By the mid-80s, Ford had grown into an enormous empire. One thing the American giant didn’t have, though, was a great deal of class, especially in the European luxury and sports sector. But rather than establish a new brand as Toyota had with Lexus, Ford preferred to purchase down-at-heel European brands. The first was Aston Martin in 1988, followed by Jaguar the following year. Keen to capitalise on its investment, Ford wanted new sports models from both, which were to arrive close to each other in time, and even closer in concept.
Aston Martin DB7
The first to arrive was the Aston Martin DB7. Although it went on sale in 1994, its origins went much further back.
In 1980, Jaguar’s chief engineer, Jim Randle, realised that if there was a…
