Next year’s Le Mans is going to be another big one. Mercedes returns to the La Sarthe for the first time since its CLRs went flying in 1999; British squad Jota becomes Cadillac’s works partner after two years of running customer Porsche 963, securing at least two spots on the grid for the monstrous V-Series.R; and Aston Martin returns to prototype racing’s premier class with the Valkyrie LMH, ending a 14-year hiatus with a whole heap of V12 goodness.
Aston Martin and Le Mans go way back, taking 20 class victories at the legendary 24-hour race since its debut in 1928. A good chunk of the wins have come in recent years in the GT ranks, from the DBR9 GT1 taking class honours in 2007 to its most recent win at the 2022 running of the race with the amateur-run Vantage GTE. However, outright victory has eluded the firm for decades. Attempts were made to win the top class with the AMR1 Group C car in 1989 and a pair of LMP1 machines this side of the millennium, but as of right now its victory in 1959 remains its one and only Le Mans crown.
Clearly, that was a very long time ago, so Aston likes to remind us once in a while of what it achieved all those years ago. Most recently, that reminder arrived in the form of the DBS Superleggera 59 Edition, which came finished in the same colours as the race winner, a pair of 50s-style race helmets, some commemorative plaques, and that’s about it. What we have here, however, is a little bit more special. Not only is it a Vantage V600 Le Mans, Aston’s first LM special and the ultimate version of the old V8 brute, it is also the sole factory prototype and the car used in all its press and marketing material.
Launched to mark the 40th anniversary of its Le Mans win at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show, with this very car taking centre stage, the special edition V600 was finished in a similar shade of green to the race winner and featured even more outlandish styling than the base car with flared nostrils, a deeper splitter and diamond-shaped side vents inspired by the DBR1. Power was left unchanged at first, though most cars (including this one) were recalled by Aston Martin Works for a conversion to V600 spec, raising power from the 5.3-litre twin-supercharged V8 from an already punchy 558hp to 612hp. The package also included AP Racing brakes and adjustable Koni dampers paired with Eibach springs. It really was the ultimate Vantage, and remains one of the most sought-after Aston’s ever created.
After its grand unveiling in Geneva, chassis number 70229 here went on to appear alongside the winning DBR1 at that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours and featured in a 200-car parade ahead of the race start. This would be no ordinary parade, as the ad claims the V600 managed a mighty 175mph down the Mulsanne straight, which is all the more impressive when you consider that the chicanes were in place. After its Le Mans appearance, the V600 prototype was sold privately and has spent the last ten years or so parked up alongside a ‘stable of significant Aston Martins’ - including two original DB4GTs - in a temperature-controlled garage.
It hasn’t been sat around this whole time, though, with its previous owner taking it back to Le Mans in 2022 which, coincidentally, was the last time Aston nabbed a class win. And it looks to have been well looked after, too, with Aston specialists R.S.Williams recently carrying out a fair bit of work (new Pirelli tyres, refurbed superchargers, new hoses and various other bits) so it’s ready for the marque’s Le Mans return next year. The £439,995 asking price shouldn’t come as a huge surprise given its provenance, and that’s about the going rate for LMs these days. You can, however, bag a regular V600 for around half the price, or you could hold out and see if Aston will have reason to make another Le Mans special come the middle of June next year.
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