Lot details
Registration No: L865HUV
Chassis No: SCFDAM2C1PBR60120
Mot Expiry: Aug 2009

Introduced at the October 1988 Birmingham Motor Show to almost universal acclaim, the Virage was the first new Aston Martin for eighteen years, a replacement for the aging V8 coupe. A satisfying blend of muscularity and understatement, its sleek aluminium silhouette was the work of John Heffernan and Ken Greenley. Based around a modified version of the existing sheet-steel platform chassis, the newcomer used wishbone independent front suspension like the V8 but with a lightened de Dion rear axle, four-wheel disc brakes and power-assisted rack and pinion steering. Suitably reworked by Callaway Engineering of Connecticut, USA using four-valve cylinder heads and Weber electronic fuel injection, its 5340cc quad-cam V8 engine satisfied forthcoming emissions legislation and developed 330bhp together with 350lbft of torque.

Allied to a choice of either three-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmissions, this prodigious powerplant imbued the model with a nigh on 160mph top speed and the ability to sprint from 0-60mph in under seven seconds. The Virage carried an initial price tag of £135,000 and just 420 are thought to have been made between 1989 and 1994. Also in Aston Martin tradition, an open-top or Volante version was produced, offering an electrically operated soft-top and 2+2 seating, initially costing £145,500: 235 were made between January 1992 and 1996. As well as their opening roof, Volantes are distinguished from the coupes by their chrome door handles and grille. This example, an automatic wearing the stylish later 17in wheels instead of the Virage's original 16s, plus side air vents, has only 36,400 miles recorded and is described by the vendor as being in "good overall" condition following a major overhaul in 2004.