This Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante is not only a highly coveted X-Pack model, it’s also an exceptionally original, unrestored example of this muscular British grand tourer. It was sold new on 15 May 1989 – the final year of production – via Aston Martin Sales Ltd in London, to an Essex-based owner. The extensive history file includes the warranty card for chassis 15788, as well as the reminder to take the car to the Aston Martin factory in Newport Pagnell for its complimentary first service, which was duly carried out on 9 June 1989. The stamp is in the car’s service record. The Aston Martin was sold the following year to its second owner, and it has remained in the same family ever since. By 2001, it had covered 11,023 miles, and since then it has mostly been kept in professional, dehumidified storage, covering only a limited mileage. Its owner, however, fully understood the value of regular maintenance and it was fastidiously cared for during that time. Servicing was carried out by marque specialist Christian Lewis, with invoices showing that, in September 2019, the fuel pump was rebuilt, a new exhaust system was fitted, and the front lower wishbone bushes were replaced. Its most recent service was in July 2024, when the mileage was recorded as being 12,539 – only 10 miles more than its previous service in October 2023. A letter on file from Christian Lewis states that only genuine Aston Martin parts have been used, and that he can ‘attest to the attention to detail that has gone into preserving its performance and aesthetics’. Beautifully presented in Suffolk Red with Tan leather and Burgundy piping, this Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante is a genuine ‘time-warp’ example that retains its original soft-top. As a flagship X-Pack model, it features the most powerful version of the 5.3-litre V8 engine, the immense torque of which is perfectly matched to the three-speed automatic gearbox. One of the fastest 2+2s of its day, it now offers an unmatched combination of presence, performance and luxury. Introduced at the 1986 British International Motor Show, the X-Pack was the ultimate development of Aston Martin’s enduring V8 model, which could trace its roots all the way back to the William Towns-designed DBS V8 of 1969. That car subsequently morphed into the V8, and in 1977 Aston Martin added a Vantage model to the range, giving Britain its own entry into the supercar class. ‘It is a heavily muscled, hard-charging extrovert of a car,’ wrote Steve Cropley in Car magazine, ‘built with a surplus of horsepower and the tautest of chassis.’ In 1984, the same magazine tested a Vantage against a Ferrari 512 BBi, Lamborghini Countach and Porsche 911 Turbo, and the Aston was faster than all of them from 0-100mph. The convertible V8 Volante had been available since 1978, and these were still very much hand-built cars. It’s said that 1200 hours went into making each Volante, and the brochure boasted that ‘the quality of craftsmanship and exclusivity is a dying art… But not in the Buckinghamshire market town of Newport Pagnell.’ All models were upgraded in 1986, and not only was the Volante now offered in Vantage specification, but the X-Pack option also became available. It was named for its V580X engine, which had previously been used in the V8 Zagato and featured four Weber carburettors, high-compression Cosworth pistons, and larger valves. Capacity remained the same at 5341cc, but the upgrades meant that the all-alloy, quad-cam V8 was now producing more than 400bhp. That meant 0-60mph in 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 168mph. As one owner put it at the time, ‘It performs like a Ferrari but it’s built like a Rolls-Royce.’ Only 167 Vantage Volantes were produced between 1986 and 1989, when the V8 – which had done so much to keep Aston Martin going through troubled financial times – was finally replaced by the new Virage.