Aston Martin Virage 1997 (P) Volante Factory Widebody 2Door

This Lot will be sold at auction at Symphony of Spring; Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 7th March. Full matching engine, gearbox and chassisOne of the last 10 made with a factory 90 extra bhpStunning history fileOne of only 26 right hand drive factory 5. 3 litre Virage VolantesIntroduced at the October 1988 Birmingham Motor Show to almost universal acclaim, the Virage was the first new Aston Martin for eighteen years. A satisfying blend of muscularity and understatement, its sleek aluminium silhouette was the work of John Hefferman and Ken Greenley. Based around a modified version of its Lagonda sibling's sheetsteel platform chassis, the newcomer benefited from revised wishbone independent front suspension, a lightened de Dion rear axle, fourwheel disc brakes and powerassisted rack and pinion steering. Suitably reworked by Callaway Engineering of Connecticut, USA (using 'fourvalve' cylinder heads, hydraulic tappets and Weber electronic fuel injection), its 5340cc 'quadcam' V8 engine not only satisfied forthcoming emissions legislation but also developed some 330bhp and 350lbft of torque. Allied to a choice of either threespeed automatic or fivespeed manual transmissions.The official factory 6.3 litre Cosmetic cars are powered by a 5.3 litre engine sporting more generous wheelarches, sills and air dams. The Volante, to compensate for the lack of roof stiffness, added extra strengthening underneath making the car no lightweight. Nevertheless, it was still limited to an impressive 150mph. The softtop was a beautifully made electrically powered structure incorporating a glass rear window and complete with heated demisting elements, transmission was a full threespeed automatic unit superseded by a new fourspeed, dualmode (normal/sport) unit in 1993. The complete Widebody package also features OZ splitrim wheels with Goodyear Eagle tyres to the front and wider rear Pirelli PZeros to the rear and large, ventilated disc brakes all around and a rear boot spoiler.This 1997 handbuilt factory example of the wide body 5.3 litre Volante is finished in RollsRoyce Oxford Blue with cream hide interior piped in blue with the very best quality Wilton carpet throughout, complemented with high gloss walnut veneered dash and door capping.This beautiful, three previous keeper, motor car was owned by the second owner since the car was a year old and the third owner took custody three years ago with the car having now covered a little over 25,000 miles from new. Fitted with freshly refurbished threepiece OZ wide alloy wheels which are like new and cost of £3,600, it has a dark blue mohair electric softtop, with beige Alcantara headlining and a cream leather hood cover for use when the hood is lowered. It has a comprehensive specification for a car of this age with heated electric seats, fully adjustable steering column, electric mirrors and an Alpine Hifi system with CD facility. The car has a comprehensive service history and all the service stamps are from officially appointed Aston Martin agents. The latest (service 2,000 miles ago) was undertaken by R. S. Williams amounted to just over £21,000. Within the car's history file are detailed invoices that correspond with the service stamps.Only 233 Virage Volantes were ever produced but this car is much rarer with the Widebody upgrade carried out when new by Works Service. One of only 26 right hand drive 5. 3 litre Virage Volantes built by the factory with the optional wide bodywork and AP brakes. This was one of the last 10 made, by which point the Virage name was dropped and the extra 90bhp that the replacement models, the V8 Coupe/V8 Volante LWB had by the way of revised cylinder heads and ECU, this coupled to revised dials on the dashboard. This wonderful car has been treated as a collectors piece almost from day one, having been in single ownership from 1998 to 2022. In all that time, it could only ever have been used sympathetically and sparingly, as the low mileage shows. The original registration P1 DPT was replaced by the present number in June 1998.One of the best in existence with respect to its originality. The paint is extremely good, and the interior is quite outstanding when one considers that the car is 28 years old and has never been restored. Everything from the walnut dash to the carpeted boot is in lovely order, and the engine bay has been kept reassuringly clean. With a recent clean MoT test certificate and a major serviced by R..S Williams two thousand miles ago, this must be one of the best Blue Chip investment cars available. Enjoy wafting around with the roof down in the summer months and watch your investment rise. Consigned by Mathew Priddy