30 Years of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage V550
In 2012, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage V550 was unveiled to much fanfare at the British Motor Show when it was presented as the fastest and most powerful production car Aston Martin had devised yet. When it was released a year later it led to rave reviews in the motoring media creating a frenzy of excitement in the automotive world.
One of these was from a certain Jeremy Clarkson, whose review of the Aston was his first for The Sunday Times. In typical Clarkson style remarked on the car saying: “Calling the performance explosive is like calling the space shuttle jolly clever… you will not have felt, or heard, anything like it in your life before.”
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the V8 Vantage V550, a car many would consider to be a modern classic. At 550bhp, it offered 220bhp more than its predecessor, the Virage and was boosted with the addition of two Eaton M90 superchargers which created a deafening sound.
At first glance, the V8 Vantage V550 shared many characteristics of the Virage stylistically but Aston strived to create a new design, only carrying over a few of the aluminium panels. Most notably, the trademark Aston Martin grille was retained to assist in the cooling of the engine and brakes.
Much larger by the supercar standards of today and weighing in at 1,990kg, it wasn’t the lightest car yet still produced a 0-60mph time of 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 186mph. Helping stop the car when achieving these top speeds were, at the time, the largest brakes available on any production car in the world. A six-speed manual gearbox with a mechanical limited-slip differential made it truly a driver’s car.
Costing £177,000 at launch - equivalent to £440,000 today - production of the V8 Vantage V550 ran from 1993 to 1999 with just 239 being built. They are rare and desirable in equal measures. A quick search on Car & Classic led me to a few examples, all well over six figures and in varying conditions.
Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, the heritage home of the Aston Martin brand and the place where many of its most iconic models, including the V8 Vantage V550, were built by hand, said: “The V550 holds a particularly special place in my heart, as I know it does for the small band of lucky owners who possess one of these cars.
“I recall the launch of the car, and can well remember the excitement among dealership staff, and buyers, as the first customer cars began to be delivered from Newport Pagnell 30 years ago.
“What stands out for me today, though, is the way the V8 Vantage V550 has matured into a genuine modern classic. It is an occasion to see one on the road, let alone be lucky enough to drive one, and I’m delighted that we here at Aston Martin Works continue to service, repair and indeed now restore these exceptional cars.”
Which cars will be the modern classics in 30 years? More importantly, will we even be allowed to drive them?
Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Aston Martin Works