2001 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Volante

This sublime looking DB7 Vantage Volante was supplied new to its first owner by Lancaster Aston Martin of Reading in June of 2001. Despite the DB7 being the first of the “higher volume” Astons, only 1,786 of this model rolled out of Bloxham between 1999 and 2003.

With just four previous, lucky, owners to date current keeper Paul acquired this beauty at a Bonhams Cars Online auction in June 2023, to become the car’s fifth keeper. Since that time the Volante has covered little more than 1,200 further miles bringing today’s total to a decidedly modest 42,340.
 

The first thing to strike one when getting an eyeful of this particular Aston Martin is its superb and lesser seen livery. Presenting in gleaming Chiltern Green Metallic with a complementary hued green roof, this example offers a visual antidote to less inspired silver, black or variations of grey liveried iterations. Tom Walkinshaw had commissioned a then unproven Ian Callum to pen his project “XX” and this impressively ageless automotive design immediately ensured Callum’s place in the top echelon of the car design world. 

The design language is punctuated with familiar Aston tropes, such as the metal side strakes, distinctively shaped front grill, and side plate sized driving lamps. This Aston Martin offers up road presence by the bucket load, make no mistake. The distinctive colour almost conveys a liquid quality which flows effortlessly over the curvaceous steel shell.

Our Volante rides on 18-inch, ten spoke Aston Martin alloy wheels. These present very well overall with just the odd chip and minor scrape noted. The open spoke design of the wheels allows a view of the Aston Martin monogrammed brake callipers which are finished in a dark grey.

The green hood looks to be in great shape with just the usual and unavoidable fold marks noted. This is complete with a heated glass rear screen and is, of course, electrically operated deploying in around 20 seconds or so. It’s a good colour, too, somehow bringing to mind Robin Hood’s tunic... or is that just us?
 

With Callum in watchful attendance, no doubt, the DB7’s interior was the work of 29-year old designer Neil Simpson (who retired from Aston Martin just a few weeks ago). Simpson managed to utilise Aston’s greatest interior hits of Connolly leather, burr walnut and Wilton carpet without being in any way anachronistic.

Our car’s cabin is generously finished in Parchment hides with green piping, dark green carpets and plentiful accents of Forest Green leather to the dashboard and centre console. Much like the exterior treatment of the car, everything in here seems surprisingly contemporary, pristine, and luxurious yet sporting in equal measure.

The high-backed sports seats feature deep and supportive bolsters and high-quality double needle stitching to the panel peripheries. The seat backs showcase subtly embossed Aston Martin emblems. The rear seats are distinctly of the “token” variety and perhaps best suited for additional luggage or friendly and loyal canine companions if required. They are, of course, nicely presented and every bit as exquisitely trimmed as the fronts.

Thanks to a compact hood design, a decent sized boot – for this type of car – is present and is nicely fitted with obligatory warning triangle, tools and tyre repair paraphernalia. We note that the boot’s removable floor panel has... been removed never to return. By way of compensation, however, a boxed Aston Martin “Accident Witness Kit” is somewhat pessimistically included. 
 

The DB7 Vantage in both coupe and Volante variants marked the first outing for the Aston Martin / Ford / Cosworth developed 6-litre V12 engine. Originally based on Ford’s high-tech Duratec 3-litre V6, this powerhouse was way more than two V6’s simply slapped together. The five-year development period bore witness to that. Originally designed to sell alongside the DB7’s original supercharged straight six variants, the V12 was so good it effectively replaced its predecessor almost immediately. The V12 churned out 420bhp and 400 Ib-ft of torque and, according to Autocar at the time, “only Lamborghini makes a V12 that sounds better.” In this example the big V12 is mated to a ZF 5HP30 five-speed automatic transmission.

The under bonnet presentation is very good indeed and entirely original looking. The dominant features are the 12 sperate inlet tracts feeding the Aston Martin V12 emblazoned alloy plenums. All expected data plates and workshop reminders appear present and correct. The underside of the Volante appears leak free and in a condition commensurate with the car’s age and mileage.
 

There is a pleasing level of background verifying paperwork included with this DB7 Vantage. The V5 registration document is, of course, present together with the current, advisory free MoT in hard copy. The latter shows validity until the end of April 2026. Numerous earlier MoT hard copies are also present, tracking this car’s linear and modest mileage progression.

The included service booklet features no less than 19 stamps covering mileages from 110 to 40,773. The services have been performed by a mix of Aston Martin dealers and renowned specialists such as the Splined Hub and the Runnymede Motor Company. The remainder of the archive consists of numerous invoices providing the detail and significant spend behind those plentiful service stamps.
 

The DB7 is oft referred to as the “car that saved Aston Martin.” It is hard to establish a definitive truth behind that bold statement, but it was certainly the start of the company taking a different, more thoughtful, better sustainable approach to sports car manufacture. 

With its exclusive Bloxham built lineage, XJS steel underpinnings and debuting of the monster V12 engine, there is no doubting this as a truly watershed model for the esteemed marque. And that it happened at all was mostly down to a formerly retired poacher turned gamekeeper. Nice work Walter!

This DB7 Vantage Volante is a delightful example of this exalted model, too. It offers a livery to drool over and a condition which seems to belie its age. With 19 stamps in its service book and a blizzard of invoices in its file, it has clearly enjoyed a pampered, low mileage life across a low number of empathetic keepers. With all that said, what are you waiting for? Clearly the perfect Aston Martin for the, no doubt, sweltering summer that awaits us.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £18,000 - £23,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.