Iconic Aston Martin Models Made During The Ford Years

The first attempt at acquisition Ford made was when it almost bought Ferrari, a deal that fell through at the last second and was depicted at the start of the 2019 film "Ford v Ferrari." In response to the apparent spurn by old man Enzo Ferrari, Ford then created the GT program, with the sole aim of beating Ferrari at Le Mans. However, Ford would go on to acquire many different companies over the years; examples of which include the likes of Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercury, Lincoln, and Aston Martin.

Aston Martin came under Ford ownership in 1987, when the company acquired a 75% controlling stake in the business. In 1991, Ford bought out the remainder of the company and held it until 2007, when Aston Martin changed hands once again, this time to the owner of Prodrive Motorsport. So then, what influence did Ford have on Astons cars in that time period? Do any of these influences live on today? Was it for better or for worse? Let's find out by taking a look at nine of the most iconic Astons released during the Ford ownership years.

For the purposes of this article, we will only talk about cars that were brand new to the world between 1987 and 2007, though we acknowledge that some pre-Ford models did have major updates or redesigns during that period.

The first new Aston model in over two decades, the V8 Virage was released in 1988 with the boxy, flat-front styling Aston Martin had been running with at the time.The engine was a version of Astons long-running 5.3 liter V8, and the most major change was new cylinder heads and the inclusion of four valves per cylinder. The hope was that the additional valves would help counteract the apparently "inevitable" loss in power that came about from catalytic converters to meet emissions standards. And make power it did, at about 330 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, all of which it needed given its not-insignificant weight of 3,946 pounds.

Two years after it first launched, Aston Martin launched an open-top version of the Virage, called the V8 Virage Volante in 1990, replete with the same engine from the 1988 version. Then in 1992, a newer version of the Virage launched with ABS, as well as a 6.3-liter V8 engine, flared wheel arches, and an optional rear spoiler. After the 1992 Virage's launch, some of the Volante versions from 1990 were converted to the bigger 6.3-liter engine from the ABS version. Customers who bought one of these beauties could opt for an upgrade package from Aston Martin Works that added improved brakes, more customization, a modified suspension, and better wheels.

Arriving in 1997, this was originally supposed to be a second generation Virage, but it became its own model during the development cycle. Aston had clearly run out of fancy names beginning with a V because it just called it the "V8 coupe." It was also available as a Volante version later, simply called the V8 Volante. The Virage and the V8 coupe laid the foundation for the modern-gen Vantage, which was Astons bread and butter. The V8 coupe was announced in 1996, and used a variation of the same 5.3-liter V8 engine that the Virage debuted with, though now it produced 369 lb-ft of torque and 350 brake horsepower, versus the Virage's 330 hp and 350 lb-ft. The engine was mated to a four-speed oddball gearbox that had two additional drive modes, called "touring" for long distance travel, and "sport" for, well, sport. 

The V8 Coupe is not really a car that one would imagine being important, but it remains a high-value collectors item, given its heritage. A year after the Coupe launched, a long wheelbase Volante variation of it debuted at the London auto show, and had a little under 8 inches (20 centimeters) more legroom than the coupe version. The Volante used virtually the same V8 engine as the Coupe did, but made 1 hp less, at 349 hp.

The Vantage is an iconic nameplate that still lives on today in the form of the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage, the V8 Vantage was the first true major upgrade to the Vantage name. It debuted at the Birmingham motor show, alongside the Virage Volante from earlier, and instantly turned heads. The regular version of the V8 Vantage featured a 5.4-liter V8 that had dual overhead cams, as opposed to the four cams in the Virage, and made 550 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque, courtesy of the included supercharger. From the factory, the V8 Vantage units came with a ZF six-speed manual transmission that would let skilled drivers get it up to its top speed of 186 mph. 

Then, right before the turn of the century, Aston Martin released a special "Le Mans" edition of the Vantage that churned out the highest power of any production car at the time: 600 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. This special version, released at the Geneva Motor Show, was built to celebrate Aston winning the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1959, and only 40 units were made. Also, at first glance the Virage and Vantage might seem similar, you'll probably be surprised to learn that the only panels they have in common are the roof and the doors. Overall, the V8 Vantage was an amazing car that left extremely large boots to fill for the third generation Vantage that would come after.

Named after wealthy businessman David Brown, who once saved the company, DB series cars have always been the flagships of the Aston Martin lineup, and the latest 2025 Aston Martin DB12 is no exception. During the Ford years, six DB cars launched. The first of these launches was the jaw-dropping DB7, which represented a major departure from the boxy designs of the Vantage and the Virage. Unveiled in 1993, the car reflected Aston's shifting focus from hyper-exclusive models to more production oriented ones that could be sold in other markets.

Under Ford ownership, Aston had gained access to some of the best and most advanced facilities on the planet. As a result, the DB7 gained updated styling, paired with a 3.2-liter straight-six engine that made 355 hp and 386 lb-ft of torque. That engine rocketed the 3,803 pound car from standing to 60 in 5.8 seconds, and pushed it to a top speed of 165 mph — truly impressive numbers for the time. A Volante version would debut three years later in 1996 at the Los Angeles motor show, and two examples of a DB7 GT were also made, in collaboration with Prodrive who later bought Aston from Ford.

Given the success of the straight-six DB7, Aston launched a new version of it, powered by not a V8, but a thundering monstrous six-liter V12 engine. It confusingly named this thing the DB7 Vantage, and there was also a Volante version released alongside it, which was among the first instances of the Volante being unveiled with the coupe. The DB7 Vantage was released in 1999 at the Geneva Motor show, meant to replace both the erstwhile DB7 and the second-generation Vantage that had been running from 1992. It had more common with the DB7 than the Vantage, and overall was a rather pretty car, with the only sore point being the ugly fog lights at the front. At launch, the DB7 Vantage came with a five-speed manual gearbox (the infamous touchtronic was added later), or a six-speed manual. The car made 420 hp, 400 lb-ft of torque, had a top speed of 185 mph, and rocketed from 0 to 60 in exactly 5 seconds. 

In terms of styling updates we got a bigger grill at the front, new indicator lights, 18-inch rims and now-standard Bridgestone tires. You could also choose interior trim options that were either real wood veneer, or carbon fiber. Four years after it launched, Aston Martin released a special edition, called the DB7 Vantage "Jubilee" to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, of which 24 units were made. 19 of those 24 units were for U.K.-based customers, who got a fancy watch alongside their cars, all delivered at a special event at Thornbury Castle.

Most people probably know about the Vanquish nameplate after hearing about Aston Martin bringing it back 2024. However, the original V12 Vanquish launched in 2001 and was in production till 2007, and is famous for effortlessly becoming one of the most iconic grand touring Astons of all time. Also, it was a V12 Vanquish that starred in the epic James Bond movie "Die Another Day," and came with many internal and external improvements over the DB7 and DB7 Vantage, though they looked rather similar. It came with a bonded aluminum chassis, updated styling, and a six-liter V12 engine that made 400 lb-ft of torque and 460 hp, while weighing 4,046 pounds. 

As a result of that behemoth power plant, the not-so-light V12 Vanquish could still do 0-60 mph in 5 seconds flat, and had an impressive top speed of 190 mph. The Vanquish S, launched in 2005, used the same engine, but made 425 lb-ft of torque and 520 hp, and actually weighed more than the standard Vanquish, at 4,133 pounds. However, it did 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds, and had a top speed north of 200 mph. You could have the Vanquish S in either a two-seat (2+0) or four seat configuration (2+2). Both the Vanquish and Vanquish S would come with the same six-speed automatic gearbox, but had a mode called "Auto Shift Manual" (ASM) that would simulate a manual gearbox.

The DB line has always been the most important line at Aston, with four out of the five most expensive Astons ever sold at auction being DB-series cars, so it shouldn't be surprising that yet another iteration of the DB7 came in 2003 when coach builder and personalization house Zagato stepped into the fray. 99 units of  Aston Martin DB7 Zagato were produced and delivered by 2004, all of which were limited to the European and Southeast Asian markets only. In terms of styling, we got the famed "double bubble" roof silhouette from Zagato, single-unit tail lights, a drop-down tail boot cover, aniline leather everywhere and specially-designed five-spoke wheels. 

The Zagato was only available in Europe and Asia because the model failed homologation in the United States, which prompted Aston Martin to make a different model called the DB7 American Roadster 1 ("AR1" for short). Where the DB7 Zagato used a 440 hp, 410 lb-ft V12 from the DB7 GT, the AR1 used a V12 from the V12 Vantage that made 435 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. The DB7 Zagato had a top speed of 190 mph and the AR1's top speed was 185 mph; and both had a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds. When both cars were launched, special events were held to display them to the public: Saville Row in London, and at the Los Angeles Motor Show in America, after which both cars sold out.

Any time a new DB model is released, it always makes headlines, and the Aston Martin DB9 was no different in this regard. It came with updated styling, a much more powerful engine, and all the tech bells and whistles of the time. Launching shortly after the DB7 Zagato, the car was designed to be the next model in the DB range. The DB9 was the first car produced and built at the Aston Martin factory that had just opened in Warwickshire. It was such a generational leap forward from the aging DB7 that calling it the DB8 was considered inappropriate.

The DB9 was launched at the Frankfurt Motor show in 2003, and Aston Martin followed up with a cabriolet Volante version one year later. The prototype for the DB9 was tested in virtually every region you can think of, over a million miles, from the arctic circle to the arid death valley in the States, and even included tests at Volvo's safety center. It came with a six-liter V12 unit that now output 457 lb-ft of torque and 510 hp, which led an impressive top speed of 183 mph and 0-62 mph time of 4.6 seconds. The engine, called the "AM11" was mated to a unique rear-layout six-speed gearbox, and had a finicky shift-by-wire system. But all that paled in comparison to the car's looks. It somehow looked like it was flowing even when it was standing still — no wonder it's still an icon today.

The successor to the DB9 as the company's flagship model, the Aston Martin DBS was revealed at Pebble beach in California at the Concours d'Elegance. It was a departure from the numbered naming scheme, and though polarizing, it was every inch a proper Aston. It entered production in 2007 and just like the DB7, appeared in the latest James Bond film at the time, "Casino Royale" starring Daniel Craig, making it instantly recognizable. It would also reappear in the subsequent 2008 Bond film, "Quantum of Solace." And if you're wondering where these Aston Martin models were built, every car after the DB9 has been built in Warwickshire, and that included the DBS.

As was becoming a trend, two years after the launch of the coupe, Aston unveiled a Volante version in 2009. Powering this rolling work of art was a six-liter V12 engine making 420 lb-ft of torque and 510 hp. The engine could propel the DBS from 0-60 in 4.3 seconds, and get it to a top speed of 190 mph. While it looked similar to the DB9 (both had the same designer, Ian Callum), the DBS got several styling upgrades. For starters, the bonnet gained two massive airflow ducts, and the car featured carbon-ceramic brakes, flared wheel arches, and wide sill extension pieces at the side. Also, both the DBS and DBS Volante could be had in a four seater (2+2) configuration, but then again, practicality was probably not high on the customers' lists.