When it comes to raw V8 power, there aren’t many types of cars that do it better than American muscle cars. The muscle car formula is so associated with America that a lot of enthusiasts feel that manufacturers from other countries can’t beat it. That isn’t the case, though. There is one V8-powered brute that hails from Europe that not only took on the best of 20th-century American muscle but could also beat most of the legends that made the muscle car era great. It managed all that, too, while being a gentlemanly grand tourer that could cross continents in style.
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The Aston Martin V8 Was Britain’s Answer To American Muscle Cars
Britain is perhaps the last country you’d expect to make something with a muscle car feel. But, that’s very much what the Aston Martin V8 has. Often known as the “brute in a suit,” what we now know as the Aston Martin V8 first properly emerged in 1972. It was a development of the earlier DBS V8, which first appeared in 1969. It was the final car to have its development overseen by Sir David Brown, and in many ways, it’s a continuation of his legacy. It’s definitely got a more genteel, grand tourer feel than any American muscle car from the same time. That’s no doubt helped by its gorgeous styling and sumptuously-appointed interior, as well as the existence of the Volante convertible.
As its nickname suggests, though, what powered it was definitely not genteel in the slightest. Every version of the Aston Martin V8 was powered by a 5.3-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine that was built in-house. This produced anywhere from 245 to 310 hp, with the earlier cars generally being more powerful. This power went to the rear wheels through either a 5-speed manual transmission from ZF or a 3-speed automatic transmission from Chrysler.
It Was More Powerful Than Any Small-Block Muscle Car From Its Time
That 310 hp power figure at the apex of its power (around 1973) doesn’t seem very impressive by today’s standards. You can buy family cars these days that have more power than that! What that power did give it, though, was an advantage over virtually all small-block American muscle cars sold in the ’70s.
Some of the most powerful small-block muscle cars you could get in 1973 were the Ford Mustang variants with the Q-Code engine option (266 hp), the Plymouth Duster 340 (240 hp), and the AMC Javelin with the 360 cubic inch V8 (typically rated at 195-220 hp). Even the big-block offerings from around the same time could struggle to match the Aston Martin’s V8 power! The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Super Duty 455 (one of the most powerful big-block muscle cars you could get then) had the same horsepower as the 1973 Aston Martin V8.
There Was A Special Zagato Version
Like many Aston Martin models, it wasn’t that long before the divisive Italian design house Zagato were tasked with styling a distinctive limited-run version of the V8. Only 52 Zagato coupes and 37 Zagato convertibles were ever built, and they had significant differences from the standard Aston Martin V8. They had a shorter wheelbase, were over 370 lbs lighter, had more powerful engines (as much as 430 hp), and were set up for a rawer and more aggressive driving experience. These Zagato models were even claimed to be able to go from 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds and hit a top speed of 186 mph.
It Was Made Famous By The James Bond Franchise
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If there’s any place you’ll know the Aston Martin V8 from, it’s the appearances it’s had in the James Bond franchise. It was originally the car of choice of Dalton’s Bond in The Living Daylights. Starting off as a Volante, the car is “winterized” by Q-branch for Bond’s mission. It then went for a long gap without any appearances, until Daniel Craig’s Bond took it out for a spin again in No Time To Die.
The Aston Martin V8’s appearance in The Living Daylights was actually a big deal, as it was the first time an Aston Martin had appeared in a Bond movie since 1969. Multiple Aston Martin V8s were bought for the movie’s production. They had to be bought off the used market – the decision to use an Aston Martin was made fairly late on in the production process, and there was an 18-month wait list for new cars at the time!
It’s Become Incredibly Valuable
As with many other older Aston Martins, the Aston Martin V8 has reached a point where it’s become a genuinely valuable classic. The days when these cars were cheap are now long gone, and enthusiasts of British cars all over the world want to have one of these now. The average used value of an Aston Martin V8 is now is $179,946. It’s not unheard of to see the best of the best examples sell for over $300,000 or even $400,000 at auction, too. That’s just for the standard car – if you want a Zagato, you may have to pay upwards of half a million dollars. If you’ve got deep enough pockets to buy one of these cars, the investment value alone might be worth it.
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Other European Classics With Muscle Car-Style Power
While the Aston Martin V8 has absolutely earned its status as a European muscle car, it was far from the only one out there. Several automakers tried to make their own attempts at cars that combined European flair with raw, V8 power. These mainly tended to be genteel grand tourers like the Aston Martin V8, or stylish sports cars that could compete with what Ferrari and Lamborghini had to offer. One of them, though, was a proper supercar.
Jensen Interceptor
Another gentleman’s muscle car, the Jensen Interceptor, is perhaps one of the coolest grand tourers ever made by a British manufacturer. A curious hybrid, it combined British luxury with Italian styling and American power. That American powertrain came from Chrysler, and that included huge big-block V8 engines. Earlier cars got a 6.3-liter unit with 270 hp, but later cars got upgraded to a 7.2-liter unit with 305-330 hp. This made it more powerful than the Aston Martin V8.
Iso Grifo
Unless you’re seriously into your European sports cars, you may never have heard of the Iso Grifo. This is a rare Italian sports car that, like the Jensen Interceptor, was powered by American V8s. These V8s came from Ford or Chevrolet, and ranged in size from 5.4 to 7.4 liters. The real powerhouse of the Grifo range was the Chevy 427-powered Grifo 7 Litri, which had a claimed output of 435 hp and a claimed top speed of 180 mph!
De Tomaso Pantera
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The De Tomaso Pantera is the sole car here that could be considered to be a proper supercar. While its origins are in Italy, like the other two cars mentioned above it’s powered by an American V8. De Tomaso’s engine supplier of choice was Ford, and it chose the 4.9-liter 302 V8 or the 5.8-liter Cleveland and Windsor V8. It’s also the car that stuck around the longest on this list. Production of the Pantera started in 1971, and it didn’t end until 1992!
Sources: AMC, Aston Martin, Classic.com, DeTomaso, Ford, Iso, Jensen, Plymouth, Pontiac
