There's an awful lot to love about the big old twin-supercharged Vantages. For many, they represent the last 'true' Aston Martins, their steel platform chassis, aluminium bodies, V8 engines and sumptuous interiors all laboriously and lovingly crafted by hand in Newport Pagnell's by-then somewhat Dickensian facilities.
It seems a very long time ago now, but I'm old enough to remember these cars when they were new. Indeed, I drove a number of them for magazine features, enjoying the ritual of arriving at Newport Pagnell and being ushered to the Board Room across the road at Sunnyside, where I's wait to be handed the keys while HRH The Prince of Wales peered down at me from a portrait on the wall.
I have extremely fond memories of these times and the magnificent brutes that defined them. I've done lots of miles in V550, V600 and V600Le Mans, but I'm somewhat ashamed to say that until now I was blissfully unaware of this - the one and only V600 Volante Le mans.
There is a good reason for the oversight, because supercharged Vantage Volante's were only to special order for a few loyal customers. Lost in the noise of surrounding the Bloxham - built V12-engined DB7 Vantage, not to mention breathless news of the fabulous, thoroughly modern Vanquish, this tiny run of old-school Astons became the very last of the line - they are among the rarest in the company's history. Just eight were built, with this car being the very last example delivered thanks to the customers wishes to have it built to full Le Mans specification, including all the LM coupe's bodywork alterations and with a few additions mechanical modifications for good measure.
To be honest, I'm surprised none of the other seven customers took this route, because it looks absolutely magnificent. With its mohair roof stowed and that glorious walnut veneer, Wilton carpet and Connolly hide interior displayed in all its pomp, I have to say it looks as inviting as any car i've ever seen. What makes the story of this exceptional car even more satisfying is that it is still in the hands of that first owner - Paul Whight - with whom I'm standing , casting admiring glances towards this imposing machine. It's clearly the apple of his eye, even after all these years.
My first car was a MK1 Jaguar, which I think is where my thing for wood and leather stems from, but I've always been drawn to Astons, says Whright as he reflects on his ownership journey. It was 1990 when I could finally afford to buy one - an 88 Virage Volante with a 6.3-litre engine - and I've had a succession of road and competition Astons since, including a DB4GT, which I should never had sold, and the AMR1 Group C car I bought from Peter Livanos and still race to this day.
Immediately prior to the Volante LM, I had a Vantage 550 coupe - the first Aston I bought new, actually - so I was familiar with the regular car.I dealt directly with Works on the Volante, visiting Newport Pagnell to go through all the colours and trim options (he settled on a Rolls Royce blue with Parchment hide interior)and then discuss the various upgrades.
I looked at the original invoice this morning; a grand total of £275,708.63, which is a hundred grand more than I recall. Then again, maybe I've confused it with the amount I told my wife I'd spent on it.
It took a long time to complete the car because it had to have all the bodywork changes, plus the engine upgrade to 600bhp. I also had two-stage traction control fitted and, I think most significantly, I requested the gearbox as a short-shift five-speed with a different final drive so the gearing wasn't so tall. The cost of the transmission work alone was £38,700. Worth every penny, though, as it makes such a difference to the way the car goes.
I've never used it as a daily driver, but have taken it on some great journeys into Europe (Whright has long been a keen and active racer in modern GTs and Historic's). It must have done at least three trips to the South of France, plus Spa many times and Monza over the years. I always tended to take it to race meetings at home, too. I'd regularly drive it to the Silverstone Classic, for example. I suppose you could call it a high days and holidays car, but it always got used properly.
Going to the South of France in it was always magic.. It was really in its element on a long drive. There's a big property conference held down there and the hotel I stayed at always loved to have the car parked out front. It's one of those cars that attracts the right sort of attention.
I have to confess that as a general rule I'm instinctively drawn towards coupes rather the convertibles, but there's something about this car that's so appealing that even I'm under it's spell. It helps that the sun is shining but as soon as you swing open the door and settle behind the big steering wheel, life feels very good indeed.
All the wood veneer, supple leather and back-on-white dials are very much of their time, but make a tremendous statement. The kind that new cars are somehow less adept at doing.
The same goes for the power house of a V8. with its pair of massive Eaton superchargers and associated pipework filling the engine bay, it looks more like a WW2 aero engine than something you'd expect to find in the nose of an aristocratic convertible.
From the moment it fires into life, the V600 literally pulses with potency, the car twisting ever so slightly on its springs when you blip the throttle.
That's what 600bhp ft feel like when they're straining at the leash. It's what Aston was always so good at, and something it has made a welcome return to with the new DBS.
I won't pretend this is anything but a brief drive, but the impression the Volante Le Mans makes makes is so intoxicating and unambiguous you need very little imagination to picture yourself following in Whight's tyre tracks and heading for the South of France.
The clutch is weighty nut this matches the heft of the gearshift, through it must be said that this lever slots through the gate with a deftness that belies the forces the box is handling.
There's a slight delay in the throttle response can catch you out at lower speeds, but you soon learn to compensate to smooth your progress and in an age when automatics and paddle-shifts are so prevalent it's refreshing to have this tactile touch point with a car of the V600 and performance.
I can still recall the intergalactic reach of the regular six speed gearbox, so it's a real surprise to feel the urgency the Whight's five speed adds to the delivery. Not to the point where you loose the loping stride a car like this deserves, but enough the it feels supremely responsive and brimming with energy.
It's a car you work up and down the gearbox just for the hell of it. And when you gun it there's no doubting that this remains a breathtaking quick car.
The supercharged engine has always had a complex soundtrack, the slightly industrial whine of the blowers laid over the wonderfully muscular woofle of the Marek-designed 5.3-litre V8. With a vocal range that stretches from mellow to malevolent according to throttle opening, with a pure, uncontrived exhaust note underlines the sense that this car is one of the last great analogue and entirely and authentic GTs.
Handling-wise, the V600 never lets you forget it's a bulky car, but I have to say it rides better then I was expecting and displays little of the structural shimmy you might expect from an open-top car with such aged origins.
The steering is light, the wheel wriggling slightly in yor hands, but once you get your head around the fact that the steering doesn't share the same hefty control weights as the clutch and gearbox you find there's a decent sense of connection.
You need to allow for the mass and be careful in managing your throttle inputs (through you do have the reassurance of traction control), but once you get a feel for it's grip levels and rate of response you can place the Volante Le Mans with confidence and drive it with verve.
I can certainly see why Whright is so fond of it, as it's very long way from the wobbly 600bhp sun-bed my tin-top-loving prejudice led me to expect.
There is no doubt that the V600 Volante Le Mans is something very special. There's never been anything else quite like the twin-supercharged Vantage models and taking the roof off only seems to have enhanced the experience, but beyond the way it drives, it's the historical significance that ensures this car truly stands alone.
Think about it: this was the very last fully hand-built Aston to leave the Newport Pagnell factory. It's also the very last car to be powered by Tadek Merek's legendary V8. And, thanks to Whright's foresight when placing his order, the only Volante with V600 engine and Le Mans bodywork. It's a true one-off and doubtless worth an absolute fortune, though something tells me Whright's in no hurry to sell. Can't say I blame him.
Words: Richard Meaden Photographs: Max Earey Article: Vantage
Engine: V8 5340cc Twin Supercharged
Max Power: 600BHP @ 6500rpm
Max Torque: 600lb ft @ 4000rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential
Suspension: Front double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti roll-bar
Brakes: Vented disc, 385mm front 310mm rear, ABS
Wheels: 10 x 18 front and rear
Tyres: 285/45 ZR18
Weight: c1995kg
Power to weight: c300bhp/ton
0-60MPH: c4.0sec
Top Speed: c190 mph
Price New: £275,708
Due to some considerable early success and a great number of customer requests, the Special Projects Team at Aston Martin’s Works Service began a feasibility study to investigate the possibility of building the ultimate convertible Aston Martin.
This was to become the Supercharged V8 Vantage Volante Special Edition. Under the direction and guidance of Works Service Director Kingsley Riding-Felce, the Special Projects Team had become synonymous with the development and building of many significant coachbuilt Aston Martin and Lagonda models for discerning owners around the world.
A great deal of research was carried out and the business decision made to manufacture the ‘last of the line’ nine Vantage Volantes to a unique specification. Of these, one would be built to former long-wheelbase Vantage Volante specification while the remaining eight would all become ‘SWB’ Vantage Volantes on the Vantage coupé’s shorter wheelbase. Of these, three were built to European left-hand drive specification and five were UK right-hand drive.
This special project encompassed all the development, skill and expertise amassed in the creation of Aston Martin’s V8 product range spanning 30 years, and these special Works Service versions were fully homologated and type-approved.
This programme was the pinnacle of a special era of hand-built Newport Pagnell cars that never could or will be repeated again. Such was the enthusiasm and dedication of the owners that the Works Service team built each car to a different specification, a situation not unlike that of the 19 DB4GT Zagatos built in the 1960s.
Some incorporated the limited edition Vantage Le Mans Coupé features (including ‘71001’, the car above) while others added items of their own or elected to have the engine performance upgraded to 600bhp after the car had been registered. Because these eight Aston Martins were built as the last of the line their assembly was with unsurpassed care and a passion that has become synonymous with Aston Martin over the years.
A limited edition of special chassis numbers was allocated to the cars and a certificate was produced and personally signed by Robert A Dover, the Chairman of the company at that time.
Each owner’s handbook was specially written for each car to incorporate its unique individual characteristics. In addition a special limited edition brochure was produced and the whole of the manufacturing process for each car was photographed and placed into an album to record for prosperity that special moment in the company’s history.
Although the first chassis number of the sequence, ‘71001’ was the last of the nine cars to be completed. The owner, is a noted Aston Martin collector whose stable includes - and has included - DB4GT Zagato, DB4GT, this car and other modern exotica. He assisted in the conception of this special edition project, working closely with Works Service to ensure that these cars were every bit as good as the idea. ‘71001’ is finished in Antrim Blue with dark blue-piped parchment trim, blue Wilton carpeting and blue mohair hood lined in parchment Alcantara. This car is noted for having a full complement of options including Le Mans starter button and control pedals; Le Mans instruments and burr walnut woodwork to suit; hood envelope fixed to seat back; parchment Alcantara seat inserts and door pads to Le Mans specification; square side repeaters; unique rear-wing styling features requested by the vendor; and works coach-build badges to the rear wings.
Each of the eight short wheel base cars were all different specifications, colours and owners.
The story continues!
