Guide: Aston Martin V8 Vantage V540
Background
Aston Martin had offered a Vantage option on the DB2, DB4, DB5, DB6 and DBS, all of which were powered by the firm’s revered straight six engine.
Work on a V8 to replace the straight six began in the mid 1960s; the new engine first broke cover in a pair of works Lola T70 Mk3 GTs campaigned at the 1967 Le Mans. The cars proved quick, but neither lasted beyond the four hour mark.
The V8 finally made it into production in January 1970 when it was fitted to the DBS which, although designed to accommodate the new engine from the outset, had been produced for the first couple of years with the ageing straight six motor.
When the DBS V8 did arrive, Aston Martin were in possession of the fastest four-seat car on the market.
Tentative plans for a Vantage iteration of the V8 engine had been made as far back as 1968. In 1969, a V8 taken out to 384bhp was plumbed into a DBS development mule (chassis DBS/5002/R). However, it would be another eight years before such a potent engine was offered for sale.
By this time, Aston Martin Lagonda (AML) was on its second set of owners since David Brown.
The early 1970s had been a tumultuous time for luxury auto makers; a global economic downturn and far-reaching labour reforms meant firms in all kinds of industries were struggling.
Aston Martin had not been profitable for several years and, when problems arose in his other firms, David Brown put AML up for sale. A buyer was found in Company Developments which had a diverse portfolio of investments but no prior experience of car manufacturing.
The deal was completed in January 1972 and, in April, the facelifted Aston Martin V8 was launched.
Unfortunately, the economic climate worsened over the next couple of years; the Oil Crisis of 1973-1974 resulted in massive fuel price rises that killed demand for gas guzzlers.
By late 1974, Company Developments were themselves in financial trouble and, on December 31st 1974, AML was placed into administration. Production stopped there and then, although the still profitable Customer Service Department remained open.
Fortunately, in June 1975, an offer for the firm was accepted from a multinational consortium led by American Peter Sprague and Canadian George Minden. Both were Aston Martin Owners Club members. Sprage and Minden were soon joined by Brits Alan Curtis and Denis Flather.
Re-organising the company’s affairs took some time but, by the spring of 1976, production had resumed.
In addition to the existing V8, the new owners sanctioned development of three new models: the spectacular four door Lagonda (launched October 1976), the highly anticipated V8 Vantage (February 1977) and the open top V8 Volante (June 1978).
The V8 Vantage prototype (chassis V8/11470/RCAC) was developed throughout 1976. Aston Martin initially conceived the model as an after-market upgrade to be carried out by the service department at Newport Pagnell but, after the first two examples had been completed, the decision was made to offer it as a standalone flagship.
Engine & Gearbox
At the heart of the new model was a comprehensively uprated version of Aston Martin’s V540 power unit.
An all-alloy 90° V8, it featured dual overhead camshafts and two valves per cylinder. Displacement was the same 5340cc as the rest of the range thanks to a bore and stroke of 100mm and 85mm respectively.
The Vantage engine used the big valve head that had been developed for the Lagonda saloon.
Because the Lagonda had incorporated a smaller, flatter airbox and a revised intake manifold in order to fit underneath the car’s ultra low profile hood, a new big valve head had been developed to restore the lost power and torque.
The Vantage engine combined the Lagonda head with new high lift camshafts, new inlet and exhaust manifolds, polished and enlarged inlet ports, a bigger airbox with larger diameter inlet trunking and new spark plugs.
Pistons were standard but machined to allow clearance for the bigger valves.
The distributor was remapped with a different advance curve.
Four new Weber 48 IDF3 downdraught carburettors replaced the 42 DCNF type usually fitted and the compression ratio was upped from 9.0:1 to 9.25:1.
Lucas OPUS electronic ignition was retained.
Peak power went from 310bhp at 6000rpm to 375bhp at 5800rpm. Similarly, the torque rating was considerably improved with 380lb-ft at 4000rpm compared to 320lb-ft at 6000rpm for the standard motor.
Transmission was via the familiar ZF five-speed manual gearbox, a Borg & Beck single dry-plate clutch and Powr-Lok limited-slip differential. An automatic gearbox option was not offered.
Chassis
The Vantage was based on the same steel platform chassis as the standard V8 to which handcrafted aluminium body panels were attached. A 2610mm wheelbase ensured there was plenty of space to accommodate four passengers in comfort.
The suspension was uprated with stiffer adjustable Koni dampers, shorter springs that lowered the ride height and a thicker front anti-roll bar.
As per the standard V8, the suspension layout comprised independent double wishbones at the front with a De Dion rear axle located by parallel trailing arms and a Watts linkage.
Ventilated 10.75-inch front and 10.38-inch rear discs brakes were carried over (inboard at the rear).
New grooved and hardened pads reduced fade and improved bite.
Power-assisted steering was once again standard but increased castor angles gave better feel.
New Pirelli tyres were fitted to the familiar five-bolt GKN Kent 15 x 7 light alloy wheels. Spacers widened the front track by 20mm.
Fuel tank capacity was enlarged from 95.4-litres to 113.6-litres.
Bodywork
Cosmetically, the Vantage was a more aggressive interpretation of the Aston Martin V8 as launched in April 1972.
It came with a number of wind tunnel-refined enhancements that resulted in 10% less drag and almost zero lift. The result was a car that was more controllable at very high speeds.
At the front was a deep chin spoiler and three-piece blanking plate for the grille; air was instead brought in under the bumper through the spoiler.
Cibie spot lights were mounted within the grille aperture and a bigger power bulge was added to cover the larger airbox.
Aston Martin fitted a rear spoiler to increase downforce and stability.
Interior
Inside, the Vantage was practically identical to the standard V8.
It featured a leather covered three spoke steering wheel behind which were large read outs for engine and road speed along with a small oil pressure gauge in between. Off to either side were more small read outs for oil pressure, water temperature, fuel and battery condition.
A clock was housed in a central cowl between the electric window switches.
The front seats tilted forward for easy access to the rear quarters.
Air-conditioning was standard along with full leather upholstery.
Weight / Performance
Weight was unchanged from the standard V8 at 1727kg but performance was dramatically improved.
Top speed went from 162mph to 173mph and the 0-62mph time dropped from 5.7 seconds to 5.3 seconds.
The Vantage was the fastest production car available at the time.
Production
Vehicles produced between May 1977 and December 1977 are commonly referred to as Series 1 derivatives. 16 were built, all of which had their ‘bolt-on’ rear spoilers added after production. Hood scoops were blanked off with another ‘bolt-on’ component.
The first four cars featured Plexiglas headlight covers, small five-inch Cibie spot lights and the thicker front anti-roll bar. Subsequent examples did without the Plexiglas covers and used larger seven-inch spot lights in addition to the front-anti-roll bar from the regular V8.
Of the first 16 Vantages built, 14 were right-hand drive and two were left-hand drive.
Series 1B
The next batch of cars produced from December 1977 to September 1978 are often designated Series 1B.
They came with a rear spoiler than was smoothly integrated with the body and a hood scoop that was welded shut during the fabrication process.
23 were built, 16 in right-hand drive and seven in left-hand drive.
Additionally, from early 1978, eleven Vantage Cosmetics were built for the USA and Canada. These cars used standard engines but were otherwise to full Vantage specification.
Although a V8 Volante was introduced in June 1978, Aston Martin initially refused to offer the Vantage in open top form owing to safety concerns.
Series 2
The Series 2 Vantage was built from October 1978 to March 1980.
It used the less pronounced rear spoiler and neater smoothed out bonnet introduced on the revamped V8 that arrived in October 1978.
Other enhancements included leather instead of vinyl on the dash, leather instead of cloth headliner, a longer centre console and an improved air-conditioning system. Burr walnut door caps were added to the options list.
44 Series 2 Vantages were built: 35 in right-hand drive and nine in left-hand drive.
One of the left-hand drive examples was a Vantage Cosmetic destined for the USA.
One of the right-hand drive examples was built with a Chrysler Torqueflite four-speed automatic gearbox for AML director, Denis Flather.
Flather wanted to demonstrate the Chrysler unit could handle the torque on offer.
Unfortunately, the boffins at Aston Martin were unconvinced and customers would have to wait until late 1987 to purchase such a car themselves.
End of Production
From March 1980, the V540 Vantage was replaced by the improved V580 unit which stayed in production until October 1989.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Aston Martin - https://www.astonmartin.com & Nicholas Mee - https://www.nicholasmee.co.uk/
