Doug Demuro reviewed the early Vanquish on YouTube, and watching it was amazing how many pieces are x100 and x308.

https://youtu.be/gqaLzGcz354

I don't know annoy you all but I identified the following:

The mirror adjustment, window switches, climate panel, switch below the climate panel, the exterior mirrors, the gauge cluster message center and the buttons associated (the miles kilometers switch is in it), the fuel door and boot release switches, turn signal and wiper stalks, and exterior door handles are common with the x100 and x308. That funny navigation radio is an X308 Jaguar navigation radio and it's trash lol.

The interior is parts bin in a lot of ways and I have to say is much more cohesive in the Jaguars. It's also more acceptable in 70-90k cars than 222k ones.

 

What you're saying is all true. The Aston Martin DB7 is just as bad, except everything in there is XJS, and under the hood is a de-stroked XJR supercharged six.

 

 

The rear suspension in the first gen Vanquish was taken from the S-Type

 

The amount of parts sharing with Jaguars on what was the Top of the Line, $220k Aston of the time, is astonishing.

 

EDIT: Whoops, delete please, wrong forum

GT cars of this era are not appreciated much. I have a unique perspective and experience. I own an XJS with a 6 speed and Porsche 928 with a 5 speed. The 928 is fine but compared to the XJS it's like walking around with a pedal in your shoe. The 928 is noisy, gruff, all sorts of mechanical noises and vibrations. It does have it's charms as it is a lot more direct. The XJS 6 speed is serine by comparison yet extremely quick and I think it could hang with the Porsche deep into triple digit speeds. Odd thing is the 928 does feel so much more spacious inside despite being a much smaller car. This is becasue the rear mounted transmission allows the center console to be very narrow. This enables copious amount of leg room. Point is, if Jaguar made more XJS with 5 speeds they'd be one of the greatest cars of all time and just as highly desired as a 928 5 speed. The V12 is so hindered by the 3 speed auto TH400. IMHO using that transmission exclusively was a mistake.

 

Ics, I'm glad they didn't delete. Interesting write up. Thanks, John

 

Fun thread- also saw the video last week and agree that (hopefully no bias) that the Jags seem to pull off the parts bin integration much better. Noting that it's a lot of Ford bits too!

 

Am I the only guy that's annoyed that the XK8/XKRs are better styled and more powerful but sell for less than the equivalent Aston Martin, especially since the cars are otherwise very similar?

 

 

just for fun ask the question a different way. would most of us own such a nice car if it cost as much as an Aston Martin whether due to our ability to justify the expense or actually afford it.

gets better, my client/friend has a very nice DB7 and a DB9. he has driven my car on many occasions including borrowing it for a weekend; he likes it much better even with the auto trans. who has the bigger smile? and within reason we are not as afraid to use our cars.

 

I'm kind of amused by it, to be honest. Top Gear once pointed out that this has been a constant throughout history; witness the E-Type being both cheaper and more advanced than, say, the DB5, with the Aston still sticking with a live rear axle when the E-Type had already gone to IRS.

 

 

Rarity, brand image, the usual.

 

Tyler Hover recently bought a DB7 and alludes to how Ian Callum - then of TWR - tweaked Jaguar's design to herald Aston's comeback under Ford:
Indeed, Hover seems to have more appreciation for Jaguars than Mr. Demuro. And Hover's more self-deprecating nature – as well as his Jensen Interceptor worthy wardrobe - probably would make him more welcome in Coventry :

 

Back when their engines were hand assembled and the valve covers were signed by the engine builder, I could understand it. And V12 over V8 I could understand. But Ford era V6 over supercharged V8 I don't get.....

 

Not a V6, a 3.2L straight-six straight out of the Jaguar parts bin. In fact it was basically an XJR AJ16 with the crankshaft from the 3.2L engine rather than the full 4 liters that the XJR had. As for the styling, this article shows you that Ian Callum (who had been at TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing) rather than TVR (a smaller sports car maker)) basically Aston-ified the prototype F-Type designs of Keith Helfet (who later did the XJ220). https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/jaguar/xj4142/