It was the company's 1987 acquisition by Ford which ensured the future of Aston Martin and the former's takeover of Jaguar two years later which made possible the revival of the DB line, dormant since the end of DB6 production in 1970. Jaguar's axed XJ-S replacement - the XJ41 - was deemed more suitable as an 'entry level' Aston Martin and work on the project commenced towards the end of 1991, responsibility for the final design being given to Tom Walkinshaw's JaguarSport company.
Brilliantly styled by Ian Callum in a manner reminiscent of the traditional Aston Martin, the body was notable for employing numerous composite-material panels in its construction. The chosen engine was a 3.2-litre version of the twin-cam, four-valves-per-cylinder AJ-6 unit that had replaced the venerable XK in Jaguar's saloon range. This was endowed with a suitable power output courtesy of a water-cooled Eaton supercharger. The result was 335bhp and a top speed of 160mph, a performance that put the DB7