Back in 2002 the Aston Martin DB7 was nearing the end of its life. It had done more to secure the future of the company than any other car and it could reflect back upon a job well done over eight years in the market.
But Aston’s problem was the same faced by all manufacturers when preparing a replacement model: how do you keep the old car selling when everyone knows there’s a new one around the corner?
The answer is the run-out special, a breed of car almost as old as the car itself. You know the score – apply a small number of very visible modifications, almost always cosmetic, and make the model appear far more different than it actually is.
