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David Brown bought the Aston Martin factory in 1947. The factory had already passed into other hands. The famous brand paid an important role in the racing world, but the cars were difficult to sell. The take-over purchase by David brought a reversal for the British brand, which appeals to everyone’s imagination nowadays. The first DB "David Brown" Aston Martin was the DB1 from 1948, which was fitted with a rather dismal four-cylinder engine. The DB2 from 1950 brought the magic on which the brand was to build. The engines were designed by W.O. Bentley, who was working for Lagonda, another enterprise of Browns’. The enormous six-cylinder in-line engines had two overhead camshafts, and were provided with two, and later three SU carburettors. The engine of the DB2 and its successor DB2/4 had a capacity of 2580 and 2922 cc respectively; the engine in the DB5 and the DB6 models that followed already had a cylinder capacity of 3995 cc and a standard 282 horsepower. The latter models had special ‘Vantage’ versions with a capacity of 314 and 325 hp. The DB5 made Aston Martin instantly world-famous as James Bond’s car. Everyone who saw the Bond films will remember the DB5 with the movable bullet-proof shield, the extending knock-offs that sawed the bad guy’s car in two, but especially the sound that sent shivers of excitement up your spine. The Aston Martin Virage Volante was introduced in 1992 as open top version of the Aston Martin Virage. The first series of the Virage Volante were equipped with the standard 330 bhp. Virage V8 engine. The second series was given a more powerful 349 bhp. engine version. The second series was also updated on some interior details, front wing vents were added and the 16" wheels were replaced by 5 spoke 17" alloy wheels. Aluminium V8
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