About my favorite car, the Aston Martin DB6 Volante

The Aston Martin DB6 is a grand tourer made by British car manufacturer Aston Martin. Produced from September 1965 to January 1971, the DB6 has the longest production run to date of any Aston Martin model. The DB6 succeeded the popular Aston Martin DB5 and featured improved aerodynamics and specification over its predecessor.
Introduced at the 1965 London Motor Show, the DB6 was already a dated design, sharing a large resemblance to its predecessor, the DB5; with the most noticeable differences being its wheelbase, side profile, split front and rear bumpers and rear panels incorporating the Kammback tail rear end. The tail, combined with the relocated rear-axle and the 3.75-inch (95 mm) lengthened wheelbase, provided more stability at high speed. Performance was satisfactory: road-tests of the day observed top speed of the Vantage model between 145 mph to 148 mph, with intrepid and fearless John Bolster aboard a Vantage spec DB6 reaching a two-way average of 152 mph.
Other highlights include adopting front-door quarter windows, an oil-cooler air scoop low on the front valance, quarter-bumpers at each corner, revised tail-lamp clusters; additionally the spoiler with the luggage capacity affected overall proportions of the DB6, to an increased length approximately two inches.
A convertible body style was also offered, as per Aston tradition, called the DB6 Volante, this was first introduced at the 1966 London Motor Show. The DB6 Volante preceeded the earlier (1965–1966) Volantes which were built on the last of the DB5 chassis' and were known as "short chassis" Volantes. Of the later DB6 Volantes just 140 were built, including 29 high-output Vantage Volante versions, highly prized by collectors.

source: The Observer's Book of Automobiles; Motorweek: Aston DB6: the end of the road; Chris Harvey and The Oxford Illustrated Press, Ltd, Aston Martin and Lagonda

*Portrait by Tom Haynes ©all rights reserved