Ever since Roger Moore suavely swerved his way through the set of The Persuaders in a yellow Aston Martin DBS, I've always felt a sincere swoon for the William Towns-designed DBS and V8. As has everyone else, it seems. The Persuaders DBS made over half a million at auction last year, and prices of V8s are rapidly moving in the same direction as 1960s DBs.
Which has led a lot people to believe that the car that replaced it - the Virage - would also head boldly north and start making strong prices. After all, it has the same engine, not dissimilar looks and rarity on its side (only 1,050 Virage-family cars were ever made).
But no: not according to the evidence of the upcoming Silverstone Auctions sale this weekend at Silverstone circuit. A 1991 Virage is up for an estimated £22,000 - £25,000, which looks tremendous value to me for a car with 41,000 miles, a stack of history and a recent mild refettle to its name.
Which makes one wonder what price another 1991 Virage might make. It has only 992 miles and only one owner from new, is described as "immaculate" and is being offered with no reserve, so I'll be watching this space very closely.
That £22K Virage looks even better value when you consider that the upper estimate for a car that looks a little bit like a baby version - a
1978 Ford Capri 3.0S
- is no less than £22,500. But then, this Capri is rather nice, remaining very original and having done just 25,631 miles from new.
Another 1970s Brit coupe that catches my eye is a 1977 Jaguar XJC 4.2. One of just 6,505 XJ coupes ever made, it's a great looking car. This is another one up for no reserve, I think because it's freshly imported from New Zealand and hasn't yet been registered in the UK. But it is in superb nick by the looks of things, has been owned from new by the supplying Kiwi dealer, and has only 17,400 miles on the clock.
If you're after a bargain E-Type (if such a thing still exists), this 1973 SIII V12 Roadstermight be it. It's described as (yawn) a "genuine barn find" - but it turns out it's actually been stored in a barn, rather than a random weed-infested back garden, as most such 'finds' seem to be. Some indication of its condition can be guessed from the description of the interior as "nicely patinated" but if you want what looks to be a relatively straightforward restoration, this could be yours for an estimated £35,000 - £40,000.
A few other random Euro lots that catch my eye include a
1997 Renault Spider
with only 3,290 miles (estimate £18,000 - £22,000), a
1986 BMW M635CSi
1986 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16
with 17,000km from new for £25,000 - £35,000.
No fewer than four Testarossas, one 512TR and one 512M are up for grabs too, starting as low as £80K for the cheapest Testa and going as high as £330k for the 512M. And I can't finish without waxing a little about the stunning Porsche 997 GT2 RS up for auction, one of only 16 RHD cars supplied to the UK. OK, its estimate of up to £300,000 puts it firmly in hypercar territory, but with 620bhp, 205mph and carbon front wings, I think it counts.