ASTON MARTIN vANQUISH S - The Seen

FEATURE : TWO’S BETTER THAN ONE
We won’t delve too far back in time here, but the narrative
of the DB6 Mk. 2 would be incomplete without some
mention of its predecessors. Effectively the story started
in 1958 with the unveiling of the DB4 – a car with Italian
styling by Touring of Milan, hand-made aluminium
‘Superleggera’ body panels and an alloy 3.7-litre straightsix
engine designed by Aston Martin’s Tadek Marek.
Following a dozen or more variations, in 1964 the DB4 evolved
into the 4-litre DB5 with its faired-in headlamps, individual
rear lights and a number of other improvements. Then, just
two years later came the DB6, a further evolution with a more
accommodating rear passenger space and a then cutting-edge
‘Kamm tail’ boot spoiler, among other enhancements.
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Now this is where the DB4/5/6 line might have ended, for
in 1967 Aston Martin revealed the all-new, William Towns
designed DBS. This car was to have been powered from the
off by Tadek Marek’s new 5,340cc V8 engine, but for technical
reasons, the ground-breaking V8 engine wasn’t ready and so
the DBS was launched onto the market with the DB6’s 4-litre
6-cyl motor.
So, all pretty straightforward up ‘til now, but here’s the twist.
The DBS was a significantly bigger and heavier car than all the
previous DB models, and with 282bhp, or even the 325bhp of
the no-cost option Vantage version, it didn’t sell in sufficiently
economic numbers with the old straight-six installed. And so in
1969 an updated and more refined version of the DB6 – the DB6
Mk 2 – was swiftly engineered and entered production in July
FULLBORE
’69 alongside the DBS (which didn’t become the DBS V8 until
the Spring of the following year).
Built on a parallel production line at the Newport Pagnell
factory during 1969-70, the re-born DB6 shared a number of
major components with the newer DBS. These included the
5-speed gearbox and clutch, the seats, and the wheels and
hubs. And, to accommodate wider tyres, the Mk. 2 had subtle
changes made to its now slightly flared wheel arch profiles, and
it boasted power steering as standard equipment.
Although the primary reason at the time for all this parts
sharing was to keep production costs down, one undoubted
benefit of upgrading the DB6 with newer DBS components was
a significant improvement of the DB6’s driving experience. More
comfortable seating, a lighter clutch with easier gear selection,
wider wheels and tyres providing better road holding and
easier power steering were all significant improvements over
the earlier DB6, so much so that the Mk. 2 could easily have
been named the DB7. But doing that might have shifted the
spotlight away from the DBS, which probably wouldn’t have
been a smart move.
Both the coupé and Volante versions of the DB6 Mk.2 are rare,
with just 245 and 38 built respectively, the latter over a period
of just one year. A few Mk.2s – one of them being the hardtop
coupé featured here – were powered by the optional Vantage
engine with its triple Weber 45 DCOE carburettors replacing
the standard SU carbs and compression raised from 8.9:1 to
9.4:1 to give a claimed 325bhp – 43bhp up on the standard
engine’s output.
Providing yet more temptation for customers of the era was
the Volante version’s roof, which was both raised and lowered
by hydraulic pumps and electric motors. But despite such
enticement late 1970 saw the last DB6 Mk. 2 Volante produced,
and, due to what turned out to be unnecessary apprehension
about potential forthcoming safety legislation concerning
convertible cars, Aston Martin subsequently managed
without an open-topped model until the carburettor’d V8
Volante of 1977.
So, that’s story behind the DB6 Mk.2, but what about now?
Well, shortly after my drive in the 2010 Rapide (see following
feature) I was lucky enough to get behind the wheel of the
Vantage-engined Mk. 2 coupé. Needless to say, the Rapide and
DB6 have four decades of development between them, so they
make chalk and cheese almost seem like the same thing, but
you don’t need DVD screens, a 1,000-watt stereo and 470bhp to
experience involvement, driving satisfaction and pleasure.