car magazines; there were “It was the right car at the right time,” recalls Watson. “A technical appraisals, spiffy dinners with potential owners and a reflection of what Aston needed to do to become a modern star spot in London’s Design Museum. And by the time of the successful company. I say successful, but heaven knows how launch in mid summer, there were 500 fully-paid orders, a two- many we sold, but we sold enough, though; more than we year waiting list and another year’s worth of people waiting to expected to. And Vanquish gave Ford the confidence to put get on the waiting list. No pressure there, then. more money into the company to start the VH programme, the DB9, to build a new headquarters, move everything On the launch we hid our grins at Bez’s comedy out and retrain the staff; when I look back, it was a huge pronunciation of the car’s name — \"Vankvish\" — and he undertaking, it was immense.” proved his worth by taking on all comers at croquet, but despite the posh castle hotel, there was a sadness there that I Immense it most certainly was, with total sales of 2,578 remember well and made note of. This was partly the damage of the original Vanquish and its follow-up sister, the 2004 S done to the clutch. Contrary to popular belief, motoring model. As I wrote at the time, that 460bhp V12 seemed “so journalists don’t like damaging the equipment, and as a much more than a conglomeration of whirring, bobbing bits of former mechanic, it goes completely contrary to my grain. After supper I took a dram with Callum and he seemed to be metal; it’s more like a living thing. Warming her up outside the sad and almost detached from the firm. Pretty soon afterward we learned why. Callum (who has recently been awarded the Scottish hotel of the launch, you can feel the heat build up though CBE and has retired from his post as Jaguar’s design boss), had just been given his cards by Bez. the bulkhead as the engine gains temperature and the stainless steel “On the day of the launch I had to tell Ian Callum that composite chimneys jet the exhaust heat through the bonnet vents, he was on the way to Jaguar and that [Henrik] Fisker was coming in,” says Watson, “so I had to deal with that for the making the view of the magnificent Pentland hills shimmer.” entire launch knowing that the man who was presenting the Vanquish was being replaced. He and Bez sadly never saw And man did that car go; not much could keep with it. eye to eye, but Bez was also driven to find someone who was Yes, it was unreliable, crash damage was super expensive his own; there was this incredible Jaguar/Ford mafia that had to repair, and replacement clutches were a King’s ransom — been running things in the past.” Watson says he still keeps a box of parts that fell off the press cars. Vanquish, however, marked a watershed at Aston Martin Yet Vanquish, whatever its birth pangs, became a touch from quaint cottage industry into at least nascent high-tech stone for Aston Martin. In publicity terms, it was epochal — supercar maker. So get your lighters up, and as Lil Kim sings, “come through Fulton Street in a Vanquish”; arguably the most important Aston Martin launch of the 21st century, despite those frying clutches... 71
ASTON 21 Lives remembered: ROGER FORSHAW, 1940 – 2019 The Forshaw name will be familiar to Aston Martin enthusiasts all over the world. The family has been involved with Lagonda and Aston Martin for more than 80 years, beginning in 1934 when Ivan Forshaw set up a parts business for Lagondas. He was also one of the founder members of the Lagonda Club, as well being its spares registrar and stockist, and added Aston Martin to his portfolio when David Brown acquired both companies following World War Two. BY JAMES PAGE 72
LIVES REMEMBERED: ROGER FORSHAW, 1940 — 2019 In 1972, the business morphed into The premises used to include Opposite and above: a typical sight from Aston Service Dorset, and Ivan’s a vast scrapyard centred the 70s and 80s, a multi-million-pound two sons joined him as partners. around a farmhouse that line-up of racing Astons displayed Richard was the youngest and was was full of parts — floor outside the Longham premises of Aston born in 1946. His older brother Roger to ceiling over two storeys. Service Dorset had been born in 1940, and sadly There was also a stable block passed away on 23 June 2019. that was similarly filled to '70s and '80s, the family would buy capacity, and during the up stock from dealers that went out of Ivan had lived in Parkstone since 1960s, 70s and 80s, the business. The result was an unrivalled before the war, so Roger grew up family would buy up stock collection of spares to go with the in Dorset and went to Shaftesbury from dealers that went out of unique and priceless set of technical Grammar School. He qualified as business. drawings and documentation. a chartered accountant and went on to work for the likes of Esso and 73 Whereas Richard was a practically Solent Container Services. From 1959 minded engineer who established and onwards he also did the accounts for expanded the workshop side of the the family business, but he didn’t business, Roger’s accounting skills were officially join Aston Service Dorset equally vital and together they made a full-time until the early 1980s. strong team, always with Ivan keeping In two deals that were done during the 1970s, the company had acquired the manufacturing rights for certain David Brown-era Aston Martins and Lagondas. The first one covered Feltham cars up to the DB4 then, in a second agreement towards the end of the decade, it added the Rapide and DB4, including the GT and Zagato models. It also acquired all of the original build sheets for post- War Astons and Lagondas up to and including the DB4, plus the build books and drawings, and an enormous quantity of spares. The premises used to include a vast scrapyard centred around a farmhouse that was full of parts — floor to ceiling over two storeys. There was also a stable block that was similarly filled to capacity, and during the 1960s,
ASTON 21 a close eye on them. The workshop was closed following Although he didn’t share the practical Richard’s death in 1997 — Roger preferring instead to engineering know-how of his father concentrate on the parts side of things — and nine years and brother, when Roger was a young later Ivan passed away at the age of 94. Even in his later man Ivan had bought him an MG J2 years, the company founder remained fully involved and on the condition that he never bought a would restore mechanical bits and pieces in the flat above the motorcycle. It needed restoring and was premises, banging on the floor to get the attention of those fitted with hand controls due to being used working below. Such was the extent of his tinkering that it by a trials driver who was paralysed from was said the flat contained a 50:50 mix of air and WD40… the waist down. Over the years, the family were enthusiastic collectors. Although he didn’t share the practical engineering know- Ivan’s focus was generally on pre-War machinery, and in how of his father and brother, when Roger was a young addition to Aston Martins, he owned everything from a man Ivan had bought him an MG J2 on the condition 1904 Napier that he drove until he was in his late 80s, to that he never bought a motorcycle. It needed restoring and Invictas, OMs and Lagondas — including the entire 1929 was fitted with hand controls due to being used by a trials works Le Mans team. Along with Richard, Roger then set driver who was paralysed from the waist down. After finding about gathering a truly mouth-watering line-up of later another J2 in a scrapyard — the sort of discovery that was models. At one time, they owned 19 Aston Martins and 14 possible in the 1950s and 60s — he was able to transfer parts Lagondas. from one MG to the other, but the project wasn’t the work of a moment. Roger drove it for the first time on his 60th As well as a DB2 drophead and two DB Mk IIIs, the birthday, four decades later… collection included VMF 63 — the famous ex-works DB2 — and no fewer than five DB3Ss. One was an ex- In 2009, he was joined at Aston Service Dorset by his works example, three were production cars, and the fifth son Antony, a former Royal Marine, who was the driving was ‘DB3S/121’. Thanks to its exclusive manufacturing force behind reopening the on-site workshop. They had their rights, Aston Service Dorset was able to build that car using differences — one major disagreement followed Antony’s genuine DB3S components — some of which the company insistence that they bought proper boxes in which to send already had, and some of which were acquired during its out parts rather than using whatever free packaging they restoration of ‘DB3S/112’. The Forshaws were regulars at could ‘recycle’ — but Antony readily concedes that he AMOC events, and the DB3Ss were present at both the first learned a lot from working with his father, who had built up Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1993 and the first Revival an encyclopaedic knowledge of parts. Meeting in 1998. Antony’s presence at the helm means that Aston Service Also in the collection was a DB4 GT that Roger sold Dorset has passed through three generations of the Forshaw in 2018, plus a DB4 GT Zagato that they owned for two family. In time, perhaps one of Roger’s six grandchildren decades but which had been sold following Richard’s death. — who considered him to be “the bestest grandad” — will With the 20:20 vision of hindsight, Roger later reflected that make that four generations. he should have perhaps sold off more of the other cars and kept the Zagato, but the proceeds nonetheless enabled him All photos by kind permission of the Forshaw family to buy out Richard’s side of the family from Aston Service Dorset, as well as their part-ownership of the rest of the collection. 74
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ASTON 21 I WAS THERE: TIM BUTCHER AND THE ASTON MARTIN DB7 V8 GT1 As what-ifs go, the Aston Martin DB7 modified to accept a 6.3-litre ex-AMR1 V8 for the 1995 24 hours of Le Mans is right up there. Beautifully built for publisher and team owner Michel Hommell by French experts Synergie, the car only narrowly missed the cut at prequalifying for the great long- distance race in April 1995. 76
I WAS THERE: TIM BUTCHER AND THE ASTON MARTIN DB7 V8 GT1 Another pit-stop for more set-up work Tim Butcher enjoys the view from the cockpit Left: What a beauty! Whilst working at RS Williams Ltd, Tim Butcher The DB7 V8 GT1 hard was at the heart — literally — of the project. at it, pre-qualifying for Speaking to ASTON earlier this year, he remembers the Le Mans 24 Hours it well. “Our job was simply to prepare and supply an engine. The standard supercharged ’six was dramatically underpowered and would never have survived 24 hours. Richard [Williams] was contacted to do the engine, and we had an available AMR1 6.3 motor under a bench, although it had not run since the project closed at the end of 1989. 77
ASTON 21 “We recommissioned it and put it on the dyno. MICHEL HOMMELL Richard bet me £20 it would not start first time… and lost! I made up a new engine loom and we supplied Born in 1944, Michel Hommell published his first magazine that, the motor and ancillary parts to Synergie who Échappement in 1968. He then built a publishing empire that had built Michel Hommell’s 1994 Bugatti EB110 included other motoring titles such as the highly respected Auto SS racing car. They were very, very good and did a Hebdo. Over time, the Michel Hommell Group was to publish magnificent job of installing it, placing it very far over 20 magazines, predominantly in the world of cars, models back in the chassis and deep down. It did need a lot and military history. of ducting for cooling. As the decision to start the project was made late, the racing car probably did Hommell started racing in the 1960s, behind the wheel of not run until early 1995. Paul Ricard in the south of a Renault 8 Gordini. In 1990 he started his own company France was booked for testing in February that year building a sports car powered by a four-cylinder Peugeot engine. and we joined them there. Production closed in 2003. “Richard and I turned up, we connected the For Hommell’s 1994 attempt at Le Mans, he persuaded ECU and it fired first time, sounding amazing. It Bugatti, via its French importer British Motors, to sell him an was still in primer, and the drivers were in and out EB110 Super Sport (SS). Synergie prepared it for that year’s Le of it, carrying shake-down tests whilst the car was Mans 24 Hours, reducing its weight by 300kg to 1280kg and in the final stages of build. We returned to the UK boosting the power to 600bhp at 6,200rpm. Alain Cudini, Éric with an end-April date in our diaries, the traditional Hélary and Jean-Christophe Bouillon were the drivers. After Le Mans test weekend and pre-qualifying for qualifying 17th, the car was running on the top 10 when, after Hommell’s team, who, like most, were not granted 230 laps, one hour before the end of the race, it hit the barriers an automatic entry to the big event in June. on the Mulsanne straight, most likely as a result of a tyre failure. “The job Synergie had done in two months I can It was British Motors once again that arranged for a special only describe as ‘sensational’. The team was under so DB7 with no engine or transmission to be delivered from Bloxham to Hommell for the 1995 season. Tom Walkinshaw Below: More work to be done. The massive red Racing liaised with its regular British contacts for brakes, trunking to the rear brakes can be clearly seen fuel cells, etc. The gearbox was a six-speed from ZF in unit with the engine. Doors, wings and bonnet were made in carbonfibre, the aerodynamics penned by ex- Venturi designer Gérard Godfroy who sent a model to famous French aerodynamicist Max Sardou for wind tunnel testing. Under the then rules, the DB7 GT1 was allowed to swap its everyday ’six for a V8, as the AMR1 engine was a production-based Aston Martin engine. Too little, and too (very) late, it was a highly professional effort and pre-dated the successful front-engined DBR9 racer by 10 years. See manoir-automobile.fr 78
I WAS THERE: TIM BUTCHER AND THE ASTON MARTIN DB7 V8 GT1 Top: 1993 Le Mans winner Éric Hélary takes a coffee break whilst the team works on the car. There was no lack of talent behind the wheel of the green DB7 Bottom: The team applies Tele Monte Carlo sponsor decals. TMC supported Hommell’s 1994 effort at Le Mans. Its name sits alongside, naturally, in-house title Auto Hebdo and the Manoir de l’Automobiler much pressure but they’d prepared a Hélary really set to it, and by the end of the day proper car that looked so aggressive. the DB7 was 19 seconds faster. Sadly, this wasn’t It was painted, but sponsor decals enough against the Lister Storm, Ferrari F40 GTE, were still being applied in the pits. Porsche 911 RSR and, obviously, McLaren F1 opposition. “The process was that the drivers [from the 1994 Bugatti entry, the superb Éric Hélary, who’d won Le Mans for Peugeot in 1993, and vastly experienced tin-top and GT expert Alain Cudini] would go out, set a time, then come in again for further adjustments such as ride height, seat and pedal fitting, suspension geometry, etc. The noise was deafening, and the car looked superb, never missing a beat. “Hélary really set to it, and by the end of the day the DB7 was 19 seconds faster. Sadly, this wasn’t enough against the Lister Storm, Ferrari F40 GTE, Porsche 911 RSR and, obviously, McLaren F1 opposition. Our time of 4min 9.97sec was just pipped by the Lister Storm’s 4min 8.74sec so we missed out but were on the reserve list. Hommell immediately pulled the plug on the project. Ironically, as four teams subsequently withdrew, we would have raced in June. 79
ASTON 21 Above: The business end. Clever Above: The one-off Aston was the centre of attention that weekend packaging placed the mighty V8 low and far back in the chassis “It was a short-lived affair. The car never really turned a wheel in anger again and is now on display in Hommell’s Le Manoir de l’Automobile museum in Brittany, with occasional outings on his private track. “The engine was good, its installation in the car and standard of preparation were excellent but, apart from the last-minute nature of it all, replacing the relatively lightweight s/c straight six with a big V8 compromised the car’s balance. Getting it to handle, and in particular put the 620bhp down, was what handicapped it. Still, we all gave it our best shot.” With thanks to Tim Butcher, owner of Aston Martin specialist Trinity Engineering in Ripley, Surrey. See trinityaston.co.uk 1 Synergie was based at Changé, near Laval, west of Le Mans and run by Lucien Monté and Philippe Bone. The chief designer was Philippe Beloou. All three had worked with Jean Rondeau on his Le Mans GTP cars. 2 Only 20 cars were accepted automatically. 3 Nearly eight seconds faster than the Bugatti EB110 SS of 1994. 4 Believed 45 percent front, 55 percent rear. 80
I WAS THERE: TIM BUTCHER AND THE ASTON MARTIN DB7 V8 GT1 81
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LAGONDA RAPIDE PROTOTYPE LAGONDA RAPIDE PROTOTYPE BY ROB SMITH Amongst a pile of drawings recently acquired from Aston Martin Lagonda are some interesting Lagonda Rapide drawings. One of them carries the title ‘Lagonda 4 Door Saloon’ and has Drawing Number SD 394. The drawing has been clearly cut in half and taped back together and our copy is a copy of that repaired drawing. In tiny writing in the bottom right hand corner of the bottom half it says, “Plan Added 4-3-58”. What the drawing clearly shows is a four-door saloon with single headlamps and a grill similar in material to an early DB4 pressed grill but of a more generic shape. One might assume that this was an early design drawing for the Rapide which was introduced in 1961. Just 55 Rapides were built up to 1964 when the model ceased production. Above: The lines of the 1961 Lagonda Rapide are clear to see in this intriguing drawing from 1958 83
ASTON 21 The David Brown Memorial Lecture 2019 sidelight and indicator lenses unlike the drawing. Above: Roving — given by Guy Loverage in York was about There isn’t obviously a Lagonda (or Aston AML engineer the fascinating career of Des O’Dell and his Des O’Dell stands time with Aston Martin Lagonda. Des O’Dell Martin) badge on the front, but the bonnet carries beside the one- was appointed by John Wyer at Feltham as an both Superleggera and Touring badges. Note the off four-door engineer and was sent on an extended tour of wire wheels and the very DB4 bonnet bulge. It is prototype, quite Europe trouble-shooting problems with the early difficult to make out, but the registration number possibly on a DB4s — particularly their back axles. According appears to be 4 WMM. secret mission in to O’Dell’s own autobiographical notes, he was Europe given a four-door saloon in which to conduct this Unlike the production Rapides, both the tour. Amongst the photos shown at the lecture drawing and photo show a very sharp front corner was a picture of Des O’Dell with that four-door to the door window frame and the design has some saloon. way to go before being signed off for production. It is clear that the car in the photo and that in the Clearly more research is required into this drawing are one and the same — or at least very intriguing piece of the story of Aston Martin similar. The single headlamp design and grill shape Lagonda. are the identical, but the photo shows separate With thanks to Guy Loverage and Gail O’Dell for the use of the photo. 84
LAGONDA RAPIDE PROTOTYPE Advert 85
ASTON 21 WAATNhAASaNTNtOUNAALMsRAtERoVTnIIENWMINOa2F0rH1tA9iPnPEdNiIdNGtShis year January about Wales, it’s fantastic to have the Concept. Another hypercar model, the first DBX model, that will be built at AM-RB 003 (formerly referred to as As if the Valkyrie was not exclusive Aston Martin’s new Welsh base, parked Project 003, a more user-friendly car enough, in the new year the factory pride of place on Downing Street than the Valkyrie) was revealed, and announced an AMR Track Performance to mark St David’s Day.” For once, the Lagonda All-Terrain Concept took Pack for the extreme hypercar that there was unanimity on the political 2018’s zero-emissions 4x4 one step features a new aerodynamic front landscape: the car looked a knockout. closer to reality. delivering greater downforce and efficiency, a second set of all other exterior March April body panels, lightweight titanium brakes, track-focused suspension and For luxury supercar makers, March Hold onto your hats, 211mph open-air matt black magnesium performance means only one thing: the Geneva Motor motoring in an Aston Martin is now wheels. Owners could also kit out their Show. Big news on the Aston Martin possible thanks to the launch of the DBS support team in personalised race suits Lagonda stand was the announcement Superleggera Volante. With 715bhp at and, for the ultimate in bespoke, ask Q that a mid-engined V6 — a real rival to 6,500rpm, the latest wondercar from by Aston Martin to further tailor their McLaren and Ferrari — was scheduled Gaydon is the fastest-ever Volante. Not Valkyrie to their exact requirements. to enter production in 2022. The new only can the new car sprint from zero to car even had a name: Vanquish Vision 100mph in 6.7 seconds, its roof takes February just 14 seconds to open and 16 seconds 86 to close and can be operated from inside Well, 2019 has been an exciting year or from the remote key within a two- for British politics, and interest in metre radius of the car. Not one for the goings-on at 10 Downing Street toupee wearers. was raised to new levels when, on 27 February, a prototype and still disguised Aston Martin DBX made a surprise visit to Whitehall to celebrate Wales’s national day. The then PM Theresa May said: “As we celebrate all that is great
May 1,160bhp machine to Silverstone’s WHAT ASTON MARTIN DID THIS YEAR world-famous Grand Prix circuit for The super-fast circuit of Spa- its first public demonstration run. A October Francorchamps is known for its fortnight later, six Vantage GT3s started challenges, but snow in May is not the 24 Hours of Spa and works-loaned Don’t forget Fido! usually one of them. Yet these were the driver Nicki Thiim took his third 24- in advance of the conditions faced by the pair of factory hour class win. official launch Vantage GTEs entered at the FIA World of the DBX, Endurance Championship round at Spa August Aston Martin in early May. Against the elements, the revealed a range Anglo-Belgian pairing of Alex Lynn and March might mean Geneva, and June is of accessories for Maxime Martin came through to win the always Le Mans, but for the worldwide the new car that GTE Pro class. None of this would have classic car community, August is forever included a Pet Pack, a partition to give troubled 007, and it was later that month associated with Monterey Week and animals their own space in the boot of that it was announced that an olive green the famous Sunday concours at Pebble the car, keeping them from “roaming Aston Martin DBS Superleggera was Beach. Aston Martin was out in force inquisitively about the cabin”. The set to become “the newest James Bond on the Peninsula this year, with events Event Pack (picnics, horse races and inspired car”. The price? A shaken but ranging from “a new design service for Goodwood), Touring Pack (er… you not stirred £300,007.00. car enthusiasts and collectors that takes guess) and Snow Pack (winter sports) cater car ownership to a new level, ‘Aston for the rest of life’s little necessities. And June Martin Automotive Galleries and Lairs’”, if a two-wheeled Aston takes your fancy, to a one-marque sale conducted by RM a new partnership was announced with Sixty years on from Aston Martin’s Sotheby’s that saw an original ‘Bond Car’ iconic British brand Brough Superior. triumph at Le Mans, there was no fairy- DB5 sell for $6,385,000, to the reveal of tale ending for the Gaydon team at the Valhalla at The Quail, A Motorsports November this year’s event. Despite securing pole Gathering. position, one car crashed out and the Hot on the heels of the news that other finished 13th, also suffering an September Aston would partner up with Brough off-track excursion. The big news at the Superior, a new motorcycle, the French 24-hour classic was that Aston Here’s a novelty: Aston Martin now has AMB001, made its debut in the metal Martin would soon field a minimum an Artist-in-Residence. London based- at EICMA, the Milan Motorcycle Show. of two works Aston Martin Valkyrie artist Robi Walters was engaged by the Only 100 lucky riders would be able hypercars specially developed for the Gaydon company to “create unique to buy the new track-only machine, 2020/21 FIA WEC season, including the works of art during a defining period specially presented in Stirling Green with 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans. And only a for the Aston Martin brand” as its new Lime Essence accents. With 180bhp in a week later it was announced that the UK manufacturing facility goes into full 180kg package the turbocharged V-twin hitherto AM-RB 003 would be named production. The DBX continued testing, offers extraordinary performance and Valhalla when it goes into production. including setting sub-8.0-minute times was described by Marek Reichman as “a at the Nürburgring. It was confirmed truly beautiful motorcycle; a design and July that the St Athan-built luxury 4x4 would engineering work of art”. be powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo Aston Martin laps Silverstone at the V8 similar to, but more powerful than, December British GP! No, it wasn’t a return to those units fitted to existing sports cars single-seater racing (just yet) for Astons; in the company’s range. After a successful global launch in test driver Chris Goodwin took the China, DBX buyers could now walk into 87 showrooms worldwide in the knowledge that the new luxury 4x4 would carry a recommended retail price of £158,000 (including three years servicing) in the UK, €193,500 in Germany, JPY 22,995,000 in Japan and $189,900 in the USA. Plus extras, of course. When on stream, the DBX is expected to sell around 5,000 to 7,000 units a year, making it the company’s most popular model.
ASTON 21 Until next year... “’E llo, ’ello, ’ello, what’s going on here?” A member of Her Majesty’s constabulary notes the finer points of 007’s DB5. With a ‘broom handle’ Mauser and AA membership, she’s definitely got the situation covered. Another photograph from the unrivalled archive of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust 88
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