RE: Showpiece of the Week: Le Mans V600

RE: Showpiece of the Week: Le Mans V600

Monday 12th February 2018

Showpiece of the Week: Le Mans V600

The limited edition 600hp Vantage was the parting shot of last century Aston Martin. It hit the spot.



By 1999, Aston Martin had been building the Virage (and its derivatives) for ten years. The model had launched around the same time that Ford took control of the firm, but it was a coach-built representative of the past, not the future. The hereafter arrived midway through its life cycle: the new DB7, made from steel and with substantial input from Jaguar, was strikingly modern and produced in unheard of volumes at Bloxham. The Virage's eventual replacement, the Vanquish, was prettier still - and kickstarted Aston's modern obsession with bonded aluminium chassis.

This made the final variant a multi-faceted sign off. By then of course, the Virage had become known as the Vantage again and had been made to look tremendous. Not sensual or supercar-ish like its successor, but rather stout and strong and brutishly handsome. It was imperfect; it had to be: every panel of its aluminium bodywork was made the old-fashioned way. It was hardly much more modern underneath, and certainly exceeded two tonnes with a driver aboard. The Vantage, though, had added twin superchargers to the venerable 5.3-litre V8 engine, delivering 550hp and the same again in torque. It was capable of 186mph - and had 14-inch brake discs to save it.


Had Aston signed off there, it probably would've have been sufficient. But 1999 marked 40 years since the marque's greatest sporting triumph: the 1-2 finish of the DBR1 at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1959, having come up short in every year since 1931. And with a new European emissions standard looming (and with it, an entirely new millennium), one final throw of the 20th century dice was commissioned: the Le Mans, limited - naturally - to just 40 examples.

The runout model made its debut at Geneva, and was distinguished from the standard Vantage by the 'nostril' front grille and side vents reshaped to echo those used on the DBR1. Inside, the most notable addition was a dramatically oversized rev counter, although the Le Mans also exchanged its wood trim for a metallic finish. Completing the effect were Dymag hollow spoke magnesium alloy wheels, which hinted at some of the fettling that could be optionally specified underneath.


In 'standard' format, the Le Mans produced the same 550hp as the Vantage - unless you chose to let the Works Service Division loose on it post-build, and apply its V600 Driving Dynamics package. This improved intercooling and upped the boost pressure, which, together with a larger Super Sport exhaust, furnished the car with 600hp. Aston also offered a conversion to a five-speed manual 'box; the main advantage of which was a change in final drive ratio that delivered 60mph in first gear - thereby accessing the national limit in 3.9 seconds - and a top speed of 200mph.

Mercifully, Works Service would see to the chassis too: upgrading the brakes to a ventilated AP Racing system with six-piston calipers at the front, and overhauling the suspension with firmer Eibach springs, adjustable Koni dampers and a stiffer anti-roll bar. You could have electronic Traction Control fitted as well, if you were feeling prudent and/or sane. Our showpiece of the week has that, as well as the original Michelin road map which Aston helpfully supplied with the route from Newport Pagnell to Le Mans highlighted for your edification.

Better still, it's the 7th of the 40 - and because it was built for the 1999 London Motor Show (with a plaque to prove it), that obviously makes it 007. We rather like the Saddle Tan hide seats with their Alcantara inserts, too - and the Aston Racing Green paint job. And the way that opening the bonnet is likely to fill you with cheer about the gargantuan way things used to be done. Only 24k has been added to the V8's clock, with four owners on the V5. Becoming the fifth will require the best part of half a million quid, but it does buy you a large, fast, loud and very lovely last hurrah.

See the original advert here

 

 

 

 

Author
Discussion

Toma500

Original Poster:

1,219 posts

252 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Alcantara on the seats apart that is lovely definately a six numbers up car .

jwwbowe

571 posts

171 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
cloud9

Such a cool car, twin superchargers biggrin

£500k will be money well spent

Agent XXX

1,248 posts

105 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Just brutal. Lovely.

cib24

1,115 posts

152 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
I'm sure it doesn't drive all that well by modern standards but...Wow! What a car!

Loyly

17,990 posts

158 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
What a triumph of brutishness. I love it. That engine bay! I bet it handles like st and goes like a rocket.

David87

6,648 posts

211 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Bloody lovely. I feel my own V8 Vantage is now a little under-endowed after reading that. I bet it's fking terrifying. hehe

pmanson

13,374 posts

252 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Dark blue with cream leather for me please!

MalcolmSmith

1,657 posts

74 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
In case youre wondering that steering wheel looked just as st at launch.

Nothing wrong with alcantara though, all this leather everywhere nonsense does my crust in.

SturdyHSV

10,083 posts

166 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
I'll take mine without the nostril grill thanks, but what a brilliant thing.

Have absolutely loved these from the moment I learned of their existence

havoc

29,927 posts

234 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Never liked the Virage as much as the Vantage it replaced, but 600bhp back then was utterly bonkers and I loved that A-M built this thing.

I'm also rather amused that when you click on the advert you see acres of space dedicated to advertising a certain A-M specialist and a tiny little box saying who the selling dealer is! hehe


pSyCoSiS

3,581 posts

204 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
This is my all-time favourite Aston Martin.

An utter animal of a car, especially when it was launched.

And yes, definitely a lottery win purchase!

Lewis Kingston

240 posts

76 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
pSyCoSiS said:
And yes, definitely a lottery win purchase!
Amen to that!

Mr E

21,583 posts

258 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
Hell yes.

Chestrockwell

2,624 posts

156 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
I remember when the F50 was going for 450k on autotrader now they’re worth over a million, could this offer a 100% return in 10 years time?

I always liked the the shape of this, just brutal and I’m only 24 so I don’t remember what it was like when it came out however I do know a 1999 E55 had 350 bhp so I can’t imagine the frenzy this must have caused back then, nearly double the power!

cwoodsie2

330 posts

208 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
My FiL ran one of these for about.......... a month! After one journey in damp conditions and two young daughters at home he decided making it to and from work each day was the priority. Happily refers to it as the scariest car he ever owned.

unsprung

5,467 posts

123 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
The twin superchargers make this thing look like a weapon.

I dunno. £475,000 is a lot of money. Amusingly, for the same sum, you could purchase forty Mustangs of the same age as this Le Mans and give each of the 40 a newly installed supercharger. wink




2 GKC

1,884 posts

104 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
SturdyHSV said:
I'll take mine without the nostril grill thanks, but what a brilliant thing.

Have absolutely loved these from the moment I learned of their existence
Completely agree - that nostril grill is a peculiar and ungainly addition.

Fantastic looking car, but that interior is just awful

British Beef

2,191 posts

164 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all

This and an F40.

All the cars I ever want!!! (Ok maybe a few others too)

Alex Gurr

420 posts

246 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
I drove a 550 version a couple of weeks ago. They are surprisingly civilized...monstrously fast as you would expect, but no handful and certainly no dinosaur by any stretch of the imagination. I was very tempted to chop my Vanquish for one, but decided, after a decent drive, that it would need to be in addition to the later car, rather than as a replacement. Beautiful things though....a real treat!

Sebastian Tombs

2,044 posts

191 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
MalcolmSmith said:
In case youre wondering that steering wheel looked just as st at launch.

Nothing wrong with alcantara though, all this leather everywhere nonsense does my crust in.
It was from the early 1990s Ford Taurus and Mustang:

It also found its way into the Crown Vic, Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Sable



Edited by Sebastian Tombs on Monday 12th February 15:28


Edited by Sebastian Tombs on Monday 12th February 15:29


Edited by Sebastian Tombs on Monday 12th February 15:29