Aston DB7 V12 Vantage Volante
£35,500 Top money for a DB7, but aside from a couple of niggles this is up there with the best available,
This is on the pricey side for a DB7, even for a V12 Volante. It is, however, among the best on offer, not just for its excellent condition but also for its mileage of 35,466, which may be considered low, but not so low that it just hasn’t been used. There are a couple of areas to address but correcting them shouldn’t be prohitively expensive.
From hot or cold this Aston starts up perfectly and settles to a nice even idle. Setting off, we did notice that the handbrake warning lamp doesn’t extinguish, even when the fly-off handbrake is released. The engine pulls strongly though, with the gearbox shifting as it should and delivering a prompt kickdown when in fully automatic mode. The car rides with ease over bumps, with no untoward noises or vibrations, though we did detect a tendency to veer to the left. The brakes pull up the car well, with good pedal feel, and despite hot weather we saw no signs of the engine overheating.
The bodywork is in fantastic condition, with only a few tiny surface scratches; it’s arguably better than you’d expect even with a mileage this low. The navyblue hood is in great condition too, and operates as it should, rising up and down electronically once two clips on the windscreen are opened. The alloy wheels are also in great shape, wearing a set of Michelin Pilot Sport tyres which are all dated 2013 and have decent tread.
The cream and blue leather interior is in smart order with only the driver’s seat showing any age, manifested in some minor creasing. The leather panels around the transmission tunnel and on the bottom of the doors would benefit from a good clean. Needing restorative attention however is the wooden panelling that stretches across the top of the dash; the wood itself is fine, but it is separating from the rest of dash slightly on the corner close to the driver and needs sticking down again. The selling dealer says it may address this. We found all the equipment to be working well, including all of the dials and dashboard functions.
This car boasts a very tidy and freshlooking engine bay, with not even a sign of historic leaks, let alone current ones. What’s more, all of the bodywork surrounding the engine is in great shape too. The service book shows 14 services, all of which have been at Aston Martin franchises or specialists, while the car’s old MOT certificates and tax discs also accompany the car. We did find the air-conditioning wasn’t running quite ice-cold, though it was clearly working, so a re-gas of the system may be due. Other than the rogue handbrake light however, there are no faults to report.
The car comes with all its original literature, including a service book that is stamped as it should be, by Aston Martin franchises and independent specialists. A large history file with invoices shows that the car was fitted with an aftermarket exhaust in 2012. This looks a good offering for those with exacting standards.