Footnotes

'Brutal' was a word used more than once to described the fastest Aston Martin ever on its introduction for 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 turbo-charging 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 the 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 kilometre 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. Only 240 were built between October 1992 and June 1999, making the Vantage an exclusive car even by Aston Martin's standards.

This left-hand drive Vantage was sold new to a client in Paris, France having left the factory finished in Litchfield Black with matching interior, although accompanying copy paperwork suggests it was originally intended to be Buckinghamshire Green and destined for Germany. It is possible that it was a cancelled order or similar at the time. The current vendor purchased this manual-transmission car from British & Sportscars of Overijse, Belgium in December 2007. The bill of sale recorded the mileage at the time as 34,850km. The car is likely to have been stored since then, as indicated by its current odometer reading of 34,853km. Re-commissioning will be required before the car returns to the road. Accompanying documentation consists of copies of the Car Record Card, original warranty, 2007 bill of sale and cancelled Luxembourg Carte Grise.

Please note that if this vehicle is to stay in the UK, it will be subject to Import VAT at the standard rate of 20% and Import Duty at 10% (plus VAT) on the hammer price. The administration for clearing customs is called a NOVA (Notification of Vehicle Arrival) and costs £350 (plus VAT). Both the Import VAT and NOVA charge will be added to the buyer's invoice. Please note that this fee does not include registering the vehicle in the UK. This vehicle will not be available for immediate collection after the sale and will only be released once customs is cleared. If you have any questions regarding customs, please contact the Motorcar Department.