Hailed as “Britain’s First Supercar”, when it was introduced in 1977, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage was the best of the day (quicker than a Ferrari Daytona). An even more powerful and refined version arrived 9 years later, when the car was upgraded with a factory-designated aluminum 580X engine block that gave this bad boy a total of 432 horsepower. Unsurprisingly, this was James Bond’s vehicle of choice in the The Living Daylights.
One of only 137 models ever built, the 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage ‘X-Pack’ ($Auction) you can admire here features a V-8 engine with four dual-barrel downdraft Weber carburetors, a five-speed ZF manual transmission, independent front suspension, coil springs, anti-roll bar, de Dion live rear axle with radius arms & coil springs, and four-wheel disc brakes. Its aggressive aluminum body provides high-speed stability, while the blanked-off grille and hood scoop force airflow through the front valance for superior cooling.
The car has received a full cosmetic restoration by marque specialists in the U.K., including fresh paint in the elegant, period-correct color of Balmoral Green, a fresh interior, and new Magnolia green upholstery with Connolly-type leather, plus matching green Wilton carpeting. Converted from right-hand drive to left-hand drive, the Vantage has been recently serviced and it’s claimed to perform superbly in every way, with about 60,000 miles recorded on the stylish dashboard. This Aston Martin V8 is also the first of its kind to be auctioned off in the USA (on Friday, January 29, 2016), and it’s expected to fetch around $500,000.
