Aston Martin V12 Vantage | PH Auction Block
It's V12, it's a manual and it's averaged fewer than 1,000 miles a year - what more do you need to know?
If recent output is anything to go by - think of cars like the Valiant and Valour - then the manual, V12 sports car still has a future in Aston Martin’s product plan. It’s hard to argue with the business case: CEO Adrian Hallmark wants more variants, and the world's high-end collectors can’t seem to get enough of special editions with a third pedal. Talk about win-win.
The days of six speeds and 12 cylinders in the ‘regular’ Aston Martins, however, are probably done. The demand simply doesn’t exist; look at how many turbo V8 manuals sold, and how many plumped for the Sportshift when the V12 Vantage S arrived. Make it manual only and expensive enough to require air-conditioned storage and the queue is around the block; give people the option at a price that isn’t stratospheric and they’ll go for the auto. Because it's easier to live with if you're actually using the car on a regular basis. So the manual isn’t offered.
All of which means something like an original V12 Vantage looks more tempting than ever. Because 15 years ago, a manual-only Vantage derivative made sense at £100,000 or so, and nowadays it means all the thrill and engagement of the layout without a ludicrous premium attached. In 2025, Aston’s latest supercar, the Valhalla, has attracted some criticism for not sounding all that special; that’s hardly going to be an issue with a naturally aspirated V12 and a Bamford Rose exhaust…
It’s now almost 18 years since the Vantage RS Concept was first shown; a tremendously exciting concept it was, too, combining the beautiful styling of the Vantage with the prodigious firepower of the 5.9-litre engine. That excitement reached fever pitch with wild test drives of the prototype, but surely Aston Martin wouldn’t - it was simply too crazy an idea, the V12 Vantage, to make production.
Yet it did. And it was awesome. Perhaps a little too raw and uncompromising for some tastes, though that feels as much praise as criticism when seeking out a memorable modern classic these days. The V12 Vantage S that followed a few years later definitely ironed out a few flaws, though plenty of those are two-pedal. And that’s a very different prospect, particularly as an automated manual.
This is one of those glorious originals, as stunning today as it was when this Vantage shape first emerged 20 years ago. This 2010 three-owner car is being sold via PH Auctions, and the bidding kicks off today. So it could be yours in little more than a week, with hopefully the last of summer still to enjoy.
Certainly it will want for nothing, with just 13,000 miles under those distinctive wheels, a service just a few months (and a few hundred miles) ago, plus a fresh set of Pirelli P Zeros. Money has certainly been kept on keeping the V12 in good order, including underbody Waxoyl and paint protection. All Vantages look fabulous, this one especially so.
Of course, the interior will look a bit dated against Aston’s latest layouts, but the driving experience ought to be classic in the very best way. While Aston Martin does still make V12 manuals a bit like they used to, they’re now much rarer and even more expensive. Here’s a chance to bag the most exotic of mechanical layouts for ten of thousands - rather than millions. Sounds like a great deal…
. Some say, never meet your hero’s, but I think that this one might be an exception. Automotive perfection (I think) 
Mind you getting a dog didn't help, the 'fun' weekend trips all ended up being in the Estate car.
if I’m being picky I’d probably have Aston Martin works change the gear shifter but beggars can’t be choosers The only negative is a very stiff and under damped chassis and stiff steering on turn in (feels brilliant once your into a corner…). Both were fixed on the S I’m told . Or there are aftermarket options .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q0Svvdrx_E
Best car review ever.
But can PH please decide whether its auction sideline is presenting facts or resorting to smarmy sales hyperbole.
IIRC, the service interval for a VV12 is every 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever occurs first.
Ergo, this 2010 13k car should’ve had 15 services to date.
Here’s how PH’s auction coordinator describes the service history:
“Full service history, with stamps and invoices showing annual services (some details obscured, legible entries as follows):
September 2014 @ 5,540 miles,
October 2016 @ 6,885 miles,
November 2017 @ x,871 miles,
February 2023 @ 11,881 miles,
March 2024 @ 12,468 miles
April 2025 @ 12,908 miles”
Say what, now?? Six services instead of 15 – ie, nine skipped services – and no servicing for its first four years is not a “full service history” or evidence of “annual services”.
Do you simply copy / paste the same spiel for each car, irrespective of the actual history, or is English not your first language?
Whose interests are you serving, PH – the buyer’s or the seller’s? Shouldn’t it be both?
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