Worked at Aston martin for a few years around 1990, I built all the chassis at the rate of one a day. Whenever I see one built around 1990 I know I built the chassis, nice feeling and great cars.
@@stuartconnor740As someone who’s met people in the Aston Martin owner’s club in the UK, I beg to differ, they don’t talk model names, they talk chassis numbers. Bit confusing for me as a BMW man, but that’s partly because my wallet doesn’t stretch to old Astons, or any Aston once you factor in maintenance (I could technically get a straight 6 DB7, but service and maintenance would ruin me financially)
They sure are, I'm quite surprised by this one though. Somehow reminds me a bit of the underrated Japanese masterpieces of this style, the classic Japanese "mini-muscle". Not exactly sure what it was, but I think I've seen something quite similar looking among them. If you don't know about the size difference you'd think they were direct competitors - and strong ones at that - but to my taste the smaller size is for the better.
As an English fan of cars in general, yes, the Aston V8 is stunning, but the 60s and early 70s American musclecars are something else! It's not just the power, speed and sound. The styling and character of those cars was phenomenal.
The coachwork does---as stated in the video---mirror something of the styling of American 70s muscle cars (not _necessarily_ a good thing), but Aston Martin's more nuanced interpretation signals a certain elegance while reflecting the promise of power under the hood. BTW: Jay Leno owns an Aston Martin Vantage V12... and that thing is drop-dead gorgeous.
@@hlcepeda It is worth looking at the finer details of the designs of old American muscle cars. Yes, they were mass-produced, but the Americans achieved in the 1960s styling that the rest of the world wouldn't be capable of until the following century.
I saw one once in New Jersey, owned by a wealthy British guy. We were at a stoplight, windows down. Since it was right-hand drive, he was next to me. I asked him to get on it a bit once the light turned green. He obliged, and disappeared☺
YES!! Incredible (and sad) that Aston Martin eventually diluted the Vantage name, previously given to their baddest, hairiest and most powerful performance cars, to the entry level sports car, to cynically and sneakily lend it some of the cachet of cars like this.
As an engine junkie and lover of mechanical art, I just can't stop staring at those Aston Martin Lagonda cam covers. Aston Martin's 1980's-90's V8s were a treat for the eyes.
Fabulous old cars. Traveling through Europe with a friend in 1977 (we were 19 )we saw an Aston Martin V8 that was different to any other. We chased it through London in our transit van! It stopped soon after we saw it so we went to have a look. It was a prototype Vantage V8 being driven by none other than Sir Sterling Moss! He was super friendly and even invited us for a drink at the BRCD(?) Club! You can tell him this video has brought back wonderful memories for me.
I'm British and this has been my favourite car since I first learnt of its existence as a child. I think it's absolutely fair to call it a muscle car. It's more brutish than sleek. Still gorgeous though.
I have one of the regular V8 cars that was made at the same time as the very first batch of 20 V8 Vantages, which were built in 1977. It was built for the American market and so detuned a bit, but it is a wonderful long-distance touring car. But I have also used it as a daily driver at different times. It is almost perfectly balanced front/rear, handles beautifully and nips along very nicely. You can drive it 'sensibly' if you like, and it is even well-behaved in snow. If you let it slowly climb up the speedo, at about 90 mph the main jets open in the carbs, and it's almost like it's tearing the shirt open and lunging forward! She flashes up to 120 almost without thinking about it. And it is absolutely rock solid all the way. Yes, it does like to drink fuel, but what can you expect with a big V8 with 4 big Webers feeding it, with aerodynamics that were interesting, to say the least. (It didn't do very well in a wind-tunnel some years after it went into production, and AM didn't have the funds for wind-tunnel testing during design. Someone, almost as a joke, asked what its drag coefficient was if it was run backwards, with that fastback giving a more angled face, and it actually has a lower coefficient of drag from the back, compared to the front! Aerodynamic testing on the DBS test models was done with wool tufts all over the car and running it on a regular German autobahn!) That V8 engine was designed by Tadek Marek on two conditions (he had also designed the straight-6 in the DB4-DB6 cars): he wanted it made in cast iron and he didn't want it raced. When Aston went looking for a foundry in the UK to cast the blocks and heads, no-one would do it in cast iron for the small numbers Aston wanted, so they had to do it in aluminium alloy. The first three engines made (in 1967) were a little smaller in displacement and were handed to John Surtees (I think) who put them in a trio of Lolas and raced them. It was just as well they did, as all three failed in their first race, with I think the main bearings failing. Marek re-engineered them, and did it so well, that even though the original 5.4L engine put out a bit over 300 bhp, and despite the changes in induction and heads and the like, the block and lower end of the engine were much the same on the final production run of the V8 engine, in the V600 model, which produced 600 bhp and 600 lb-ft of torque, and pushed the car to about 200 mph. The V8 was in production, basically from the original (released in the DBS V8 in 1969) to the last model, the V600 in about 2000. Not a bad run of 31 years, and for some of them it powered the fastest production car in the world! Incidentally, if you want most of the parts for the V8 cars, you can get them from Aston Martin, and from a few other suppliers. Pretty much all the engine and chassis and suspension parts. The things that are hard to get are some of the electrical bits: wiper motors and things like that. There are a range of GM (and GM-like) parts that will replace window motors and alternators, and fortunately it doesn't have a lot of electronic stuff. At almost 50 years old, it does need some work, including rebuilding the carbs, but it's all still possible and should give her a new lease of life. Around 1990, the then managing director of the company decided that since a very high percentage of Astons were still out there and being driven, there was no reason why one wouldn't last 75 years, and he tried to set things up so that spares were available to keep the cars running at least that long. So they have parts back to the late 1950s. Soon after I bought the car, I contacted the factory and asked for any information they had about it, and they sent me the build sheet. I mentioned that she wasn't going to be a 'garage queen,' but a car that I drove regularly. They replied "Good. That's why we built them." Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks for the first hand post. I always liked that body style but haven’t seen one so have to ask - How are the ergonomics in it? So often sports cars of the era were compromised by by steering wheels and peddles not lining up leading to a contorted driving position.
@@thebigpicture2032 The ergonomics are good. It's very comfortable, even for my 6'2" frame, and headroom is a little less as mine has a sunroof. The pedals line up well, and there is plenty of room in the footwell for a left-hand foot rest, despite the brake pedal being double width (it's an automatic). The steering wheel doesn't go up and down, but it does extend towards you a few inches, but the indicator and wiper wands don't come out with the wheel. Compared to more modern cars, the windshield/windscreen seems very close and more vertical, but it doesn't feel cramped. It's wider than a modern Mustang with more seat width and more space around you. You have great visibility from the driving position, as the A pillars are fairly slim and the mirrors are pretty good, if a little small. But you get very good all-round visibility. The driving position is good, and I tend to have the seat back and the back down a little to keep my arms and legs extended a bit. I find it very comfortable and I don't get the front edge of the seat digging into my thighs, as some car seats can do. All the controls for everything are pretty close at hand. The control button for the driving lights is at the right end of the line of push-push buttons on the center console, so it's a slight stretch to reach it, but you don't need it very often. But heating/AC controls, sound system and everything else is pretty close at hand. The gear lever is close by and it all fits together pretty well. For the passenger, the window control is in the middle of the dashboard and there is a glove compartment with a small flexible map light so you can read a map or even write notes, as the glove compartment lid sits flat once its open. On that lid there is also a vanity mirror for the passenger. It is also very comfortable and easy to drive, especially once you get rolling. as you get moving a bit, bumps and the like get smoothed out very well. The chassis is tight and feels like it could handle nearly anything. A friend of mine has an Austin Healey that he loves and he once told me that when he drives it (around Washington DC), if you get it up around 90 mph, it feels like no-one at the factory ever managed this speed with one! But he drove a friend's Aston in the same area and said that at 90 mph the Aston felt as solid as a rock and that it had a whole lot more in reserve. This is a car you can get in and drive at whatever speed seems reasonable to you, and get out to stretch your legs when you need to refuel, then get in and do it all again! When I bought it, I got in, drove it to a nearby auto parts store to buy a jack (it didn't have one), then drove from Long Island, NY, to Columbus, OH, about 580 miles, including across New York City, stopping only once to refuel and get some dinner along the way, and it was a great drive. I've driven the 4,000 miles from Columbus, OH, to Anchorage, AK, in about 4 days and it was a long run, but very comfortable. This summer, I plan to take it from Anchorage to Alabama, and it should be another lovely run. The car doesn't have cruise control, but I don't really mind. It's great to just drive.
@ this is true! I owned an XU1 1967 Bathurst torana back in the 80’s (wish I had it now btw) but there was a rather noticeable offset between the seating and the steering wheel…
As a young boy at a UK boarding school I went to stay a weekend at my friends parents’ farm. His father had a selection of cars including a new Mk1 two-door Range Rover, several Jaguars, including an XK120, plus a wonderful white Aston Martin V8 Vantage. On one day after the crops had been cut he raced us around the fields in it. On another occasion he took us back to school and on the journey overtook another car towards an oncoming car with us sat in the back. The roads were exactly as described in Ed Sheeran’s song ‘a castle on a hill’ as the school was next to the aforementioned castle; so not exactly a freeway. I remember to this day thinking I was going to die. Fortunately the 0-60 in 5.3 seconds prevailed and 45 years later I survive. My father had a Rover SD1 V8 which, until this point, I thought was fast; is wasn’t.
I cringed every time you mispronounced the manufacturers name. It’s As-ton Martin not As-tin Martin. What is it with Yanks having to reinvent every spoken English word - heavens the CLUE is how it’s spelled!!
The Vantage is a truly beautiful car. I have always loved Aston Martin since I first saw Sean Connery driving a DB 5 in the role of James Bond. each one is a work of art.
there's one main difference between an Aston Martin like this and the American muscle cars: the Aston offered proper handling, it wasn't just fast in a straight line like his cousins across the pond 😂
I fell in love with the DB5 when I first sat in one at Van Nuys British car days in 1992. Such detail, even in the door hinges... one of the sexiest cars ever built.
A director of a company I used to work for had the XPack fitted to his car and I once walked past the rear of it in the car park when he started it. It sounded like the end of the world. The only thing I've heard that impressed me more was an Avro Vulcan doing a low pass and then a full power climb.
There was something about this Aston V8 Vantage. When people mention 'Muscle' when they are talking about car's... They instantly go straight to the American cars. ! This Vantage V8 was a REAL Muscle car. A thoroughbred... Hand built by Craftsmen. A fantastic looking car.
I was overtaken by a Vantage once on the Autobhan. I was doing 180+ mph on my Bimota & couldn't believe there was a car coming up behind me gaining at a rapid clip. British plates and it went past me at good 20-30 mph over what I was going flat out.
We have an XPack. I love it to bits. The front is not its best angle...the rear and rear 3/4 is...Amazing. The Fliptail and the arches are just spot on
A real fliptail? from '77? That's the one I've always swooned for. The OI facelifts wrecked it for me, smoothed it all out - blech. Although I would probably cave in and have Works put in the later dashboard fascia and interior.
I'll always remember Road and Track did a series of Fastest Car in America back in the late Eighties and early Nineties. I believe the Testa Rosa took the top crown the first time around but the description of the Vantage test was great "Seeing the tach needle swing past 7000 and the speedo needle swing past 175 in a 4000 lb car is surreal" or something very close to that. It has always been one of the best looking cars ever made in my opinion.
The V8 Vantage is the only car I will admit I lust after. As written by Phil Hill in the September 1984 issue of Road & Track: "The most startling and alarming thing was to be in a great big production car like this, with a speedometer that goes to 170 and a tachometer that goes to 7000, and see the speedometer and tachometer needles slowly but surely crawl right off the dial...both dials...it was astonishing." I believe that was it. I don't know where my copy is, that is from memory. I have read it more times than I can count. They wrung out several of the fastest cars in the world at the time, including the Vantage, the 512 BB, and the Ruf 911 Turbo at VW's Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany. The Euro-tune M635 CSi managed 158.
@@mescko That sounds more like it!! In my many moves because of my job I eventually got tired of hauling my old magazine collections from state to state and gave them up. I haven't re-read that article since the late nineties. Thank you for recognizing my quote and providing an accurate version!!
Great video. I am incredibly fortunate to have driven a few Aston Martin's of this era, including the DBS V8, V8 Series III & Oscar India and a 1981 V8 Vantage. They are, without a shadow of a doubt, a muscle car. The stance, the noise, the way they drive (like a truck). Everything is heavy, deliberate and purposeful. I missed the bought and bought a house rather than the 1978 Aston Martin V8 I was looking at, and now prices have risen. The closest car to them in Europe in period was the BMW M635CSi (I have also had a couple of E24's) and their legacy was continued by TVR with their ludicrous V8 models, Griffith & Cerbera. I now have a Griffith 500.
I have a friend whose name is Ashton Martin and she has a twin sister named Morgan. I haven't yet confirmed it, but i suspect their father is a big fan of British sports cars 🤣😂🤣
Aston Martin are my favourite car maker & this series are my favourite Aston. I live very close to the Aston workshop & went to the open day in 2024. Amazing cars. Works of art.
I did a job for a retired stockbroker and he had a 1999 V8 vantage v600 Le Mans 40th anniversary and it’s the best looking best sounding car I’ve ever seen in person. The only thing I didn’t like about it was its green steering wheel and green upper dashboard.
Remember those days. Cars made by skilled people. Quality parts. Vehicles that could be repaired with good parts. They lasted. Someone who owned the company I worked for had a red one back in mid 80’s. It looked ferocious. Wide tyres and huge haunches. So cool
Never mind the power it produced, or the cars it got put in, the Aston Martin V8 is just one of the most beautiful looking engines ever made. If I was properly rich, and had more space in my house, I would have three engines just as decoration, 1) The Cosworth 3.4 litre V6 2) The Aston Martin V8 3) The Lamborghini V12 They wouldn't even have to be full, running engines, just full size 3D models would do.
@@williamwilliam5066 I have a 105mm shell case on my mantelpiece, and a collection of dummy rounds from 2" down to .25 acp. No pipe rack, but I do have a couple of pipes, no tantalus though...
@@john_barnett Nor ever. I don't think I recall ever a time when a Pony/Muscle car could dominate the best exotics from Italy from the same generation. Today you need a Dodge Challenger, Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang that can run circles around a Bugatti Chiron. Yeah good luck with that.
do not forget the 7 litre upgrade to the X pack!! I know someone who was getting this done a few years ago in Switzerland.. possible now completed. 7 litre of beast mode.
In 1986 I was selling specialty cars in North London, and one day one of the other guys asked me to take a car down to Kent so I could show it to his buyer. It sounded like a lark so I agreed and I set off. The car was an Aston Martin V8 and for the first half hour or so it ran like absolute rubbish. After a few minutes on the motor way I decided that if it didn’t get any better in about five minutes I’d turn around ‘cause no buyer would be interested in a car running that rough. Sure enough, within five minutes the car coughed a couple of times and it started to run. And I mean it REALLY ran. I never got over a buck and a quarter but as fast as it went, it was the very definition of ‘safe as houses’. Rock bloody solid. The buyer didn’t like the colour, and my pal at the dealership knew that, but he had successfully fooled me into driving a phenomenal Aston from North London to within a couple miles of Brands Hatch of a nice Sunday afternoon. Silly me . . .
The blanked off grille for these is my favourite design, but I prefer the DBS V8 front end to the series 2 open grille front end. If I had the money and I could find one, I’d have one of the 7L conversions. Ircc, I thin Aston Martin Works did them. Manual, of course.
An early 'fliptail' Vantage is my first choice, but I've always really liked the 4 headlamp front. A DBS V8 with the Vantage front air dam and rear fliptail spoiler. Oh yeahhhh.
My friends brother had the Vantage Volante, convertible version. They only made a small amount each year and he had to wait 5 years to get his. It was the last to come off the production line and he was approached to sell it at double what he paid for it as he drove out of the garage. Naturally, he refused. A stunning vehicle but was prone to running very hot in London traffic!
Many years ago I was given the job of fitting a clutch and making g a repair to the gear box mount on one of these they had what we in the Britain call a dog leg 5 speed box ,,when I had carried out all the work I took it out on test drive and was so shocked at how fast it was considering how heavy it was what a great car...
I remember seeing this car in a movie when I was a kid. And I thought that was the coolest car I'd seen yet. At least the cars I'd seen in movies, the 911s in Condor Man, and the vantage in the living daylights had a little boy-inspired about cars.
I'm a gearhead and I;ve somehow never knew these existed. What a gorgeous car, and to hear that it was the fastest in the world? A nice simple English V8 beating all those fancy Italian cars. What a beauty.
That Aston Martin was absolutely the last hurrah of the classic, aggressive, muscular, looking American Muscle Car. Just an awesome car to put a full stop to that design language. So what if it was made in the UK, it was the thank you letter to the USA.
I had a series 2 V8, one of the finest drives I have ever had, pity I sold it really. Used as a second car for the weekends, the noise that came out of the exhaust is the still the best sound I have heard coming out of any car. No high tech apart from the Opus management system, all analogue with oil temperature gauge as well as pressure, proper old school, joy to drive.
Yet another classic car I will never own. The first time I ever saw one of these I didn't really look at it properly and thought it was a Mustang. It was in a private collection/gallery. Just a beautiful car.
This would be my dream project car. You can tell it took inspiration from the 69 mustang as least visually. I could tweak this into the best looking car ever made for my money
When the V8 Vantage beat the Porsche 911 Turbo in the UK's "Motor" magazine test, I as a 21 year old Aston enthusiast wrote to "Motor" praising this achievement. They published my letter in the next weeks "Letters" pages. Three weeks later a letter from Aston Martin arrived at my address with a "thank you" of an invite to visit the factory 😀 I had a fantastic day at Newport Pagnell the day before Charles & Diana's wedding!
I am lucky enough to be the owner of a 1984 Vantage with a rebuilt engine by heritage to 6 litres. It is an absolutely amazing car to look at and drive. My son wanted me to take it to his wedding in Ibiza which was a delight to see him drive away with his new bride. We were rewarded with an fab drive back to England though Spain.
Good lord I would love to own one of these. I own a Rapide, which is the cheapest Aston I could afford, it’s such a beautiful car but I would LOVE an 80s Vantage V8
Worked at Aston martin for a few years around 1990, I built all the chassis at the rate of one a day. Whenever I see one built around 1990 I know I built the chassis, nice feeling and great cars.
would you recommend owning an Aston from this era ?
If your telling the truth then we'll done - Aston Martin drivers don't worry about their chassis
Great legacy mate!
@@stuartconnor740As someone who’s met people in the Aston Martin owner’s club in the UK, I beg to differ, they don’t talk model names, they talk chassis numbers.
Bit confusing for me as a BMW man, but that’s partly because my wallet doesn’t stretch to old Astons, or any Aston once you factor in maintenance (I could technically get a straight 6 DB7, but service and maintenance would ruin me financially)
@@stuartconnor740Why would he lie about something like that?
As an American Muscle fan, Aston Martin is a gift to the world. Such gorgeous cars.
They sure are, I'm quite surprised by this one though.
Somehow reminds me a bit of the underrated Japanese masterpieces of this style, the classic Japanese "mini-muscle".
Not exactly sure what it was, but I think I've seen something quite similar looking among them.
If you don't know about the size difference you'd think they were direct competitors - and strong ones at that - but to my taste the smaller size is for the better.
One brand that has never been sold at a profit.
As an English fan of cars in general, yes, the Aston V8 is stunning, but the 60s and early 70s American musclecars are something else! It's not just the power, speed and sound. The styling and character of those cars was phenomenal.
The coachwork does---as stated in the video---mirror something of the styling of American 70s muscle cars (not _necessarily_ a good thing), but Aston Martin's more nuanced interpretation signals a certain elegance while reflecting the promise of power under the hood. BTW: Jay Leno owns an Aston Martin Vantage V12... and that thing is drop-dead gorgeous.
@@hlcepeda It is worth looking at the finer details of the designs of old American muscle cars. Yes, they were mass-produced, but the Americans achieved in the 1960s styling that the rest of the world wouldn't be capable of until the following century.
I saw one once in New Jersey, owned by a wealthy British guy. We were at a stoplight, windows down. Since it was right-hand drive, he was next to me. I asked him to get on it a bit once the light turned green. He obliged, and disappeared☺
😂
I’d like this but it should stay at 69 likes.
There is one on every other street here in the UK.
Talking shite. @@iManMe23
@@stringer-ik1pc you must be smart.
That is a proper Aston Martin Vantage.
It is the Vantage.
YES!! Incredible (and sad) that Aston Martin eventually diluted the Vantage name, previously given to their baddest, hairiest and most powerful performance cars, to the entry level sports car, to cynically and sneakily lend it some of the cachet of cars like this.
It was a treat to see James Bond driving a V8 Vantage in The Living Daylights...with a few extra options of course.
Q-hancements .
Could also stow a Cello!
@@A-Name-101 Which is an important trait. It's a little known fact that most Aston Martins are owned by Cello players
@@mgytitanic1912
Jello players
I still maintain that the best bond car with skis was the Lotus Esprit Turbo.
As an engine junkie and lover of mechanical art, I just can't stop staring at those Aston Martin Lagonda cam covers. Aston Martin's 1980's-90's V8s were a treat for the eyes.
“As a blah blah blah…” 🤦🏻♂️
Fabulous old cars. Traveling through Europe with a friend in 1977 (we were 19 )we saw an Aston Martin V8 that was different to any other. We chased it through London in our transit van!
It stopped soon after we saw it so we went to have a look. It was a prototype Vantage V8 being driven by none other than Sir Sterling Moss! He was super friendly and even invited us for a drink at the BRCD(?) Club!
You can tell him this video has brought back wonderful memories for me.
What an amazing story!
Sterling moss just seems like he was always such a nice guy, did you go for a drink with him?
@@jh565bb Sterling was on his way to a swingers party.
Ford van drivers aren't into that kind of thing.
I'm British and this has been my favourite car since I first learnt of its existence as a child. I think it's absolutely fair to call it a muscle car. It's more brutish than sleek. Still gorgeous though.
I have one of the regular V8 cars that was made at the same time as the very first batch of 20 V8 Vantages, which were built in 1977. It was built for the American market and so detuned a bit, but it is a wonderful long-distance touring car. But I have also used it as a daily driver at different times. It is almost perfectly balanced front/rear, handles beautifully and nips along very nicely. You can drive it 'sensibly' if you like, and it is even well-behaved in snow. If you let it slowly climb up the speedo, at about 90 mph the main jets open in the carbs, and it's almost like it's tearing the shirt open and lunging forward! She flashes up to 120 almost without thinking about it. And it is absolutely rock solid all the way. Yes, it does like to drink fuel, but what can you expect with a big V8 with 4 big Webers feeding it, with aerodynamics that were interesting, to say the least. (It didn't do very well in a wind-tunnel some years after it went into production, and AM didn't have the funds for wind-tunnel testing during design. Someone, almost as a joke, asked what its drag coefficient was if it was run backwards, with that fastback giving a more angled face, and it actually has a lower coefficient of drag from the back, compared to the front! Aerodynamic testing on the DBS test models was done with wool tufts all over the car and running it on a regular German autobahn!)
That V8 engine was designed by Tadek Marek on two conditions (he had also designed the straight-6 in the DB4-DB6 cars): he wanted it made in cast iron and he didn't want it raced. When Aston went looking for a foundry in the UK to cast the blocks and heads, no-one would do it in cast iron for the small numbers Aston wanted, so they had to do it in aluminium alloy. The first three engines made (in 1967) were a little smaller in displacement and were handed to John Surtees (I think) who put them in a trio of Lolas and raced them. It was just as well they did, as all three failed in their first race, with I think the main bearings failing. Marek re-engineered them, and did it so well, that even though the original 5.4L engine put out a bit over 300 bhp, and despite the changes in induction and heads and the like, the block and lower end of the engine were much the same on the final production run of the V8 engine, in the V600 model, which produced 600 bhp and 600 lb-ft of torque, and pushed the car to about 200 mph. The V8 was in production, basically from the original (released in the DBS V8 in 1969) to the last model, the V600 in about 2000. Not a bad run of 31 years, and for some of them it powered the fastest production car in the world!
Incidentally, if you want most of the parts for the V8 cars, you can get them from Aston Martin, and from a few other suppliers. Pretty much all the engine and chassis and suspension parts. The things that are hard to get are some of the electrical bits: wiper motors and things like that. There are a range of GM (and GM-like) parts that will replace window motors and alternators, and fortunately it doesn't have a lot of electronic stuff. At almost 50 years old, it does need some work, including rebuilding the carbs, but it's all still possible and should give her a new lease of life. Around 1990, the then managing director of the company decided that since a very high percentage of Astons were still out there and being driven, there was no reason why one wouldn't last 75 years, and he tried to set things up so that spares were available to keep the cars running at least that long. So they have parts back to the late 1950s.
Soon after I bought the car, I contacted the factory and asked for any information they had about it, and they sent me the build sheet. I mentioned that she wasn't going to be a 'garage queen,' but a car that I drove regularly. They replied "Good. That's why we built them."
Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks for this post mate! I really enjoyed it 😎
Thanks for the first hand post. I always liked that body style but haven’t seen one so have to ask - How are the ergonomics in it? So often sports cars of the era were compromised by by steering wheels and peddles not lining up leading to a contorted driving position.
@@thebigpicture2032 The ergonomics are good. It's very comfortable, even for my 6'2" frame, and headroom is a little less as mine has a sunroof. The pedals line up well, and there is plenty of room in the footwell for a left-hand foot rest, despite the brake pedal being double width (it's an automatic). The steering wheel doesn't go up and down, but it does extend towards you a few inches, but the indicator and wiper wands don't come out with the wheel. Compared to more modern cars, the windshield/windscreen seems very close and more vertical, but it doesn't feel cramped. It's wider than a modern Mustang with more seat width and more space around you. You have great visibility from the driving position, as the A pillars are fairly slim and the mirrors are pretty good, if a little small. But you get very good all-round visibility. The driving position is good, and I tend to have the seat back and the back down a little to keep my arms and legs extended a bit. I find it very comfortable and I don't get the front edge of the seat digging into my thighs, as some car seats can do.
All the controls for everything are pretty close at hand. The control button for the driving lights is at the right end of the line of push-push buttons on the center console, so it's a slight stretch to reach it, but you don't need it very often. But heating/AC controls, sound system and everything else is pretty close at hand. The gear lever is close by and it all fits together pretty well. For the passenger, the window control is in the middle of the dashboard and there is a glove compartment with a small flexible map light so you can read a map or even write notes, as the glove compartment lid sits flat once its open. On that lid there is also a vanity mirror for the passenger.
It is also very comfortable and easy to drive, especially once you get rolling. as you get moving a bit, bumps and the like get smoothed out very well. The chassis is tight and feels like it could handle nearly anything. A friend of mine has an Austin Healey that he loves and he once told me that when he drives it (around Washington DC), if you get it up around 90 mph, it feels like no-one at the factory ever managed this speed with one! But he drove a friend's Aston in the same area and said that at 90 mph the Aston felt as solid as a rock and that it had a whole lot more in reserve. This is a car you can get in and drive at whatever speed seems reasonable to you, and get out to stretch your legs when you need to refuel, then get in and do it all again! When I bought it, I got in, drove it to a nearby auto parts store to buy a jack (it didn't have one), then drove from Long Island, NY, to Columbus, OH, about 580 miles, including across New York City, stopping only once to refuel and get some dinner along the way, and it was a great drive. I've driven the 4,000 miles from Columbus, OH, to Anchorage, AK, in about 4 days and it was a long run, but very comfortable. This summer, I plan to take it from Anchorage to Alabama, and it should be another lovely run. The car doesn't have cruise control, but I don't really mind. It's great to just drive.
@ this is true! I owned an XU1 1967 Bathurst torana back in the 80’s (wish I had it now btw) but there was a rather noticeable offset between the seating and the steering wheel…
@@planetdisco4821 Not the case with this Aston Martin!
As a young boy at a UK boarding school I went to stay a weekend at my friends parents’ farm. His father had a selection of cars including a new Mk1 two-door Range Rover, several Jaguars, including an XK120, plus a wonderful white Aston Martin V8 Vantage. On one day after the crops had been cut he raced us around the fields in it. On another occasion he took us back to school and on the journey overtook another car towards an oncoming car with us sat in the back. The roads were exactly as described in Ed Sheeran’s song ‘a castle on a hill’ as the school was next to the aforementioned castle; so not exactly a freeway. I remember to this day thinking I was going to die. Fortunately the 0-60 in 5.3 seconds prevailed and 45 years later I survive. My father had a Rover SD1 V8 which, until this point, I thought was fast; is wasn’t.
“As a blah blah blah…” 🤦🏻♂️
I cringed every time you mispronounced the manufacturers name. It’s As-ton Martin not As-tin Martin. What is it with Yanks having to reinvent every spoken English word - heavens the CLUE is how it’s spelled!!
@@vincedibona4687 Sorry if you didn’t like my reminiscence…….
@@petersteer8992 I didn’t pronounce a thing…..
@@vincedibona4687 WTF is wrong with you?
As an Englishman who loves American muscle cars, I have always had a soft spot for some of those older Astons.
“As a blah blah blah…” 🤦🏻♂️
@vincedibona4687 What a pointless comment. Cheer up son
@@broughy23 Trolls a few with the same meaningless comment.
The Vantage is a truly beautiful car. I have always loved Aston Martin since I first saw Sean Connery driving a DB 5 in the role of James Bond. each one is a work of art.
A prize fighter in a saville row suit
Savile Row, although a true gent would never correct anyone's spelling😊😏🙂
Of the knock 'em down, drag 'em out variety... 😂😂😂
The Henry Cavill of muscle cars.
Sounds like Vinnie Jones 😂
@van-gabondramblinrose6398
He really should have been the next James Bond.
The Jenson Interceptor was a nice looking car - curved bay-widow at the back!
The Jensen was my pin up car as a boy followed by the Countach, Muira and Lotus Esprit
In the card game Top Trumps it had the largest engine displacement 7.2 litres
The fact thst it had an American engine put a lot of people off buying it ,as it was considered crude and not a thoroughbred. Lovely car though.
Really nice car but not in the same league as the Aston.
Real, I'd much rather have an interceptor
Ah si j’etais riche.
Une Aston Martin, naturellement !
From France with love.
👍 🇬🇧 ❤️ 🇫🇷
Muscle car in a suit - probably the best description 👍
there's one main difference between an Aston Martin like this and the American muscle cars: the Aston offered proper handling, it wasn't just fast in a straight line like his cousins across the pond 😂
I fell in love with the DB5 when I first sat in one at Van Nuys British car days in 1992. Such detail, even in the door hinges... one of the sexiest cars ever built.
A director of a company I used to work for had the XPack fitted to his car and I once walked past the rear of it in the car park when he started it. It sounded like the end of the world. The only thing I've heard that impressed me more was an Avro Vulcan doing a low pass and then a full power climb.
I see these as one of the most beautiful cars ever made, I hold it close to the 288gto
One of the best-looking 'muscle' cars ever made IMHO.
Agree. Cant think of one us muscle car that has more unique styling and had most every type. Classy car Id love to own one.
Good thing dreams are free
It's not a car. It's a piece of art.... I love it 😊
There was something about this Aston V8 Vantage. When people mention 'Muscle' when they are talking about car's... They instantly go straight to the American cars. ! This Vantage V8 was a REAL Muscle car. A thoroughbred... Hand built by Craftsmen. A fantastic looking car.
I was overtaken by a Vantage once on the Autobhan. I was doing 180+ mph on my Bimota & couldn't believe there was a car coming up behind me gaining at a rapid clip. British plates and it went past me at good 20-30 mph over what I was going flat out.
As I live in Cologne, I could try that!! Which Autobahn, may I ask??
@orsonbuggy Can't remember, it was a good few years ago,but we were going to Hockenheim to watch some race or other.
Excellent presentation! Thank you! Seeing this car in "The Living Daylights" was the highlight of that 1987 movie, in my opinion.
Literally my dream car, if I won the lottery, this, and the Miura, would be my silly purchases!
It's a muscle car, in a suit.
And that's exactly why I love it.
We have an XPack. I love it to bits. The front is not its best angle...the rear and rear 3/4 is...Amazing. The Fliptail and the arches are just spot on
A real fliptail? from '77? That's the one I've always swooned for. The OI facelifts wrecked it for me, smoothed it all out - blech. Although I would probably cave in and have Works put in the later dashboard fascia and interior.
A gentleman’s express is an accurate description of this automotive icon.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage is my most favorite! Echoes of the late 1960's/Early 1970's Ford Mustang in its body style plus being far more refined!
Word is that William Towns who penned the original DBS in 1967 took inspiration from the contemporary Camaro.
This is my "If I ever win the Lotto" car.
Any boys bedroom poster favourite. And, on any lottery winners wish list. Utterly drop dead gorgeous.
I just watched the Pangra video so I decided to check out what else you have done. You've earned my subscription! Great content!
My absolute dream car! Doesn't even have to be the X-pack!
I Agree, the best looking coupe of all time!
My favourite Bond Aston.
That engine is just gorgeous
Miss the days when looking good was part of the engine design team.
Cant find one thing about it Idont like! Except Ill never be able to own one.
I'll always remember Road and Track did a series of Fastest Car in America back in the late Eighties and early Nineties. I believe the Testa Rosa took the top crown the first time around but the description of the Vantage test was great "Seeing the tach needle swing past 7000 and the speedo needle swing past 175 in a 4000 lb car is surreal" or something very close to that. It has always been one of the best looking cars ever made in my opinion.
The V8 Vantage is the only car I will admit I lust after. As written by Phil Hill in the September 1984 issue of Road & Track: "The most startling and alarming thing was to be in a great big production car like this, with a speedometer that goes to 170 and a tachometer that goes to 7000, and see the speedometer and tachometer needles slowly but surely crawl right off the dial...both dials...it was astonishing." I believe that was it. I don't know where my copy is, that is from memory. I have read it more times than I can count. They wrung out several of the fastest cars in the world at the time, including the Vantage, the 512 BB, and the Ruf 911 Turbo at VW's Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany. The Euro-tune M635 CSi managed 158.
@@mescko That sounds more like it!! In my many moves because of my job I eventually got tired of hauling my old magazine collections from state to state and gave them up. I haven't re-read that article since the late nineties. Thank you for recognizing my quote and providing an accurate version!!
I'm a muscle car guy with a fondness for English cars, so calling the Aston Martin V8 a muscle car in a suit is a pretty big complement in my book.
My thoughts exactly. This and a series 3 e type are my all time favorites. Worth an absolute fortune now. Great investment for anyone who owns one.👍👍
Will you publish your book ? Cause I'm sure people would be interested 😏
Aston Martins have long been considered 'Brute in a Suit'
@@paulkirkland1535 Well, it depends. Prices were higher a few years back...
A suit and a bow tie…
Medium dry vodka Martini, shaken not stirred.
I used to Chauffeur in London for a Managing Director in a V8 Vantage, absolute pleasure to go to work every day.
I hope he didn't sit in the back... There's virtually no room!
Great video.
I am incredibly fortunate to have driven a few Aston Martin's of this era, including the DBS V8, V8 Series III & Oscar India and a 1981 V8 Vantage.
They are, without a shadow of a doubt, a muscle car. The stance, the noise, the way they drive (like a truck).
Everything is heavy, deliberate and purposeful.
I missed the bought and bought a house rather than the 1978 Aston Martin V8 I was looking at, and now prices have risen.
The closest car to them in Europe in period was the BMW M635CSi (I have also had a couple of E24's) and their legacy was continued by TVR with their ludicrous V8 models, Griffith & Cerbera.
I now have a Griffith 500.
TVR ❤️💕😍
I've always said these and the 90's ones were the only British muscle car. Imagine if Jaguar or Triumph had a little bit of competition with em.
The size of that engine! And the beauty of it!!
I have a friend whose name is Ashton Martin and she has a twin sister named Morgan. I haven't yet confirmed it, but i suspect their father is a big fan of British sports cars 🤣😂🤣
And the mother is clueless. 😂
Aston Martin are my favourite car maker & this series are my favourite Aston. I live very close to the Aston workshop & went to the open day in 2024. Amazing cars. Works of art.
From this Yank to you: You lucky sod.
I did a job for a retired stockbroker and he had a 1999 V8 vantage v600 Le Mans 40th anniversary and it’s the best looking best sounding car I’ve ever seen in person. The only thing I didn’t like about it was its green steering wheel and green upper dashboard.
The auto press in 1967 criticized the DBS for being too wide 😄
Remember those days. Cars made by skilled people. Quality parts. Vehicles that could be repaired with good parts. They lasted.
Someone who owned the company I worked for had a red one back in mid 80’s. It looked ferocious. Wide tyres and huge haunches. So cool
"They lasted". Only if you lived in California. Cars back then where terrible back then. Ask the garage mechanics and the panel beaters.
you can’t put a price on style, performance and sheer class
What a car. I'd like to own one. Great looks, performance, and presence.
Absolutely beautiful car, always my favorite. To me it's like an English Shelby Mustang.
looks better than the all the same aston martins since the 90's. These ones look like Mustangs
If you think that is the best car ever you have good taste sir. Thanks for another great video 👍
Never mind the power it produced, or the cars it got put in, the Aston Martin V8 is just one of the most beautiful looking engines ever made. If I was properly rich, and had more space in my house, I would have three engines just as decoration,
1) The Cosworth 3.4 litre V6
2) The Aston Martin V8
3) The Lamborghini V12
They wouldn't even have to be full, running engines, just full size 3D models would do.
I would have a pipe rack, an 88mm shell, and a Tantalus. Oh I already have them.
@@williamwilliam5066 I have a 105mm shell case on my mantelpiece, and a collection of dummy rounds from 2" down to .25 acp. No pipe rack, but I do have a couple of pipes, no tantalus though...
Had a 1990 LT5 with as a coffee table for yrs.
Overpriced Alternative??? The X-Pack ate Countaches and Testarossas for breakfast. WORTH IT.
Amazing how few know that.
what was it an alternative to back when it launched? there was nothing else like it
@@john_barnett Nor ever. I don't think I recall ever a time when a Pony/Muscle car could dominate the best exotics from Italy from the same generation. Today you need a Dodge Challenger, Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang that can run circles around a Bugatti Chiron. Yeah good luck with that.
do not forget the 7 litre upgrade to the X pack!! I know someone who was getting this done a few years ago in Switzerland.. possible now completed. 7 litre of beast mode.
Fantastic. I can feel the power and speed tonight.
In 1986 I was selling specialty cars in North London, and one day one of the other guys asked me to take a car down to Kent so I could show it to his buyer.
It sounded like a lark so I agreed and I set off.
The car was an Aston Martin V8 and for the first half hour or so it ran like absolute rubbish. After a few minutes on the motor way I decided that if it didn’t get any better in about five minutes I’d turn around ‘cause no buyer would be interested in a car running that rough.
Sure enough, within five minutes the car coughed a couple of times and it started to run. And I mean it REALLY ran.
I never got over a buck and a quarter but as fast as it went, it was the very definition of ‘safe as houses’. Rock bloody solid.
The buyer didn’t like the colour, and my pal at the dealership knew that, but he had successfully fooled me into driving a phenomenal Aston from North London to within a couple miles of Brands Hatch of a nice Sunday afternoon.
Silly me . . .
"I never got over a buck and a quarter" What on earth does that even mean? Isn't that American money?
125
Was it so he wouldn't have any competition in the showroom that day?
What a superb mini-documentary! You've done Aston Martin proud! 👍👍
The blanked off grille for these is my favourite design, but I prefer the DBS V8 front end to the series 2 open grille front end. If I had the money and I could find one, I’d have one of the 7L conversions. Ircc, I thin Aston Martin Works did them. Manual, of course.
An early 'fliptail' Vantage is my first choice, but I've always really liked the 4 headlamp front. A DBS V8 with the Vantage front air dam and rear fliptail spoiler. Oh yeahhhh.
This is on my dream car list
This is what you get when you combine the best of British and the best of American influences. 🇬🇧 🇺🇸
Well-made video. Great production work. Super interesting report on a lesser known car. Love it!!
I always cherished these Aston Matin, wow, thanks for a great video review truly informative & entertaining, and I totally enjoyed it.
My friends brother had the Vantage Volante, convertible version. They only made a small amount each year and he had to wait 5 years to get his. It was the last to come off the production line and he was approached to sell it at double what he paid for it as he drove out of the garage. Naturally, he refused. A stunning vehicle but was prone to running very hot in London traffic!
Awesomely beautiful. I have seen and photographed many 😎
Aston Martin V8 Vantage has been my dream car since its introduction. It still is.
I would love to have any classic Aston Martin
Many years ago I was given the job of fitting a clutch and making g a repair to the gear box mount on one of these they had what we in the Britain call a dog leg 5 speed box ,,when I had carried out all the work I took it out on test drive and was so shocked at how fast it was considering how heavy it was what a great car...
Has all the best features of the 69 Mustang fastback, 69 Charger, an 1970 Camro
IT REALLY IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MUSCLE CARS EVER MADE, IF NOT THE BEST!
I remember seeing this car in a movie when I was a kid. And I thought that was the coolest car I'd seen yet. At least the cars I'd seen in movies, the 911s in Condor Man, and the vantage in the living daylights had a little boy-inspired about cars.
Condor man-went to the cinema to see it-loved it. Especially those 911s
@kimblecheat right! I thought those were sick! My grandfather not so much.
I'm a gearhead and I;ve somehow never knew these existed. What a gorgeous car, and to hear that it was the fastest in the world? A nice simple English V8 beating all those fancy Italian cars. What a beauty.
Much appreciated sir. I honestly never saw the link to muscle cars until this video. Keep up the excellent work.
That Aston Martin was absolutely the last hurrah of the classic, aggressive, muscular, looking American Muscle Car.
Just an awesome car to put a full stop to that design language.
So what if it was made in the UK, it was the thank you letter to the USA.
One of my all time favourite cars, hard top was good but the voltane cabriolet was just perfect
I had a series 2 V8, one of the finest drives I have ever had, pity I sold it really. Used as a second car for the weekends, the noise that came out of the exhaust is the still the best sound I have heard coming out of any car. No high tech apart from the Opus management system, all analogue with oil temperature gauge as well as pressure, proper old school, joy to drive.
Vauxhall - Lotus Carlton AKA Opel - Lotus Omega, next please.
Imagine if they did a twin-turbo 4.0 Senator.
Truly the ultimate luxury muscle car.
Fun fact, the 'DB' in all Aston models comes from David Brown tractors (or 'Dai Browns' as we call them here in Wales).
Perfect Gentleman's Garage: Shelby Cobra + GT40 + Vantage V8 + my Ford Focus 1.6
Yet another classic car I will never own. The first time I ever saw one of these I didn't really look at it properly and thought it was a Mustang. It was in a private collection/gallery. Just a beautiful car.
The front signal indicator missiles, side-facing lasers, and rear rocket motor really seals the deal
This would be my dream project car. You can tell it took inspiration from the 69 mustang as least visually. I could tweak this into the best looking car ever made for my money
Best Bond car hands down
The DB5 has unmatched beauty and elegance.
It was refered to as a "Brute in a suit" at the time. My favourite Aston, although the Virage V600 with it's twin superchargers...
When the V8 Vantage beat the Porsche 911 Turbo in the UK's "Motor" magazine test, I as a 21 year old Aston enthusiast wrote to "Motor" praising this achievement. They published my letter in the next weeks "Letters" pages. Three weeks later a letter from Aston Martin arrived at my address with a "thank you" of an invite to visit the factory 😀 I had a fantastic day at Newport Pagnell the day before Charles & Diana's wedding!
Absolutely beautiful!👍👍
I am lucky enough to be the owner of a 1984 Vantage with a rebuilt engine by heritage to 6 litres. It is an absolutely amazing car to look at and drive. My son wanted me to take it to his wedding in Ibiza which was a delight to see him drive away with his new bride. We were rewarded with an fab drive back to England though Spain.
... on your way you must have heard echos from the ghost of Hemmingway past ....
This car sounds brilliant and is a looker. Best in gold
IMO the best Aston Martin ever built
A lot of research BUT an 11 minute video about possibly the meatiest V8 muscle car ever and not one clip with audio of the engine sound! WTF?
No point continuing.
It is, hands down, a beautiful car
That's a really beautiful car. Roger Moore drove a DBS in The Persuaders, a wonderful TV show from the early seventies.
Good lord I would love to own one of these. I own a Rapide, which is the cheapest Aston I could afford, it’s such a beautiful car but I would LOVE an 80s Vantage V8
Same here, will never be able to afford but man if I could!! THat car is pure class.
Great video, thank you. Like you, this is my favourite car of all time as well. One day....
It looks gorgeous in red.
Beautiful car, haven't seen one heard of them but damn I would drive it.
great graphics and production - and oh yes, my favourite car of all time - I call it the Dalton
Ok, makes sense! I call my green '76 Aston V8 "Eva"... after Eva Green in Casino Royale. (Despite there being no V8 Aston in that film!)