The car that would become the DB7 began its gestation in 1991. Developed entirely under the ownership of Ford, this new smaller Aston Martin was intended to add a new higher-volume strand to Aston Martin's range, and when the good-looking car was launched in 1993 it soon became obvious that this was sound policy. The straight-six-powered coupe was an instant hit and sold well. A cabriolet version followed soon afterwards, and in 1998 Project Vantage - a V12 version of the car was unveiled. In 2002 the range was joined by two special editions - the Vantage Zagato and the GT. When production of the DB7