Aston Martin VB6

The Aston Martin VB6 is a legendary 2.6-litre to 3.0-litre dual-overhead-cam inline-six designed by W.O. Bentley. It was primarily used in the classic Feltham-era DB2, DB2/4 and Mark II as well as early race cars.

Originally developed from the Lagonda 2.6 saloon introduced in 1948, the VB6 underwent a series of capacity increases throughout its production life. David Brown purchased both Lagonda and Aston Martin and united the engine with a new ladder chassis to create the DB2, initially a 2.6-litre producing 105 bhp. With different camshafts and exhaust systems the engine quickly gained 125 bhp, becoming the Vantage specification.

In 1951 Aston introduced the DB3 race car fitted with triple Weber 35 mm DCO3 carburettors to replace the twin SUs, along with an uprated camshaft specification. Still at 2.6 litres, this engine achieved 182 bhp in period.

By 1953 Aston Martin required yet more power for the DB3S. Three larger Weber 45 DCO3 carburettors, a special twin-plug cylinder head with increased compression, and revised camshafts pushed output to 225 bhp, a remarkable figure for a road-derived engine of the era.

In 1952 the VB6 range was enlarged to 2922 cc, increasing output to 140 bhp and allowing the DB2/4 to reach top speeds of 120 mph.

By 1955 Tadek Marek had modified the 3-litre further, developing what became known as the DBA engine, featuring a superior oil pump drive system, a revised block and cylinder head. This was fitted to the last series of Feltham cars, the DB Mark III. Incorporating many features carried over from the race engines, these units produced 162 bhp in standard form.