1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante

Lot details
Registration No: G490TYT
Chassis No: JCFCV81V3KTR15810
Mot Expiry: 12 Months

It was always intended by Aston Martin that their DBS be powered by a new V8 engine, but manufacturing a much more complex power unit in-house had proved more difficult than first imagined and the car first appeared with the DB6 4-litre six instead. Being heavier, the earlier 6-cylinder DBS didn't perform as well as the preceded DB6.. However, there were no complaints from Aston fans when the 5340cc 4-cam V8 finally arrived under DBS bonnets in 1969. With 315bhp on tap, the DBS V8 could deliver zero to 100mph in under 14sec with a top speed potential of 160mph, which was then - and still is today - staggeringly rapid.
The first dedicated and V8 badged Aston Martin V8 appeared in 1972, the year in which the David Brown Organisation offloaded its shares for £100 in return for Company Developments settling Aston's debts which had risen to an estimated £5m. The new V8 differed from the previous DBS V8 by having a totally revised front end with a single pair of headlights, the early Bosch fuel injection being dropped in favour of a downdraught Weber quartet beneath a larger bonnet power bulge. By 1975, though, because the motor cars were so engineering-intensive, major re-financing was required again and the company became Aston Martin Lagonda (1975) Limited.
In an attempt to cater for the US demand for muscular convertibles and, at the same time, earn some dollars for the nation, the open-top Volante was offered from June 1978. With a lined, power-operated hood, which, when raised, converted the interior into a fixed head in terms of wind noise or lack of it, the new V8 convertible could do 140mph with the hood down, making it one of the world's fastest open motor cars.
By now, base-model power output had been boosted by 15 per cent and the Vantage by 40 per cent to 475bhp with 10 per cent more torque.
By 1981, the company had changed hands yet again and then, in 1983, majority shareholder, the late Victor Gauntlett, sold control and set off a chain of boardroom manoeuvres which ended in the 1987 Ford Motor Company takeover.
The final V8s were built during the summer of 1988, by when the famous V8 motor had powered 495 DBS coupes, 1615 V8 coupes, 245 of the more powereful Vantage coupes, 610 Volante convertibles and just 44 Vantage Volante convertibles, making the latter the rarest V8 model of all.
On offer here is one of those V8 Vantage Volantes, dated by Aston Martin as being a 1989 car, so one of the very last of the line, which was supplied by Aston Martin Sales to the first London-based owner 1 September 1989. In total, there are now four previous owners on file, one of them being a dealer, who had only driven this car a total of 9065 miles when entered for this sale. The service history shows that a pre-delivery inspection was carried out at 2 miles August 1989, the first service by the factory at 1114 miles January 1991, further attention again at the factory at 1676 miles November 1991, 2587 miles January 1994 and 4582 miles December 1994, whilst Aston dealers, the Stratton Motor Company of Norfolk, serviced the at 6691 miles March 1998.
Finished in light blue metallic with red leather St James hide piped in blue and well fitting dark blue power-hood, the car has the benefit of virtually the full list of factory-supplied extras, including factory spotlamps, sun-dim glass, lambskin over-rugs, central locking, factory alarm, a set of very costly Rado wheels, boot-mounted CD stack system and full tool kit. We also understand that this fully loaded open V8 drives as beautifully as it looks.
PLEASE NOTE: Whilst compiling the catalogue description on this superb car, the fact that the last service was performed by Stratton Motor Co at 8620 miles in April 2000, was omitted. We apologise for this omisson.