1983 Aston Martin V8 Vantage 'V580'
1 of just 27 RHD, pre-'BBS' facelift examples

Registration No: T.B.A.
Chassis No: V8/VOR/12354
MOT: June 2026

• Unusually well documented maintenance history dating back to the original factory warranty and service book
• Treated to more than £38,000 worth of fettling by marque specialist Oselli during the current ownership plus a full 'glass out' respray
• Factory fitted air-conditioning complimented by the rare option of an electric sunroof
• Past structural and engine work carried out by Goldsmith & Young and H.W.M. respectively
• Pleasingly retains its original leather upholstery not to mention 'matching' chassis and engine numbers

“Here is a car with the performance and handling of a racing car and the luxurious appointments of a limousine, with none of the accommodation or visibility drawbacks of mid-engined supercars” (Motor Sport, April 1978).

Like one of those massively built rugby players who can despatch the 100 metre sprint in a smidge over ten seconds, there was something wonderfully incongruous about Aston Martin’s original V8 Vantage. Introduced on February 18^th 1977, it remains notable as Great Britain’s first true supercar. Capable of rocketing from 0-60mph in 5.2 seconds and onto 170mph plus, the sumptuously appointed 2+2-seater impressed contemporary road testers by proving more accelerative than a Ferrari BB512i, Lamborghini Countach LP5000 or Porsche 930 Turbo. Mr Hyde to the standard V8’s Dr Jekyll, the Vantage was masterminded by Aston Martin’s Chief Engineer, Mike Loasby (whose CV encompassed previous stints at Alvis, Coventry Climax and British Leyland). Developed on a shoestring budget and with the plenty of ‘hands on’ input from Loasby (including his circuit racing a ‘mule’), the newcomer featured uprated brakes, suspension, steering and tyres. Time spent in the MIRA wind tunnel alongside Robin Hamilton’s Aston Martin V8-based Le Mans 24-hours contender (a.k.a. The Muncher) saw the Vantage emerge with its radiator grille and bonnet air scoop blanked off not to mention a deep front air dam and rear spoiler. Evolving through ‘V540’, ‘V580’ and ‘V580X’ guises, its 5340cc DOHC V8 engine utilised a higher compression ratio, improved induction, freer flowing exhaust, higher lift camshafts, bigger valves and larger 48mm Weber carburettors etc to boost horsepower and torque by forty and ten percent respectively. The earliest ‘V540’ units featured hand-fettled cylinder heads and were thought to produce 375bhp / 379lbft. The ‘V580’ powerplants benefited from improved mid-range response as well as greater outputs 390bhp / 405lbft, while the ‘V580X’ versions were more potent still albeit at the expense of low down ‘grunt’. Taking over 1,200 hours to complete, each Aston Martin V8 Vantage was handbuilt. Prodigiously expensive, a mere 367 Two-Door Saloon versions were sold between 1977 and 1989; the vast majority of which were equipped with ZF five-speed manual transmission.

One of just twenty-seven, right-hand drive, pre-‘BBS’ facelift V580 Saloons to emerge from Newport Pagnell, chassis V8VOR12354 was supplied new to S.B. Offshore Marine (Edinburgh) Ltd via local concessionaire Victor Wilson Ltd on January 12^th 1983. Finished in Green with a similarly hued dashtop and seat piping to complement its Tan leather upholstery, the Aston Martin boasts an unusually detailed history file which not only documents the significant expenditure it has been subject to over the past forty-three years but also includes the original factory warranty, owner's wallet and service book. Specified with the rare and desirable option of an electric sunroof as well as air-conditioning, the V8 Vantage had its stereo upgraded by main dealer Hyde Vale in 1985 at a cost of £3,311.51 (a sum sufficient to buy an Austin Mini Metro at the time). Marque stalwart H.W.M. were responsible for fitting the sought after Ronal alloy wheels (c.£6,000) and refreshing the paintwork (£8,262.51) six years later with the same firm performing a top-end engine overhaul during 1993 at 68,821 miles. Following its relocation to the West Country, the Aston Martin was looked after by marque specialist Goldsmith & Young who fitted new sills and chassis rails etc in 2000 at 83,943 miles (£8,122.86).

Determined to acquire a V8 Vantage with a factory-fitted electric sunroof, the vendor had to look very long and hard before acquiring chassis 12354 in 2024. Having covered a mere 12,000 miles during the twenty-seven years that it belonged to his immediate predecessors (a father and son), the Aston Martin was promptly despatched to marque specialist Oselli for a thorough going over. The associated bills total more than £38,000 and encompass a full service plus attention to the brakes, suspension, exhaust, cooling system, carpets, air-conditioning, alternator, central locking, dash bulbs and clutch etc. The result is car which the seller considers to be ‘very much on the button and ready to go’. He also deems it to feel as rapid as the various ‘X-Pack’ V8 Vantages he has previously stabled. Not long returned from a full, ‘glass out’ respray in Balmoral Green metallic (with new rubber seals and windscreen fittings sourced from RS Williams) which cost a further £14,000, this highly presentable and ‘matching numbers’ V8 Vantage is worthy of close inspection. Only coming to market to help fund the refurbishment of an overseas property, chassis 12354 is warranted to have covered 93,000 miles from new with the aforementioned history file serendipitously showing that Oselli proprietor David Eales signed the car’s second service stamp for his then employer, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, on July 8^th 1983 at 4,535 miles.

PLEASE NOTE: This lot is still in the process of having its cherished registration number retained. A new V5C Registration Document with the replacement registration number will be forwarded to the successful purchaser

Maintenance History Precis:

Date Company Synopsis Cost

13/06/85 Hyde Vale Various £170.17

04/07/85 Hyde Vale Rear speakers, new music system etc £3,311.51

17/07/85 Hyde Vale Various £578.69

22/07/85 Hyde Vale Various £841.58

13/11/85 Hyde Vale Service at 27,897 miles plus various £4,369.59

04/12/85 Hyde Vale Various £121.35

29/1/86 Hyde Vale Various £595.81

04/4/86 Hyde Vale Service at 31,601 miles £448.04

02/6/86 Hyde Vale Various £382.37

29/10/86 MOT 36,128 miles

27/03/87 Connaught New leather headlining £615.25

28/10/87 MOT 39,274 miles

29/10/87 Hyde Vale Service, plus various works at 39,253 miles £2,712.29

07/10/88 MOT 40,714 miles

10/10/88 Hyde Vale Service at 40,706 miles £554.66

15/06/89 JJ Sussex Service at 42,331 miles £551.39

09/10/89 MOT 43,282 miles

08/05/91 HWM Service at 44,979 miles plus various £4,176.12

17/05/91 MOT 44,814 miles

20/5/91 HWM £20.00

13/6/91 HWM New drive shafts, Ronal wheels

plus various works, 43782 miles £4,947.98

27/9/91 HWM 50,000 miles service plus various £1,880.42

27/9/91 HWM Paintwork £8,262.51

31/10/91 HWM Various at 50,464 miles £689.95

3/1/92 HWM New alternator plus various £932.10

21/05/92 MOT 54,639 miles

14/9/92 HWM Service and various at 60,891 miles £1,427.90

6/4/93 HWM Service and various at 65,045 miles £996.01

20/05/93 MOT 66,291 miles

9/12/93 HWM Service plus various at 68,872 miles £917.12

30/11/93 HWM Top-end engine overhaul

and various at 68,821 miles £2,710.60

30/6/94 Redcliffe Rust proofing to sills £38.19

07/07/94 MOT 70,421 miles

4/11/94 G & Y Various works at 73,707 miles £587.25

06/07/95 MOT 73,427 miles

18/10/95 G & Y Service and various works £2,229.92

23/11/95 G & Y Various works £256.67

19/07/96 MOT 76,676 miles

18/06/97 MOT 80,260 miles

30/06/97 RS Williams Parts £98.38

22/06/98 John Porter Diff and brakes various at 82,628 miles £1,024.70

25/06/98 MOT 82,628 miles

15/06/99 MOT 83,681 miles

08/12/99 MOT 83,681 miles

13/6/2000 MOT 84,530 miles

21/1/2000 G & Y New sills and chassis rails etc

at 83,943 miles £8,122.86

26/01/2000 G & Y Differential bush at 83,943 miles £155.06

16/06/2000 MOT 84,779 miles

12/06/2001 MOT 85,819 miles

08/11/2001 G & Y Gas struts £265.75

30/11/2001 G & Y Switch / horn / wiper £377.76

27/11/2002 Wren Classics Recon water pump £276.13

19/12/2002 MOT 88,162 miles

20/11/2003 John Porter Tune £75.79

09/12/2003 MOT 88,606 miles

25/11/2004 MOT 88,874 miles

13/11/2008 MOT 88,877 miles

27/05/2010 MOT 88,992 miles

27/05/2011 MOT 89,169 miles

22/06/2013 Bennetts Tune and Tracking at 91,433 miles £105.00

23/05/2014 MOT 91,526 miles

12/05/2015 MOT 91,740 miles

12/05/2016 MOT 91,990 miles

11/05/2017 MOT 92,119 miles

08/05/2018 MOT 92,123 miles

23/05/2019 MOT 92,228 miles

22/09/2021 MOT 92,232 miles

21/09/2022 MOT 92,236 miles

06/02/2024 MOT 92,237 miles

02/09/2024 Oselli Full service, tune, strip brakes etc,

new clutch, new slave cylinder,

replace gaskets, new cam seals,

near rear shocks, new servo,

new coolers, new fan, new part exhaust,

refurbish air-con and various £15,502.95

03/09/2024 Oselli New battery £149.14

26/06/2025 Oselli New LED dash bulbs,

new clutch master cylinder,

Refurb work to interior,

new carpets, various £14,386.06

29/09/2025 Oselli Various works inc LED lights,

new central locking £3,879,67

17/11/2025 Oselli New alternator, heater valve, various £4,370.68

23/12/2025 RS Williams Window seals etc £698.17

12/01/2026 RS Williams New door seals / screen fixings £283.93

03/02/2026 Repaint in Balmoral Green, glass out £14,000.00

For more information, please contact:
Damian Jones
damian.jones@handh.co.uk
07855 493737