1996 Aston Martin V600 Vantage
“ This is probably the last of the truly bespoke, hand-built gentleman’s expresses for which Aston Martin, Bristol and Bentley were once noted. ”
Offered as part of a curated online auction in conjunction with the Aston Martin Owner's Club Festival at the British Museum on 21st June 2026.

Background
The Aston Martins that followed on from the DB6 were very obviously from the pen of a different designer.

They took their aesthetic cues from the design zeitgeist of the 60s and 70s, not the 40s and 50s.

They also tipped an unapologetic and undisguised nod to America’s muscle cars – the Ford Mustang in particular.

When William Towns’ aggressively beautiful V8s reached the end of their long run, Aston took an altogether different aesthetic direction once again.

Out went any kind of homage to steroidal pony cars, in came a more modern sculpted look underpinned by de Dion tube rear suspension and a double wishbone unit at the front.

Still a fabulously indulgent hand-built car, the Virage managed to retain its gentleman’s club ambience in the face of cost-cutting measures from new owners Ford: measures that included raiding the Ford, GM, Jaguar, Volkswagen and Audi parts bins for all sorts of lights, mirrors, switches and other components.

Despite its size and weight, the Virage was a lively performer, thanks largely to the latest iteration Tadek Marek’s V8 power unit, a 32-valve 5.3L (5,340 cc) V8 delivering 330bhp and 364 lb⋅ft of torque. In automatic guise, the Virage could reach 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds.

The fire-breathing Vantage variant of the Virage was produced from 1993 until 2000, when it gave way to the Vanquish.

Only 280 were ever built.

Later in the production run the Virage name was dropped in favour of the more prosaic but familiar Vantage moniker.

The Vantage’s aggressive, squat stance was a clear departure from the Virage and, indeed, the Vantage shared only its roof, doors and wing mirrors with the Virage. The latter were eventually dropped in favour of restyled mirrors exclusive to the Vantage.

Wider and lower than the Virage, the Vantage featured four round tail lights, and new rear suspension and interior electronics.

'Brutal' was the word usually chosen 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 tonnes, the choice seems eminently reasonable.

Performance came courtesy of a blown version of Aston's 5,340cc V8, with twin mechanically-driven Eaton superchargers being preferred to turbo-charging on the grounds of superior throttle response.

Quite apart from its stupendous maximum output of 550bhp, remarkable enough in itself, the engine was monstrously torquey, producing 550lb/ft at 4,000rpm, a figure that made even the mighty the Chrysler Viper V10's 450lb/ft seem a trifle tepid in comparison.

On test with Autocar magazine, a development Vantage raced to 60mph in a Ferrari 512TR-destroying 4.6 seconds, reaching 100mph just 5.5 seconds later.

For people who for some bizarre reason found themselves needing even more grunt, there was the 'V600' package of enhancements, developed by Aston Martin Works Service and first made available in 1998, which raised engine output to some 600 horsepower and included up-rated suspension, brakes, wheels, etc.

For a while the V600 was the most powerful production car in the world, capable of reaching 60mph in 3.9 seconds on its way to a 200mph top speed.

Those are impressive figures now. Back then, they were jaw dropping.

Just 84 owners took advantage of the opportunity to have their cars upgraded to V600 specification by the factory.

We just happen to have the very last built of those vanishingly rare cars for your delectation and perusal today.

Overview
The vendor, who had previously owned a V550 and is a true connoisseur of performance and classic cars, bought the car in 2020.

The car had been converted to V600 by Aston Martin Works at Newport Pagnell in 2015 at a cost of £66,000.

The then owner was a pilot and had opted for an array of gauges that followed the layout logic you might find on a flight deck.

The vendor liked the look of the gauges that came with the Le Mans spec variant of the V600, a package of cosmetic changes introduced to commemorate Aston Martin’s 1959 DBR1 victory in the 24hr race.

The introduction of the new gauges can be seen in the odometer reset of 2020, when the mileage was around 44,000.

Given that the mileage is showing just 624 miles today, it’s evident that the car has been used very lightly since 2020.

We have driven this car and can attest to the fact that there’s really nothing else quite like it.

Yes, it has the brute strength and raw grunt of a Chinook helicopter.

But it is also fabulously, indulgently, luxurious and opulent.

It’s Desperate Dan in a Savile Row suit and a pair of John Lobb shoes.

The car starts on the button and the low rumbles and growls from the engine bay quickly alert you to the fact that something very big and powerful is lurking under the bonnet.

It presses on with all the relentless urge of the Flying Scotsman, with the characterfully agricultural gearbox more than up to the task of wrestling all that power down to the ground.

It goes, and feels, very fast, but this is a big, heavy beast and we don’t think either you or it would enjoy a visit to the Nordschleife for some timed laps.

The car is in very good condition indeed, and not least because the vendor and his predecessors have taken some brutal hits to the wallet in the service of keeping in first-class, no-expense-spared condition, all of which work was carried out either by Aston Martin Works or the Stratton Motor Company.

By way of example, when the vendor bought the car he could see that it was wearing the wheels from the V550. He instructed Stratton to find and fit the correct V600 Dymag wheels, which they duly did….at a cost of over £14,000.

Ouch.

The vendor is only selling now because he’s just not using the car as much as he knows it deserves – and because he wants to make room in his garage for a GT3 race car.

Fair enough.

Estimate: £180,000 - £210,000

View Current Bid Price HERE