The Secret in James Bond's Engine
There is a wonderful and slightly awkward secret at the heart of the modern Aston Martin. For years, the company has cultivated an image of bespoke, blue-blooded, British excellence. The soul of that image has been its magnificent V12 engine. The problem is, this quintessentially British heart isn't entirely British at all. If you scratch beneath the surface, you'll find that its DNA is about as exotic as a Ford Mondeo.
A Tale of Two V6s
The story begins in the 1990s. Aston Martin, now safely under Ford ownership, needed a world-class engine for its next generation of cars. Ford's accountants had a much cleverer and cheaper idea than a clean-sheet design. They looked at their excellent 3.0-liter Duratec V6 engine, found in countless sensible family saloons, and had a thought: what would happen if we just glued two of them together?
Of course, it was rather more complicated than that. Ford handed the project to Cosworth, who took the architectural plans for two Duratec V6s and merged them onto a single crankshaft to create a 6.0-liter V12. While the basic architecture remained pure Ford, Aston Martin and Cosworth threw serious money at the details. Bespoke cylinder heads, sophisticated induction systems, and electronic management that would make a space shuttle jealous.
The result was a masterpiece of pragmatic genius. Here was a proper V12 that produced magnificent noise and huge amounts of power. And because its basic design was shared with an engine built in the millions, it was also surprisingly reliable. You could own an Aston Martin without needing your own personal mechanic.
The Mondeo in Your Masterpiece
For the next two decades, this brilliant mongrel became the heart of the entire Aston Martin range. It powered the DB9, the Vanquish, the V12 Vantage, and the four-door Rapide. With each new model, it was tweaked and tuned for ever more power, but underneath, that humble Ford DNA remained.
This is a source of great, secret joy for specialist engine rebuilders. When a multi-millionaire's Vanquish needs new connecting rods, they don't always have to visit Aston Martin and pay a fortune. With a bit of know-how, they can find the exact same part in a catalogue for a Mazda people carrier. It is glorious, deeply amusing parts-bin excellence.
The Reality of "Bespoke"
This sort of thing happens constantly in the car industry. The idea that every component of a luxury car is unique, hand-carved by a man called Arthur, is romantic fantasy. The reality is that reliable, affordable cars need to share parts with more common vehicles. The brake pads on a V8 Vantage are the same ones you'll find on a Chevrolet Corvette.
But the Aston Martin V12 is the ultimate expression of this philosophy. Here was a car marketed on its British, bespoke image, yet its heart was clever American mass-production know-how. And that doesn't make it any less brilliant. In fact, it's what makes it so clever.
The Perfect Compromise
The engine gives you the sound, the power, and the soul of a thoroughbred V12, with the dependability of a Ford. It's an engine that can survive British weather, British roads, and British mechanics, while still providing the sort of performance that embarrasses Italians.
You really can't ask for more than that.
