Dear 001,
A number of disgruntled prospective AMV8 buyers are pulling out of UK orders as it becomes clear that the upcoming Jaguar ALC/XK replacement is going to be technically much closer to the Aston than they are willing to accept and not the 911 beater they anticipated. However, logical thinking suggests that Ford was never going to develop an expensive aluminium chassis structure just for a few thousand Astons and the sales of XK's based on a version of this system will outstrip that 10-fold.
Under the skin, chassis, suspension, electronics and engine are all very similar and one supplier told me that even the windscreen is the same for both models, emphasising the closeness. Ford's only concession to both marques is partly unique bodywork (door interior skins are identical for example) and a semi bespoke interior trim.
In order to distance the two models technically, the Aston gets a tuned version of Jaguars 4.3-litre V8 and a transaxel for better power delivery and weight distribution, where the Jag is conventional V8 and manual/auto gearbox. Also, where the Aston has a luggage hold behind the front seats, Jaguar has squeezed in two extra chairs which are completely useless, but apparently "owners like it that way". Yeah, right!
If you want an AMV8, some dealers are only quoting 11-month waits, partly due to the AMV8's price increase from a projected £75K to £80K.
That increase puts it firmly in the territory of some heavy duty metal.
It comes down to this...do you want a fast, elegant cheap-ish V8 coupe with a Jaguar badge on it, or is the evocative name Aston Martin worth an extra £30K to you? Some people in the UK are already voting no with their cheque books.
Mr. Steed