Some going back into production haven't been made in 50 years.
Aston Martin has announced that it will start producing major components for the company's decades-old cars. This means owners of vehicles like the DB4, DB5, and DB6 among others will be able to purchase all-new, period-correct engine blocks, cylinder heads, gearboxes, and much more. Aston says that in some cases the parts it's now producing haven't been made in 50 years.
It feels like this is the year of the Aston, as the company not only celebrates its 110th birthday but also debuts its new generation of sports cars. This has led to many special editions like the DBS 770 Ultimate being announced with more yet to come, and now it seems the company wants to bring the excitement to its classic Aston crowd with news that is sure to make classic restoration shops happy.
The project was sparked by the Aston Martin Continuation Program taking inventory of the old parts available and the ones that hadn’t been produced in decades. The Continuation Program is Aston’s exciting in-house branch that is making new versions of classic cars like the DB4 GT and Goldfinger DB5 complete with all the gadgets.
We assume the company came to a rude awakening during the process, realizing that if it wasn’t able to get parts then owners around the world certainly weren’t able to. This led to the company reaching out to trusted manufacturers with plans to recreate parts to their decades-old exact specifications.
“Working with the exceptional engineers both here and at Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters, key parts suppliers were tasked with developing these new components,” said Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works. “The heritage department at gearbox supplier ZF, for instance, was invaluable in helping to recreate original specification gearboxes – making these parts available for the first time since the early 1970s.”
This means owners needing to replace parts on their old cars now have the peace of mind that the parts will work to factory specifications, with no need to take risks or find workarounds.
Aston Martin isn’t the first, nor will it be the last manufacturer that has taken a keen interest in the upkeep and refurbishment of the company’s cherished classic cars. A few years ago, Mazda launched the Restoration Parts Program to help its owners keep their beloved NA Miatas on the road and even offered a full factory restoration for a lucky few. Porsche also recently announced they’re going to start making engine parts for classic 911s to go with the catalog of parts it already makes.
Manufacturers want to see their classic cars survive just as much as the owners who cherish them do, so their happy to recreate the classic parts to keep them on the road. Just know whatever you buy, it won’t come cheap.
Keyword: Aston Martin To Start Producing Classic Parts