Lot 150A: 1990 Aston Martin Virage 6.3-Litre Coupé

After almost 20 years in production, Aston’s well-liked V8 was updated for the 1990s as the Virage. The existing Lagonda chassis and suspension were used in revised form for the new car, while engine development was entrusted to Callaway Engineering, of Connecticut. Immensely strong, the old V8’s bottom half was retained but fitted with new cylinder heads boasting four valves per cylinder and hydraulic tappets. Launched in October 1988, the sensational newcomer restated its forerunner’s muscular looks in the modern idiom, contriving to be slightly narrower yet providing increased interior space. The car was still no lightweight, but with 330bhp on tap was good enough for a top speed approaching 160mph and a 0-60mph time of under seven seconds. Ahead of the company’s forthcoming twin-supercharged Vantage, Aston Martin’s Service Department offered 6.3-litre conversions for the existing 5,340cc V8-engined Virage. Introduced in January 1992, this package increased power by around 40 percent while incorporating improvements to suspension and brakes - now featuring ABS for the first time - and could be ordered new or retro-fitted to customers’ existing cars. This right-hand drive Virage comes with Aston Martin Lagonda Limited’s invoice (dated 1993) for £58,000 detailing its conversion to full ‘6.3’ specification, including engine, sports exhaust, suspension, brakes, wheels and bodywork, to which this particular example adds the louvered bonnet of the later Vantage model. Finished in Balmoral Green with matching carpets and green-piped tan leather upholstery, the car has the desirable five-speed manual transmission and boasts a Category 1 alarm, vehicle tracker and Becker CD stereo with integral satellite navigation among fitted ‘extras’. The car has covered 34,900 miles from new and comes with AML, Stratstone’s and Nicholas Mee service history, and will be presented fresh from minor cosmetic refurbishment undertaken by recognised specialists Oselli Engineering. It is offered with numerous expired MoTs dating back to 1995, Swansea V5 registration document and MoT to May 2007.