Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Named Robb Report's 2000 Car of the Year
7 January 2000
Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Named Robb Report's 2000 Car of the Year ACTON, Mass., Jan. 6 -- The Aston Martin DB7 Vantage
sports/grand touring car has been named Robb Report magazine's 2000 Car of the
Year, beating out past winners and perennial luxury favorites Mercedes and
Ferrari. The award, announced at today's media preview of the Greater Los
Angeles Auto Show, is given annually to automobiles priced above $40,000 whose
technical designs, styling and performance place them as the world's best
sports and luxury cars.
"Naming the DB7 our Car of the Year was even a relatively easy choice
because in its lines and performance are clean reminders of Aston Martin's
deep racing heritage and the marque's timeless classicism," said Daniel J.
Phillips, CEO and president of Luxury Media Corporation, publishers of Robb
Report. "With this one elegantly designed vehicle, Aston Martin has returned
to the front ranks of exotic car building."
The British-built DB7 Vantage, a V12 powered, 185-miles per hour coupe
that sells for up to $160,000, was the unanimous choice of the magazine's
seven-judge panel that included Phillips, Robb Report publisher Paul Dean,
editor Steve Castle, associate editor Andy Baron, and noted automotive writers
Ken Gross, J.P. Vettraino, and Patrick Paternie. Finalists in the prestigious
contest were the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Jaguar S-Type, the BMW M5 and the
Ferrari 360 Modena.
"Emotions certainly played a part in our selection process," noted Baron.
"We also realized that the DB7 is a car that parent company Ford hopes will
attract young buyers and revive Aston Martin's image."
Each year, Robb Report, an authority on the luxury lifestyle for almost a
quarter of a century, evaluates products of car builders who specialize in the
production of fast, high-value, thoroughbred automobiles. Whether
convertibles or sedan, sports car or coupe, each vehicle is judged by a points
system for its ownership experience, purity of design, handling, build quality
and degree of high-performance luxury.
Past winners include the Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe and Cabriolet (1999),
the Jaguar XJR (1998), the Jaguar XK8 (1997), the Mercedes Benz E-Class (1996)
and the BMW740i (1995).
Robb Report is the flagship publication of Luxury Media Corporation --
which also publishes Showcase and Luxury Golf Homes & Resorts. In 1999,
Mendelsohn Media Research ranked Robb Report readers #1 in the category of
luxury purchasers when compared to other publications in its class.
