Fitment: DBS, similar upgrades available for: DB4, DB5, DB6 and DB6 Mk2

The DBS was designed to take the all-new Tadek Marek designed V8 engine, however with development on that unit taking longer than expected the DBS was originally released with the tried-and-tested straight-6 unit from the DB6. The Vantage-spec engine was again offered, this time as a no-cost option; the slightly larger and heavier DBS benefitted from the increase in performance Vantage engines offered.

All DBS Vantage engines used the VC specification from the DB6, with triple Weber 45 DCOE carburettors, higher-lift inlet cams, and a higher compression ratio than the standard engine. As all DBS engine numbers carried a /S suffix, the Vantage engines were denoted by /SVC numbers.

Aston Workshop are able to carry out -specification upgrades to your DBS engine. Vantage-spec engines use a standard block, therefore we are able to reuse your original block for the sake of originality. Often, original Aston Martin straight-6 blocks show heavy corrosion once stripped, as well as unacceptable cracks towards the main bearings; if that is the case, we can either repair your original block or supply a brand new in-house developed block that is visually identical to an original but with a number of internal improvements. More details on our in-house produced blocks can be found here.

To carry out an upgrade to Vantage (/SVC) specification, we will first strip, clean and inspect your current engine. Your cylinder head will then be machined to achieve a perfect match to the block and an increased compression ratio. Fitment of triple Weber 45 DCOE carburettors requires some changes to the throttle linkage as well as various other changes within the engine bay. All of these modifications are carried out, before the engine is reassembled and tested on our dynamometer.

We can carry out the upgrade of your DBS engine to Vantage specification either by having your car here at the workshop, or on a 'crate' basis where you ship the engine, we carry out the conversion and ship it back to you. Depending on your personal preference we can also fit Vantage badging to your car, while our modern gearbox options (click here for manual or automatic) transform the car even further.

To enquire about any of our enhancements and upgrades, or to discuss a bespoke solution for your car, contact our workshop team at astonworkshop@aston.co.uk or +44 (0) 1207 233 525.