Limited edition GT was the V12 grand tourer the DB7 should have been all along
Sometimes, it takes the best part of a generation for a car to reach its full potential. Pretty looks aside, the Maserati 3200 GT didn’t come good until the run-out; far from a failure at launch, yet it took a handful of updates and a Competition version to unlock the platform’s full potential.
You could lump the Aston Martin DB7 in with that group. Like the F80, the DB7 launched to mostly positive reviews, while the Ian Callum styling would shape the company’s design language for over 20 years. But it wasn’t without flaws, namely the Jaguar XJS-derived supercharged inline-six in place of the prototype’s V12 and a cabin kitted out with bits and pieces pinched from Ford’s parts bin. Early cars sold well, but it wasn’t until 1999, when the old straight-six was replaced with an all-new 5.
Underneath, Aston bumped up chassis stiffness by 20 per cent with a reworked front subframe and upgraded suspension. The geometry was also revised to improve stability, while the new five-spoke wheels were lighter and wrapped in lower-profile Bridgestone rubber. Clarkson heaped on the praise in his TG review and was particularly impressed by the GT’s ability to briskly cruise up to 135mph from a standstill in a single gear.
Unfortunately, only a small portion of the DB7 buying population ever got their hands on a GT. Just 191 manual coupes were produced, with production running from 2002 to 2003. The DB9 would arrive a year later on the vastly improved VH platform and sold in considerably higher numbers. So even though the DB7 came good right at the end, it wasn’t enough to bump up the grand tourer’s street cred.
For instance, this 2003 model has 18,736 miles on the clock, a full service history and a binder stuffed with ‘general maintenance records’ as proof it’s been well cared for. You only need look at the pictures to see that, with an interior that’s in fine shape and a toolkit still stocked with all its original implements.
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