1995 Aston Martin V8 Vantage V550 Coupe

5,340cc DOHC Twin Supercharged V8
Electronic Fuel Injection
550bhp at 6,500rpm
5-Speed Manual Transmission
4- Wheel Independent Suspension with De Dion Rear Axle
4-Wheel Vented Disc Brakes

*Delivered new in left-hand drive
*One of only 239 V550 produced
*Has more horsepower than a brand-new Aston Martin V8 F1 Edition
*Double the number of superchargers of virtually every supercharged car ever built

THE ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE

"What the Vantage is, and what the Virage, Volante and Zagato are not, is a real Aston Martin: a big, very beautiful, very fast, albeit expensive GT with so much appeal and purpose behind it that it is more an experience than it is mere transport..." - Autocar & Motor.

'Brutal' was a word used more than once to describe the fastest Aston Martin ever on its introduction in 1993, but as the Vantage had no less than 550bhp available to propel its two tons, the choice can only be judged fair comment.

After almost 20 years in production, Aston's V8 had been updated for the 1990s as the Virage. A consummate fast tourer, the Virage left room at the top of the range for an out-and-out sports car, hence the Vantage. Although the two models appeared superficially similar, few panels were shared, while beneath the skin the Vantage chassis boasted the kind of extensive re-engineering required to cope with the massive increase in performance. The latter came courtesy of a blown version of Aston's 5,340cc V8, twin mechanically driven Eaton superchargers being preferred to turbocharging on the grounds of superior throttle response. Quite apart from its stupendous maximum output of 550bhp, remarkable enough in itself, the Vantage engine is monstrously torquey, producing 550lb/ft at 4,000rpm, a figure that made even the mighty Chrysler Viper V10's 450lb/ft seem puny by way of comparison. And for those who found 550bhp insufficient, there was the Works Service-developed 'V600' enhancement that brought with it an additional 50 horsepower together with upgrades to the wheels, suspension, and brakes.

On test with Autocar magazine, a development Vantage raced to 60mph, in a Ferrari 512TR-destroying 4.6 seconds, reaching the 'ton' just 5.5 seconds later. The standing kilometer was achieved in 23.1 seconds with the speedometer registering close to 150mph and although a true top speed figure proved unobtainable, the Vantage was reported as having already recorded 191mph while on test in France. Its price at launch was as eye-watering as the performance figures: a cool £177,600.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

According to the Aston Martin Car Record Card (copy on file), this left-hand drive Vantage was ordered in the sporting color combination of Norfolk Red with Black interior trim. A left-hand drive model, the Vantage was built for, curiously, the South African market and sold on January 27, 1995, via local Aston purveyor, The House of Sports Cars to a Mr. G.A. Forrest living in Sandhurst, the toniest part of Johannesburg. The Aston remained in South Africa tearing up the mountain roads briefly before its way north to Continental Europe, showing its first date of registration in Belgium on September 15, 1995. Remaining within close driving distance of the world's best beer, waffles, wine, wooden shoes, and land of no speed limits, this wolf in wolf's clothing was acquired by the current owner in November of 2010.

Driven a mere two kilometers in the last dozen years, the Aston currently shows 8,031 km on the odometer, a figure that appears to be from new, based on the overall condition of the car itself. Not actively used in the current ownership, mechanical recommissioning will be required prior to destroying multiple sets of tires in smokey burnouts, given the heaping mountains of torque that will be on tap. With more power than a new Aston Martin V8 – even the potent F1 Edition – and double the number of superchargers of virtually every car ever made, there's no telling how many speeding tickets you and three friends can rack up!