1990 Aston Martin Virage

[HughG]

ggdrew said:

Re. DB7 wheels: I posted this of a Virage rotting in Kent, UK.... with DB7 wheels FYI




6yrs prior when last sold ... better idea of wheels

Edited by ggdrew on Saturday 19th June 12:47

I always wince when I drive past that, it’s a shame it isn’t tucked up somewhere, or even better being used.

[Shnozz]

Wow. Wonder what the story is there?!

[Mr lestat]

HughG said:

I always wince when I drive past that, it’s a shame it isn’t tucked up somewhere, or even better being used.

That’s quite badly deteriorated in 6 years. Wonder if it borked itself and the owner just can’t get it fixed for whatever reason.

I used to drive past for infamous Jensen in the 1980’s 90’d and slowly saw it just disappear over the years. The final pics of it being winched onto the trailer are awful. I first saw that about 1983 and it was fine.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Edited by Mr lestat on Saturday 19th June 16:43

Edited by Mr lestat on Saturday 19th June 16:44

[ggdrew]

Shnozz said:

Wow. Wonder what the story is there?!

If there's ANY silver lining, it sits a little better on the rear wheels now

[williamp]

Hey, how's it going?? Any updates?

[Panord]

Unfortunately there has been almost no progress of late. We have been in lockdown for the last two months and there seems little hope of it ending anytime before October. Because the car is currently stored two hours drive from where we are living I have been unable to get near it.

So the Virage remains stored away awaiting its resurrection. I did receive a delivery from the UK last week though. I’m now in possession of a new set of drive belts and exhaust mounts, a fuel sender, and a water pump rebuild kit. Hopefully in a couple of months I’ll be able to get cracking on it.

[lukeharding]

HughG said:

I always wince when I drive past that, it’s a shame it isn’t tucked up somewhere, or even better being used.

I stopped and tried to talk to the owner once. He wouldn't even come down the path from the house or talk really, although I would imagine he's had a few people asking!

[Stick Legs]

This one is in a very sorry state at Southampton Docks. Been there a couple of months now.

[lukeharding]

Stick Legs said:

This one is in a very sorry state at Southampton Docks. Been there a couple of months now.

Oh that's a shame. I'd both love and hate to take a Virage project on.

[Panord]

UPDATE:

As you may have heard we are in lockdown here until mid-October. This has meant that I was unable to retrieve the Virage from the garage I am renting (you are not allowed to travel more than 5km from your home). However last week I found myself in the fortunate position of having some legitimate personal business to take care of only a few minutes from where the car was stored.

Of course I took the opportunity to retrieve the Virage and bring it home. So begins what I sincerely hope is my last EVER lockdown project.

The battery was partially drained after three months of no use but my jump starter had the engine fire on first turn of the key. I had no issues driving home apart from the noisy water pump. I have a water pump rebuild kit from JMB ready to be fitted.

My plan in the next four or five weeks before our freedom day is to:

Find a competent local mechanic to rebuild the water pump

Remove the old window tint that has faded to light purple

Replace the tatty under bonnet insulation

Fit a new fuel sender (already delivered)

Free-up the stuck right side fuel filler flap

New tyres

Give the outside a decent wash (after lockdown I will take it to my detailer for paint correction and ceramic coating)

Thoroughly detail the interior

Fit new stereo (retro style Blaupunkt Bremen SQR46)

[Panord]

I decided to make a start fitting the new stereo. I had been forced to rip out the old Alpine unit due to its propensity to emit a deafening screeching at random intervals.


Even with the stereo removed I could still hear a faint hum from the speakers. I spent an hour searching for an apparently faulty amplifier hidden somewhere. I felt like I was reading Where's Spot? to my daughter...

Is it in the boot? No. Is it under the rear seat? No. Is it under the front seats? No. Is it in the footwell or under the dash? No.

Eventually I spotted an extremely tiny amp hidden under the DIN slot for the stereo.

There it is!



Apart from the amp there was also some wiring from a long defunct car phone.



All removed

Edited by Panord on Friday 10th September 09:35

Edited by Panord on Friday 10th September 09:37

[Austin_Metro]

Good work. Following your progress with interest.

[Mr lestat]

Great project and nice to have back home with you. Will you keep it at your house from now on or don’t you have the room.

[f1ten]

Big fan of the virage.
Incredible how many have fallen into bad condition which effectively means they are unreliable and very expensive to maintain. Hence why you literally never see them on the road.
I hope you get yours into peak condition for using it.

[B'stard Child]

Lovely way to start ownership of a new (to you) car

The fiske wheels will look good on the car and if it gives a better choice on tyres and solves the Avon Aston tax issue even better

Looking forward to the progress

[williamp]

Hi, any updates?

[jamesson]

williamp said:

Hi, any updates?

Aaaaaaargh!

[Stick Legs]

I found this.

Looks very helpful.

Damnit if this hasn’t inspired me to start looking at a Virage.

I really like them and don’t think a Gaydon era Aston is what I want…

https://www.mcaughtry.com/virage/