Lot details Registration No: K978FUW Chassis No: SCFCAMISZNBR50326 Mot Expiry: July 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 satisfying blend of muscularity and understatement, its sleek aluminium silhouette was the work of John Hefferman and Ken Greenley. Based around a modified version of its Lagonda sibling's sheet-steel platform chassis, the newcomer benefited from revised wishbone independent front suspension, 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, hydraulic tappets and Weber electronic fuel injection), its 5340cc 'quad-cam' V8 engine not only satisfied forthcoming emissions legislation but also developed some 330bhp and 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. A hand-built, luxury four-seater GT in the best traditions of the Newport Pagnell concern, the Virage carried an initial price tag of £135,000. Reassuringly exclusive, just 420 are thought to have been made between 1989 and 1994.
Finished in Suffolk Red with Mushroom leather upholstery, this particular example is described by the vendor, an Aston Martin Owners' Club member, as being in "excellent" condition with regard to its engine, automatic transmission, interior trim, chassis, bodywork and paintwork (while, he rates the wheels / tyres as "very good"). Said to have had just "three former keepers" and to have covered less than 25,000 miles from new (a figure apparently substantiated by "all previous MOTs" as well as "Stratstone Mayfair main agent and Lancaster history"), the coupe entered the current ownership some two-and-a-half years ago. Reportedly "kept in a Carcoon over winter" and treated to a recent oil and filter change (July 2008), it is understood to "drive beautifully". Further benefiting from an original toolkit, unused space saver spare wheel, Alpine CD player and working electrics (except for the faulty boot release), this pampered Aston Martin is offered for sale with "lots of invoices totalling thousands" and MOT certificate valid until July 2009.
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