• One of the very last V8 Vantages to leave the factory
• Purchased by the current owner in 2005
• Formerly part of one of the most iconic collections of V8 Aston Martins
• Automatic transmission
• On static display since acquisition
• Requires recommissioning

"People who buy the Vantage will do so in the first place for its performance, and they will not be disappointed. The figures speak for themselves. But they should take extra heart because it is one of the easiest true high performance cars to drive well: and it has been given brakes to match. In comfort too, it has much to offer, and there is a great deal of what is best in the British tradition of designing and building sports cars in its making." - Autocar.

The performance figures Autocar referred to were a 0-60mph time of 5.4 seconds and an estimated top speed of 170mph, figures comparable with those achievable by a Ferrari Daytona or Lamborghini Miura.

With the introduction of the Vantage in 1977, Aston Martin's V8 was thrust back into the supercar league. The name had previously been applied to high-power versions of the DB six-cylinder cars, and in the V8's case the Vantage tune delivered around 375bhp; in Rolls-Royce fashion the factory chose not to disclose the actual figure, merely claiming that power was 'adequate'. Its superior performance aside, the Vantage was readily distinguishable from the standard product by virtue of its blocked-off bonnet scoop, blanked air intake, front chin spoiler and lip on the boot lid.

ZF five-speed manual transmission was standard equipment, though a handful of Vantages were built with the Torqueflite automatic gearbox. With either transmission performance was shattering, the Vantage's 0-100mph time of 12.7 seconds making it the world's fastest accelerating production car at that time.

Even more performance was available from 1986 when the so-called 'X-Pack' engine was standardised on the Vantage, the engine number suffix changing from 'V' to 'X', as with this example. Depending on the state of tune, the X-Pack Vantage had up to 432bhp available; by way of comparison, Ferrari's contemporary 12-cylinder Testarossa could only manage a relatively paltry 390 horsepower.

As the Vantage's mechanical specification progressed so did the coachwork, with wheel arches flaring to accommodate wider rims, increasing the overall width by 2", and 16"-diameter wheels being introduced. Unlike the V8 saloon, which reverted to fuel injection in 1986, the V8 Vantage kept its 48IDF Weber carburettors to the end of production in December 1989, by which time 361 cars had been built.

In 1987, a private collection of hand build V8 Aston Martins was commissioned in order to celebrate the 21st anniversary of V8 production in 1990. These iconic cars were consecutively registered and all finished in Hunter Green coachwork with Tan leather upholstery, burr walnut veneer and dark green carpets. The second owner of these cars kept them until 2005 when the collection was dispersed at the Bonhams Aston Martin sale, each car having been housed in a purpose built, climate-controlled environment. Almost all had the manual transmission, and each had covered minimal mileage.

One of the last to leave the factory, this Vantage was purchased from the Hunter Green collection at Bonhams Aston Martin Sale in 2005. At the time it was noted that the car was first registered as G904 CPL in 1990, and had a service book stamp at 455 miles in 1996, implying that the car had seen very little use! Unfortunately since that auction it appears this service book has gone missing. At the time of cataloguing in 2005 the mileometer read 796 miles. Since acquisition it appears that the car has been converted from right to left hand drive, fitted with an automatic transmission, and carries a KMH speedometer showing only 2,037km. The car has been on static display in recent years as part of the owner's extensive private collection and will require recommissioning before further use.

Please note that this vehicle is only offered with a photocopy of its old registration document, bidders should satisfy themselves as to registration requirements in their own jurisdiction. Please contact the department for further information.

Please note that this vehicle is from outside the UK. Our customs agents, CARS UK, will manage all post sale customs administration. A fee of £350+VAT will be charged on the buyer's invoice to administer both import or export customs movements. If the buyer also chooses to ship with CARS UK, this will be quoted separately. If this vehicle is to remain in the UK, it will be subject to Import VAT at the reduced rate of 5% on the hammer price. This vehicle will not be available for immediate collection after the sale and will only be released on completion of customs clearance formalities. If you have any questions regarding customs clearance, please contact the Bonhams Motorcar Department.