May 12

May 12 Guide: Into the 80s - a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the Aston Martin V8 V580

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BACKGROUND

The 1970s was a tumultuous time for Aston Martin which, owing to the effects of multiple ownership changes, poor trading conditions and labour reforms, seemed to lurch from one crisis to another.

Having saved both Aston Martin and Lagonda from the brink of extinction shortly after World War 2, renowned British industrialist David Brown put the by now combined outfit (known as Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.) up for sale in late 1971.

Brown’s high profile car building division had not been profitable for several years and although the timing could not have been much worse with Aston having recently been frozen out of the lucrative US market because of its failure to meet Federal emissions and safety standards, a buyer was found in Company Developments which had a diverse portfolio of investments but no prior experience of car manufacturing.

The transfer of ownership was completed in April 1972. However, things rapidly got much worse for Aston Martin (along with every other gas guzzling car builder) when in October 1973 an Oil Crisis hit caused by war in the Middle East.

In response to the USA's support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War when Egypt and Syria (with the support of other Arab nations) had begun a military campaign to regain Arab territories lost during the 1967 Six Day War (when Egypt, Syria and Jordan had been the aggressors), Arab OPEC members announcing an embargo on oil sales to the USA, UK, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands.

Oil prices rose exponentially and remained at elevated levels for the next two years.

Sales of high end motor cars plummeted overnight and although Aston Martin had just managed to regain access to the US market, on December 31st 1974 the company was placed into administration.

Production at the Newport Pagnell factory stopped, but the still profitable Customer Service Department remained open.

In June 1975, Aston Martin’s administrators accepted an offer from a multinational consortium headed by American, Peter Sprague, and Canadian, George Minden, both of whom were long-standing Aston Martin Owners Club members. Soon after the deal was rubber stamped, Sprague and Minden were joined by Brits, Alan Curtis and Denis Flather.

Re-establishing the company’s affairs took some time, but the new consortium were in a position to start production again a few months later.

Importantly, the ambitious new owners sanctioned the development of three new models to join the existing V8 Coupe: an exciting wedge-styled four-door Lagonda was given the green light along with an open top V8 Volante and the monstrously powerful V8 Vantage (which would initially only be available as a Fixed Head).

Production of the V8 Vantage began in February 1977 and the V8 Volante followed in June 1978. After an extended development programme, the incredible four-door Lagonda came on stream in late 1978.

During this period, improvements had also been made to US-market variants while in the background Aston’s engineers had been working on an updated iteration of the existing V540 engine which would allow the company to streamline production.

The resultant V580 engine went into production during March 1980.

ENGINE / TRANSMISSION

Perhaps most significantly, the V580 engine enabled Aston Martin to adopt a common base specification across its range of V8 models which meant it was only a matter of selecting the appropriate camshafts and carburettors to build a V8, Vantage or Lagonda engine.

The V580 power unit came with a new Lagonda-style cylinder head. It featured bigger valves, uprated camshafts, revised porting and pistons and a higher compression ratio (9.3:1 as opposed to 9.0:1). Although output figures were officially unchanged (310bhp at 6000rpm and 320lb-ft at 6000rpm), these latest generation motors were noticeably quieter than before and offered improved mid-range punch.

As usual, the engine itself was an all-alloy 90° V8 with dual overhead camshafts, two valves per cylinder, wet-sump lubrication, Four Weber 42 DCNF carburettors and Lucas electronic ignition. Displacement was an unchanged 5340cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 100mm and 85mm respectively.

Two gearbox options were offered: a ZF five-speed manual or Chrysler Torqueflite three-speed automatic.

CHASSIS

The V8 was based around a steel platform chassis with 2610mm wheelbase. To reduce flex, the Volante was reinforced with extra box sections added to the sills and beefed-up A-pillars.

A massive 104.3-litre fuel tank was located over the rear axle. .

Suspension was via an independent double wishbone arrangement at the front and a De Dion rear axle located by parallel trailing arms and a Watts linkage. Coil sprung Armstrong shocks were fitted all round along with a front anti-roll bar. Shock settings were specific to each body style.

Dual circuit servo-assisted Girling ventilated discs brakes measured 10.75-inches at the front while the inboard rears were 10.38-inches.

Speed-sensitive power-assisted steering was standard.

GKN alloy wheels of 15 x 7-inches were fitted all round.

BODYWORK

Externally, nothing was changed in the transition from V540 to V580 trim and, despite having been able to trace its origins back to 1972, the V8 remained one of the most handsome grand tourers available on the market.

The front end was characterised by its circular headlights that set within contoured cowls that featured satin black inlays. In between was a trademark Aston Martin-shaped intake with matching satin black mesh grille. The satin black theme continued underneath the full width chromed bumpers where the entire front apron assembly was given a matching finish that matched a broadly similar treatment at the back of the car.

When combined with stainless steel sill covers down each flank, the contrast apron finish lent the V8 a slender and particularly elegant profile.

To accommodate the massive engine, a power bulge was neatly blended onto the hood while cooling was assisted by way of a rectangular vent carved out from the side of each front fender. Further back, long doors meant access to the front and rear quarters was easy.

At the back, the cut-off Kamm-style tail remained.

Although most high end sports car manufacturers had begun to move away from a bright finish for body trim items like door handles, window frames and bumpers (typically in favour of a black or body coloured look), Aston Martin stuck with its more traditional approach.

Whereas the V8 Coupe featured a sloping Fastback design, the V8 Volante came equipped with an electric canvas roof and plastic rear window. A tonneau was supplied to cover the hood when lowered. To incorporate the folding roof, space in the back of the Volante’s cabin and in the trunk was slightly reduced.

INTERIOR

Part of Aston Martin’s unique appeal was that if offered sporting motor cars with interior build quality on a par with anything Rolls-Royce or Bentley had to offer; extensive use of the finest leathers, woods, carpet and plated metals lent an opulent ambience unlike that of a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche.

Located directly behind the three-spoke leather-rimmed steering wheel was an instrument binnacle that housed large read outs for road and engine speed with a small oil pressure gauge in between. Outboard of these were more small dials for water temperature, oil temperature, fuel and battery voltage. The fascia was given a veneered walnut inlay that matched those applied to the rest of the dash, the doors, the gearbox shroud and oddments tray.

The electric window switches were located either side of an analogue clock positioned at the the head of the central control panel, Underneath was the fresh air / heating interface, audio system, a bank of six switches, a cigar lighter and ashtray.

OPTIONS

Optional extras included an electric sunroof for the Coupe and a hardtop for the Volante, Vantage-style Cibie spot lights housed within the front grille, fog lights, bumper overriders, contrast piping, a wood-rimmed Nardi steering wheel, headrests, fabric upholstery, Vantage cosmetics plus a choice of alternative rear axle ratios and audio systems. There was also the aforementioned choice of either a five-speed ZF manual or three-speed Chrysler Torqueflite automatic transmission.

WEIGHT / PERFORMANCE

Weight and performance figures were officially unchanged from the outgoing V540.

The V8 Coupe tipped the scales at 1740kg and had a 155mph top speed. In manual trim, 0-62mph required 6 seconds flat while those with an automatic ‘box required 7.1 seconds.

At 1808kg the V8 Volante came in 68kg heavier. Top speed was 155mph, the manual required 6.4 seconds to hit 62mph and the auto took 7.5 seconds.

USA VERSION

The US version of the V8 featured an unleaded fuel engine with reduced 8.0:1 compression ratio (lowered from 8.5:1 on the outgoing US-spec. V540). Also included as part of the Federal safety and emissions package were beefy 5mph impact bumpers mounted on hydraulic rams and large amber side marker lights.

VICTOR GAUNTLETT & CH INDUSTRIES TAKE CONTROL

Having each initially acquired a 10% stake in Aston Martin during 1980, petrochemicals magnate Victor Gauntlett and Tim Hearley of CH Industries took full control of the company as joint 50:50 owners at the beginning of 1981.

EARLY PRODUCTION CHANGES

During early 1981, Aston Martin updated the V8 with central locking, electric mirrors, electric trunk and filler cap switches and gas struts for the hood.

Cruise control was added to the options list for cars equipped with automatic transmission.

PETER LIVANOS COMES ON BOARD

In September 1983, and with Aston Martin needing a greater level of investment in order to bring an all-new model to market, Victor Gauntlett sold his 50% stake in the company to Greek shipping magnate Peter Livanos. Livanos invested via his venture company ALL Inc. (co-owned by brothers Nick and John Papanicolaou) which also purchased 5% of CH Industries’ stake to become Aston Martin’s majority shareholder.

Victor Gauntlett remained as Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda.

LATER PRODUCTION CHANGES

At the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1983 an updated V8 was unveiled. The most obvious new addition was a switch from GKN to more modern BBS cross-spoke alloy wheels. At the same time, a superior air-conditioning system was introduced along with new badges for the fender vent trims and some new audio systems.

In 1985, a new two-spoke steering wheel was introduced along with a General Motors-sourced tilt-adjust steering column with revised control stalks. A little later, metal-bodied exterior mirrors with black bases replaced the earlier plastic-bodied type with chrome bases.

V8 / V8 VOLANTE THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS

Famously, during 1986 Victor Gauntlett negotiated with EON Productions to see fictional secret agent James Bond return to Aston Martin after a two-movie dalliance with Lotus.

Although by the time the decision was made Aston had launched the V585 version with its fuel-injected engine, the late call led to a problem obtaining vehicles owing to Aston Martin’s 18 month waiting list for new cars. As a consequence, four second-hand V8 Saloons dressed up to the latest appearance were purchased from the used market as they became available.

The first example to be acquired had been equipped with a Webasto-style canvas sunroof. As this was considered beneficial for the lighting of interior shots, the others were similarly modified. All four cars were sent to Aston Martin where they were resprayed and refurbished to match the colour scheme of Victor Gauntlett’s Cumberland Grey over Black Vantage-engined V8 Volante which appeared early on in the film.

In typical 007 fashion, the V8 Coupes were enhanced with a variety of Q-branch modifications carried out by EON Productions’ special effects team.