Brute in a suit’ were the words used more than once to described the fastest Aston Martin ever on its introduction in 1993, but as the Vantage had no less than 550bhp available to propel its two tons, the choice can only be judged fair comment. After almost 20 years in production, Aston’s V8 had been updated for the 1990s as the Virage. A consummate fast tourer, the Virage left room at the top of the range for an out-and-out sports car, hence the Vantage. Although the two models appear superficially similar few panels are shared, while beneath the skin the Vantage chassis boasts the kind of extensive re-engineering required to cope with the massive increase in performance. The latter comes courtesy of a blown version of Aston’s 5,340cc V8, twin mechanically driven Eaton superchargers being preferred to turbo-charging on the grounds of superior throttle response. Quite apart from its stupendous maximum output, remarkable enough in itself, the engine is monstrously torquey, producing 550lb/ft at 4,000rpm, a figure that made even the mighty the Chrysler Viper V10’s 450lb/ft seem puny by way of comparison. On test with Autocar magazine, a development Vantage raced to 60mph with a Ferrari 512TR-destroying 4.6 seconds, reaching the ‘ton’ just 5.5 seconds later. The standing kilometre was achieved in 23.1 seconds with the speedometer registering close to 150mph, and although a true top speed figure proved unobtainable, the car was reported as having already recorded 191mph while on test in France. This superb Aston Martin Vantage features walnut veneer coloured instrument faces, AM-logo’d carpets, padded headrests, driver’s air bag, electrically operated and heated seats and is the ultimate in classic luxury motoring. This unique car has covered a mere circa 31690 miles from new and is the rare and sought after manual gearbox version. Finished in dark Blue with light stone leather interior, this superb example of what was, in its day, the ultimate Aston Martin supercar. Please call Kevin or Roger on 01508 530491 for further details.