‘Opinions differ on which is
prettiest: original DB4 or streamlined DB5’
In summer ’65 the DB4 was replaced by the
DB5, combining all the developments of the DB4 with an increased engine
capacity of 3995cc, developing 282bhp on triple SUs or, in Vantage form, 314bhp
on three twin-choke Webbers. A five-speed ZF gearbox was now available as an
option, and was fitted to most DB5s; the Borg-Warner automatic is much rarer.
Externally, the cowled headlights were standardized.
Aston
Martin DB5
Although the DB5 was in production for
barely two years, it was extremely successful, rolling out of the factory at a
rate of up to 10 a week. In all, 886 coupés were built and 123 convertibles,
plus a dozen shooting brakes that were finished off by coachbuilder Harold
Radford. In comparison with the first DB4s, kerb weight had gradually crept up
by some 350lb, but the extra power meant that the performance, measured in
independent road tests, was still in the 140mph bracket.
Opinions differ as to which is the most
beautiful DB Aston: the original DB4, its proud headlights giving it a
straining-at-the- leash profile, or the crouching aspect of the more
streamlined DB5. The DB6 is something else, its more solid lines lending a
quite different visual personality, but there is no doubt that it is the most
practical of the three, and the most stable at speed.
Introduced at the London Motor Show in
October 1965, the DB6 had been radically rethought to make it a genuine
four-seat. The wheelbase was nearly 4in longer, the windscreen slightly further
forward and the roof an inch higher, which, together with shorter trailing arms
for the rear suspension, all translated into a much more habitable back seat.
An upward-curling lip to the boot lid plus a vertical rear panel provided a
tail treatment according to the aerodynamic principles of Dr. Wunibald Kamm.
Although less elegant than its predecessor, at high speed it gave a claimed 30%
reduction in lift at the rear wheels. With quarter-bumpers exposing the extra
front grille and deeper rear apron, the DB6 looked a more substantial car
altogether, but in fact overall weight was virtually unchanged from the DB5.
Using the Weber-carbureted Vantage engine, which was officially quoted at
325bhp, contemporary road tests achieved an impressive 147mph maximum and 0-100
in 15 sec. Power steering was now an option.
A
five-speed ZF gearbox was now available as an option, and was fitted to most
DB5s; the Borg-Warner automatic is much rarer
The DB6 was produced in its original form
for almost four years, and no fewer than 1321 coupés were sold. In addition
there were 37 convertibles by then using the Volante name on the shorter DB5
chassis and 140 DB6-length drop-tops, and this time Harold Radford managed half
a dozen station wagon adaptations.
In July ’69 came a revised DB6, the Mk2.
This used the wider wheels being fitted to the totally different six-cylinder
DBS, which was being manufactured alongside the earlier car, and they
necessitated slight flares over the wheel openings, an instant Mk2 identifier.
Of the 250 coupés and 38 Volantes built to this spec, 46 had Brico fuel
injection, which returned improved economy if no greater performance.
‘These wonderful grand tourers each
have their own character’
Mk2’s
lipped arches allow for wider rubber than Mk1 DB6, and quarter-bumpers flank
the extra grille
The final DB6 rolled out of the Newport
Pagnell factory in November 1970. By then Aston Martin was concentrating on the
four-cam V8 version of the DBS, and Marek’s alloy straight-six was nearing the
end of its 14-year life. As is always the way, values of six-cylinder cars
dropped in the decade after it ceased production, and many tired examples that
could be bought cheaply went without proper maintenance and deteriorated
further. By the beginning of the ’90s the cars were far more appreciated, and
many were being properly restored. Even so, good DB6s could still be found for
$45,000-52,500, with DB4s and DB5s about $7500 more and convertibles getting on
for double that. Now, 20 years later, a perfect DB5 may cost you $675,000 and a
good DB6 Volante even more.
But fine examples of DB4-6 Aston Martins
continue in the 21st century to be among the most enjoyable and usable of great
classic cars. The glorious trio illustrated on these pages all belongs to
Markus Tellenbach. His DB4 is a Series IV, displaying the later grille and
smaller bonnet scoop, while the wheel-arch flares on the DB6 identify it as a
Mk2.
Tellenbach, with a nod to Fleming, has a
vintage Bentley as well, but believes in using his Astons as much as possible.
A Sunday family trip to the pub means a convoy, him in the DB5 and his wife
driving the DB6, with their three sons and dog along for the ride. All three
make wonderful continental grand tourers, and he has enjoyed them on adventures
from home in Surrey to France, Switzerland and Italy, taking in the great
Alpine passes such as the St Gotthard and Stelvio. All have their distinct
character: the DB4 the most raw and pure, the DB5 the ultimate mix of
performance and sophistication, the DB6 with softer suspension and more room.
Luxurious
DB6 is a full four-seat
Any Aston is a car to be taken seriously.
Throughout the marque’s 100 years there have been many that belong in anyone’s
list of all-time classics, from ‘Green Pea’ and ‘Razor Blade’ to today’s
One-77. But in terms of visual and engineering elegance, fitness for purpose
and sheer driving pleasure, the 4000-plus cars that make up the DB4/5/6 canon
are hard to beat. Even James Bond wasn’t wrong there.
