In 1972 Aston Martin introduced their handbuilt grand tourer, the V8. The Aston Martin V8 would be the company's flagship model for almost 20 years. The evolution of the Aston Martin V8 is somewhat complicated, with the DBS V8 considered to be the Series 1 of the V8, while a further 4 evolutions of the V8 were produced over time. The Series 2 was the first evolution of the V8, during which time, it was also known as the AM V8. The Series 3 soon followed, and then the Series 4, which is also known as the Oscar India (with the O and I standing for October introduction). The final evolution of the V8 was the Series 5. As was common from Aston Martin, a performance oriented Vantage version was available, and starting in 1978, a Volante convertible was also added to the range. Although production of the V8 ended in 1989, many late production examples ended up being registered in 1990. The Aston Martin V8 was replaced by the Aston Martin Virage.