RE: Aston Martin Vantage: Spotted

[slicknic]

Like many others here this is probably my favourite car of all time. The car in the original article with that spec wheels and grill is the one for me. I remember when Clarkson reviewed the car many years ago. The videos are still on Youtube. What a wonderful vehicle.

[V8LM]

nicholasm said:

Continuing the V600 love... This is from April's Sunday Service at St Athan. An absolute beast:

Except that's one of few non V600 Le Mans (despite what the registration says).

[SturdyHSV]

slicknic said:

Like many others here this is probably my favourite car of all time. The car in the original article with that spec wheels and grill is the one for me. I remember when Clarkson reviewed the car many years ago. The videos are still on Youtube. What a wonderful vehicle.

"...weighs about twice as much as a Golf GTi, so you'd expect it to have twice as much power. No. It has *Clarkson pause* four times as much. Weighs as much as a planet, goes like the starship enterprise"

I watched that Unleashed on Cars video so many times as a kid

My love for this car and lack of £250,000 neatly explains why I have the Monaro I suspect. I can think of few vehicles I'd want to own more than one of these (without the nostril grill for me thanks)

To those in the know, were the 6 square lights original and then updated to 6 round headlights? Prefer the square ones myself, just that little bit meaner

[V8LM]

SturdyHSV said:

To those in the know, were the 6 square lights original and then updated to 6 round headlights? Prefer the square ones myself, just that little bit meaner

First half of the production car run had the square lights (as used on the Alfa SZ) and changed to round projector lights 1995/96. The production cars had heating elements in the cover glass to remove condensation - the car in the photo is the prototype and doesn't. The above car also has a different back end with lights from a Corvette C4.


ETA: Looks a little different without the covers:

SDC13820 by v8lemon, on Flickr

Edited by V8LM on Wednesday 9th August 22:24

[Leins]

This was the video with the pre-production test IIRC, which I still have in the attic somewhere. Unfortunately I no longer have a VHS player though

[V8LM]

Leins said:

This was the pre-production test IIRC, which I still have on VHS in the attic. Unfortunately I no longer have a player though

Yes, that video contained a re-working of the 1993 Top Gear Episode with JC driving the black prototype (DP2055/4) filmed in 1992 just before the Motor Show launch.

[DickyC]

markcoznottz said:

si_xsi said:

A brute of a car, think I would have to change the gear stick to something less Ford Granada though, it looks so out of place. Twin Eton blowers IIRC. I remember Clarkson's period review and drag race against other 90's coupes, the Aston faired quite well but compromised by weight.

I think the length of the gear lever may have been to gain some leverage over the gear linkage. The zf gearbox fitted was neither slick or easy to change gear with. Same as fitted to the lotus Carlton.

The gearbox in the Vantage was from the Z28.

[V8LM]

DickyC said:

The gearbox in the Vantage was from the Z28.

ZF S6-40. Lotus Carlton and Corvette ZR-1.

[DickyC]

I was close.



You had to learn the gear change, but once learned it was fine. A lot of folk labour under the misapprehension that you can get into a car like a Vantage and have it behave like a Fiesta.

[2 GKC]

V8LM said:

pSyCoSiS said:

The V600 Vantgage and the Vanquish S are my all-time favourite Aston Martins.

As others have already said, it is a total brute of a car with mind blowing numbers for the time that they were released.

You too:

357E3863 by v8lemon, on Flickr

That's a beautiful collection. One thing spoils it; the plate on the Vanquish. Should change the V for a W

[Crabeyes]

This would be the first Aston i would buy if i had the cash. £229,000 seems a lot to me though. Maybe in a few years.

[Crabeyes]

Leins said:

This was the video with the pre-production test IIRC, which I still have in the attic somewhere. Unfortunately I no longer have a VHS player though

Talk about a trip down memory lane!

I had this and probably watched at least twice a week.

Great days

[gigglebug]

V8LM said:

pSyCoSiS said:

The V600 Vantgage and the Vanquish S are my all-time favourite Aston Martins.

As others have already said, it is a total brute of a car with mind blowing numbers for the time that they were released.

You too:

357E3863 by v8lemon, on Flickr

Tell me to mind my own business if need be but have you acquired the LM within the last couple of years? It's just I remember one being for sale in the same colour not so long ago for what now would represent the utterly bargain price of 130K, I can't see it being worth any less than double, maybe triple that now!

V600 has always been a regular search for me as a) I can remember being at the Norfolk show when Aston used to display there and the sound of the car revving at close quarters was genuinely terrifying at the and b) a Boss had V550 for a while which I had the pleasure of many a trip in. I'm guessing it might be a case better left in the past though, like that old comedy you used to love but now doesn't seem at all relevant. Still, I'd love to have another go in one just to find out!

The black LM with the lovely aluminium dash inserts is probably the nicest I've seen, but maybe not for 3-400K it's changed hands for.

[V8LM]

2 GKC said:

That's a beautiful collection. One thing spoils it; the plate on the Vanquish. Should change the V for a W

The wkwish as Dr Bez called it is know as Winky, but the VNK is in tribute to ViNKy, the Zag mule. Most registered at Newport Pagnell had NK suffix.

[V8LM]

gigglebug said:

Tell me to mind my own business if need be but have you acquired the LM within the last couple of years? It's just I remember one being for sale in the same colour not so long ago for what now would represent the utterly bargain price of 130K, I can't see it being worth any less than double, maybe triple that now!

V600 has always been a regular search for me as a) I can remember being at the Norfolk show when Aston used to display there and the sound of the car revving at close quarters was genuinely terrifying at the and b) a Boss had V550 for a while which I had the pleasure of many a trip in. I'm guessing it might be a case better left in the past though, like that old comedy you used to love but now doesn't seem at all relevant. Still, I'd love to have another go in one just to find out!

The black LM with the lovely aluminium dash inserts is probably the nicest I've seen, but maybe not for 3-400K it's changed hands for.

11 years. Mine's the only one in the colour. It was probably 70214, which has been for sale a few times in recent years - a Skye Silver with bright red interior V600 that now has a Le Mans bonnet (and tacky wheels at one point). That car was originally built for the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show.

The metal dash is normal in the Le Mans - some had wood.

[gigglebug]

V8LM said:

11 years. Mine's the only one in the colour. It was probably 70214, which has been for sale a few times in recent years - a Skye Silver with bright red interior V600 that now has a Le Mans bonnet (and tacky wheels at one point). That car was originally built for the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show.

The metal dash is normal in the Le Mans - some had wood.

Yeah it may well have been the one then, defo had a red interior. Had what looked to be the correct LM wheels on it as well at the time. Not as big of a bargain as I thought it might have been then but I'm sure it's still worth more now than it was the last time it was sold.

[gigglebug]

V8LM said:

11 years. Mine's the only one in the colour. It was probably 70214, which has been for sale a few times in recent years - a Skye Silver with bright red interior V600 that now has a Le Mans bonnet (and tacky wheels at one point). That car was originally built for the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show.

The metal dash is normal in the Le Mans - some had wood.

Found the advert I was referring to;

http://www.2bc-automotive.com/astonmartinV600.html

Even has pictures of said tacky wheels on it. Does it not count as a genuine Le Mans then?

[V8LM]

gigglebug said:

Yeah it may well have been the one then, defo had a red interior. Had what looked to be the correct LM wheels on it as well at the time. Not as big of a bargain as I thought it might have been then but I'm sure it's still worth more now than it was the last time it was sold.

This one?

am600_7a by v8lemon, on Flickr

V600 wheels (Le Mans wheels have a full centre hub).

[gigglebug]

V8LM said:

gigglebug said:

Yeah it may well have been the one then, defo had a red interior. Had what looked to be the correct LM wheels on it as well at the time. Not as big of a bargain as I thought it might have been then but I'm sure it's still worth more now than it was the last time it was sold.

This one?

am600_7a by v8lemon, on Flickr

V600 wheels (Le Mans wheels have a full centre hub).

Yeah it's the same one. Advert is for the same chassis number you quoted and refers to it as being "converted" to Le Mans spec before being sold.

Looks like you know as much if not more than those who were selling it. Must be a tricky one to value but even if the full asking price was paid at the time it's going to have been a good buy.

I take it yours has the metal dash? It looks so much better than the wood and really brings the interior (almost) up to date.

[V8LM]

gigglebug said:

V8LM said:

gigglebug said:

Yeah it may well have been the one then, defo had a red interior. Had what looked to be the correct LM wheels on it as well at the time. Not as big of a bargain as I thought it might have been then but I'm sure it's still worth more now than it was the last time it was sold.

This one?

am600_7a by v8lemon, on Flickr

V600 wheels (Le Mans wheels have a full centre hub).

Yeah it's the same one. Advert is for the same chassis number you quoted and refers to it as being "converted" to Le Mans spec before being sold.

Looks like you know as much if not more than those who were selling it. Must be a tricky one to value but even if the full asking price was paid at the time it's going to have been a good buy.

I take it yours has the metal dash? It looks so much better than the wood and really brings the interior (almost) up to date.

Almost. (Mine has a period Motorola phone!)

GFW_7480 by v8lemon, on Flickr