In this week’s Wednesday Want we’ve found something truly special in the classified adverts and thought it really deserved some attention. You can check out past Wednesday Want entries right here.
When you think of the 1970s British auto industry, you typically think of small, lightweight roadsters. These cars — when they worked — were perfect for cruising the B-roads peppering the countryside. However, one mold-breaking car stood out from the crowd. In this week’s Wednesday Want we take a look at a monster of a GT car: the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
The Vantage badge first found its way onto an Aston model in 1951 with the DB2. Since then it’s been used to designate high-performance GT models from the brand.
The V8 Vantage is definitely deserving of the nameplate too. With a top speed of nearly 170mph, it’s regularly referred to as Britain’s first supercar.
Now, the Vantage was only the first if you ignore a handful of other Blighty specimens. The earliest one is the Ensign 6, which earned its place in the history books as the first “supercar” reference. In 1920.
Another is the Ford GT40 road car, a car which needs no introduction. The GT40 came by way of Slough in the UK; however, only a handful of cars were made to comply with the rules to get it on the Le Mans starting grid.
There are probably others that fit the millions of definitions of a supercar. However, given the performance of the V8 Vantage, the classification does fit.
This performance comes from a 5.3-liter V8 engine good for around 390hp (375-ish in North America) and 380lb-ft of torque, depending on vintage. Considering the car’s 3,800lb heft, it still managed to hit 60 in well under seven seconds. Even by today’s standards, that’s pretty quick.
The example we found while browsing the RM Sotheby’s catalog for the upcoming Arizona auction was one of those North American cars.
This alone would make this particular specimen special. But the car in question goes one better: it’s an LHD Oscar India model — only 1 of 12 that currently exist on the entire continent.
The Vantage is a fairly rare vehicle to begin with as well. Only 534 cars rolled out of Newport Pagnell from 1977-1989. That’s an average rate of 44 cars per year and that covers both the saloon and convertible versions.
Being an Oscar India model also adds to the rarity of this example. In ’70s Aston-speak, Oscar India stood for “October Introduction”, and was otherwise known as the Series Four. In modern times we’d think of it as more of a refresh or facelift.
Differences from the Series I to the Oscar India are subtle. An integrated “tea-tray” spoiler and smoother bonnet bulge are the most prominent features of the refresh.
The Sotheby’s example comes fully restored and has the Euro-spec engine under the hood. It looks showroom fresh and also seems to have shed the unsightly “cosmetic” package made for the US to comply with safety regulations.
A few minor upgrades found their way into the Vantage as well. These include a stainless steel exhaust, a modern stereo, a handling kit, and an air conditioner that actually works.
The Vantage is expected to fetch between $225,000 to $275,000 when it hits the auction block in mid-January. Weirdly enough, when you factor in inflation and currency conversion from GBP to USD, that’s about what a new 1979 V8 Vantage would cost.
If you’ve been hunting for a properly-specced ride for your The Living Daylights tribute, this might just be the car for you.
See more articles on Aston Martin, V8 Vantage, and Wednesday Want.
