The Aston Martin Virage/Vantage/V8 Coupe(1990)----Confusing Names, But Still Beautiful, Once Described As 'A Rolls-Royce, With Attitude'.

So, it seems to be Aston Week over in my head here, apparently, having just covered the Vantage(1977) 1-2 days ago(Depends on when you read this), and the 2005 Vantage a few months ago, which I’ll revisit soon, don’t worry. Anyway, today I cover this——The Aston Martin Virage…..Or, at least, its original name was, since it then became the Vantage(Definitely not the first, nor the last time we’d see this moniker), or the V8 Coupe. God knows why they wanted to change the name, but come on Aston, the car looks the same on the outside, What The Hell was wrong with just sticking to ‘Virage’?! It was a GREAT name! You don’t need to confuse us! Ugh…Nevermind…

Anyway, on with the car.

Now, allow me to clear the air on this thing. This car was born out of the time Ford owned Aston Martin, first they bought a 75% stake of it in ‘87, then in 1990, bought it outright, then, in ‘99, rolled it into its Pretty-Much-Doomed Premium Auto Group, or whatever the blithering hell it was called, doesn’t matter, which contained Lincoln, Volvo, Jaguar, and Aston, and maybe Mercury.

The late, Victor Gauntlett, then Chairman of Aston Martin, had a happy knack of being able to focus people on a task and when, in 1986,he invited 5 sets of designers to produce their vision of the new Aston Martin for the 1990’s, he gave them a deadline of 13th August, of that year, to produce a 1/4-scale model of their ideas.
That was just 3 months and it was a deadline met by all competing design studios. The
models were put on display in the Service Department at Newport Pagnell(Then where Aston’s factory was) and a mixed jury of executives, dealers, customers and others were asked to vote for their favourite. In October of that year, the design contract was awarded to John Hefferman and Ken Greenley and Design Project ‘2034’ was up and running.

Working with the Factory Design Team, the first victims of the project were the originally
specified pop-up headlights. Cost, weight and reliability won the day and new lights had to be
sourced and some Audi 200 units met the brief. And, for the first time, Aston Martin had a newly installed CAD/CAM (computer aided design/computer aided manufacture) system as a point of reference. It is a credit to the engineering team that they not only used the system but let it
validate work already done by traditional methods. A Lagonda chassis, with a two-door body to
disguise the project objective, was used as the mule to develop the chassis for the new car and
test new suspension ideas.
One of these ideas, for triangulated radius arms on a central pick up for longitudinal location on
the axle, was thought by Aston Martin engineers to be original. Embarrassingly, they found that
Alfa Romeo had introduced the system on the then-new GTV6 and the Board agreed to the purchase
of an Alfa to assist their own development. Chassis DP2034/1 was put together as a prototype
with the front suspension designed “on the hoof” but the car showed up well. At the same
time, development was happening on the 5340cc(5.34-Litre, 5.3-litre) V8, the Very Same one you’d have found lying under the hood of the Aston V8’s, Lagonda’s and Vantage’s before it.
The brief was the production of a car that would run on unleaded fuel, had 4-Valves-Per-Cylinder and delivered over 300 bhp.
Coming aboard the team came an American called Reeves Callaway of Callaway Engineering. Together with a German living in California, Hans Herrmann, they targeted the Porsche 928 engine that delivered 70 bhp per litre and bench testing the Aston Martin V8, the first test delivered 65 bhp per litre. This meant that for the first time, Aston Martin had a car that could meet and beat the emission rules for anywhere in the world without expensive modifications for individual markets.
Victor Gauntlett was to the fore when it came to naming the car – he wanted a name that had a
“V” as with Vantage and Volante and finally came up with the name Virage from the French for
‘Turn’. On display in Birmingham at the 1988 Motor Show, two saloons, one in silver and one
in metallic green sat in luxurious splendor. Connolly hide, burr walnut veneer were enhanced
by the simplicity and elegance of the Virage’s design. A Two-spoke leather steering wheel and
leather covered gear lever were typical of the driver comforts while the top of the range 4-Speaker-stereo-system was standard equipment. Electronics were to the fore with an electroluminescent
back lit instrument panel and a computerized information unit with fault finder.
For the owner possibly concerned about security on his £110,000 investment, the car shut
down its systems as soon as the key was removed from its ignition and the car even locked itself
if the key was out of the ignition for a certain period of time. Although a customer did not
receive a new Virage until early in 1990, the launch impact of the car meant that the first two
years production – 6 cars per week – were sold before that first customer took delivery.

To top it all off, the Vantage—Uh, I mean Virage—— had a All-Aluminium body, but, it was still Very, Very heavy, weighing in at about 1790 kilos, but, the 32-valve 5.3-litre V8’s 364 lb-ft of Torque elevated its performance to ‘Near-Supercar-Levels’. ‘Acceleration just Never seems to run out.’ Claimed Sports Car International when they tested it for the first time. Now, by comparison, the current 991 GT3 RS’s 4.0-litre, 493 bhp Flat-Six produces 339 lb-ft of Torque, meaning that the Virage, even though down on power by 160-odd bhp, had more Torque than the RS. Shocking.They also praised the ‘eager and quicker revving’ nature of the 330 bhp engine with its Callaway-designed heads and Weber-Marelli fuel injection.
‘Nothing sounds quite like an Aston V8,’ they concluded. The 1,790 kg car could reach 158 mph, slower than the Vantage that I just covered earlier this week, but still by no means a slouch. The automatic could reach 60 mph from standing in about 6.5 seconds. An upgrade to 349 bhp was announced at the 1996 Geneva Show.

A Then-5-Speed ZF Manual was fitted to only about 40% of the Virage’s ever sold. The other 60% of the cars? They were equipped with the TorqueFlite Chrysler 3-Speed Auto, what you’d also find in the old Lagonda, and possibly even the ‘77 Vantage and so many more Astons. But, in 1993, the 3-Speed was replaced by a 4-Speed Auto. After that, late in the production run came the option of a 6-Speed Manual, lifted from the Contemporary Vantage.

Then, in 1996, a Less-Extreme V8 Coupe was made, replacing the then-practically-defunct Virage. Lacking the Superchargers and more aggressive body styling of its Big Brother the Vantage, the engine produced about 349 bhp, 369 lb-ft of Torque and was built from 1996 to 2000, even though only 101 examples ever left the factory in Newport Pagnell.

In January, 1992, Aston Martin introduced a conversion service(Named Works Service), transforming the car into a Virage 6.3. As the name implies, the centerpiece of the conversion was a 6.3 L (6,347 cc) V8 derived from the AMR1 racing car. This engine produced 500 hp at 6,000 rpm and 480 lb·ft at 5,800 rpm, allowing the car to reach 175 mph.
Other changes included 362mm Ventilated-Disc brakes, the largest used in a passenger car until the Bentley Continental GT came alon, and 457mm wheels. Visually, the 6.3 had wider, flared bumpers, lower sills, air dams, and side air vents, a revised front splitter, an optional rear wing, and for the very first time on an Aston, ABS was included. A Bosch 4-Channel ABS unit, to be specific.

Works Service would go on to make a couple of cars, like the Virage Shooting Brake,produced in ultra limited numbers, with around six Virage Shooting Brakes leaving the factory(Three-doored, 4-seater, and cost GB 165 000),another of which was the Lagonda Saloon. Only a handful of these long-wheelbase four-door Virages were built as a special customer order, reviving Aston Martin’s long-dormant second marque. Introduced in 1994, it was made by Aston Martin Works Service with a 12-inch (30 cm) chassis extension, although two were ordered with an 18-inch (460 mm) extension. The name refers to the four-door Aston Martin Lagonda. The Lagonda Virage cost about GB£250,000 and only eight or nine were made, with some being conversions of regular Virages.Then the five-door Lagonda Virage Shooting Brake debuted at the same time as the Lagonda Virage. It was made by Aston Martin Works Service in only one or two examples, and has been spotted bearing “Vacances” badging at the rear.

The Virage Volante convertible debuted at the 1990 Birmingham Motor Show as a strict two-seater, but a 2+2 version was shown at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show. Production examples, beginning in 1992, were all to feature 2+2 seating. Sources claim that between 224 and 233 examples had been produced when the series ended in 1996. The last 11 examples (hence the difference between 224 to 233) already had the naturally aspirated 1995 version motor of the later V8 and V8 LWB Volante with the improved 4-Speed-And-Overdrive ‘Torqueflite automatic’ and 354 hp.
A new V8 Volante Long Wheelbase, with styling based on the V8 Coupe was built from 1997 to 2000 on a lengthened chassis. 63 of these V8 Volante LWB cars were built.
The final Virage variant to be built was the ultra-limited V8 Vantage Volante of 2000. Nine of these high-performance convertibles were produced, one of them on the long wheelbase chassis.

Now, we now move on to the final entrant, the Vantage.
As with many other Astons before it, a high-performance ‘Vantage’ model of the Virage(Or any Aston before it) would later appear. First shown at Birmingham in September 1992, the Vantage was produced from 1993 through 2000 and, like so many other Aston Vantages, soon became the only variant available. Indeed, the Virage name lasted just a few years, with its final descendants inheriting the simple and familiar V8 name.
The design was freshened, leaving only the roof and doors of the car intact. The Vantage was wider, appeared lower, and used four round tail lights (rumoured to have been those used on a Bova coach for the prototype). Like the 6.3, the Vantage used record-sized 362 mm brake discs and 18 inch wheels. Of course, until something called ‘Bentley’, and ‘Continental GT’ came along…

The most radical change to the Vantage, however, was inside the engine. The 5.3 L engine now sported Twin Superchargers. Power output topped the industry at 550 hp, as McLaren weren’t producing the F1 anymore, and most of its rivals only put out, say….400-ish bhp, and torque was equally impressive at 555 lb·ft at 4,000 rpm. It’d top 60 mph from a standing start in just 4.6 seconds, and on to a top speed of 186 mph. Now, considering that the car’s kerbweight was almost two tons, weighing in at 1920 kilos, this was no mean feat. The engine was later uprated to a bloody insane, monstrous, and outright unnecessary-ish 600 bhp for the 1998 V600, after upping the boost on the Superchargers, and adding a new intercooler, to make sure the engine would stay cool.Torque? A cool, and somewhat bragging The earlier version is often referred to as ‘V550’ to set it apart from the later, upgraded ones.
In 2000, Aston Martin’s ‘Works Service’ unit(Probably now Aston’s Q Division) built nine bespoke Vantage Volantes, one of which was built to long wheelbase specifications.

Just before the new European emission and safety regulations came in force, Aston Martin decided to put a memorable end to the V8-Vantage line with a special model called ‘V8 Vantage Le Mans’. Honoring Aston Martin’s 1959 victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the prototype of a limited run of 40 was presented in Geneva in 1999 on the 40th Anniversary of the win. They were(And still are) the only Aston Martin to carry the Le Mans name.
The engine delivers 604 bhp and 600 lb-ft of torque, supported by a suspension reinforced with special Koni shock-absorbers and stiffer anti-roll bars. The bodywork featured a blanked-out front grille and modified side vents – replicating the side vents of the Le Mans winning DBR-1 – as well as a bigger front spoiler and rear skirt. The interior was reworked with a gigantic rev-counter, a special Titanium finish on some parts, and features such as heated windshield, parking radars, traction control, heated electric seats, and full Connolly leather upholstery with matching Wilton wool carpets. Wheels were the same Dymag magnesium units as seen on most V600s. Performance included a claimed top speed of 200 mph and zero to 60 mph in 3.95 seconds. Although, that said, EVO’s John Barker couldn’t get a top speed run in, and well, couldn’t get anywhere close to the 0-60 time, his best being 4.6 seconds… The keyholder was in sterling silver and a map from Newport-Pagnell to the legendary Le Mans track was provided in the delivery documents. Each car was made upon special commission and fitted with a number plate also indicating the name of the first owner.

And in case you Americans are thinking of getting one, well…The Virage did not become available in the United States until the summer of 1990 and the Virage Volante convertible would become available in 1992. Shooting Brake versions and the Virage Vantage were not officially offered for sale in the U.S. The car’s availability ended after the 1993 model year, due to the lack of passenger airbags and inability to meet emissions regulations. So, that was basically the end of that….

So, to conclude then. The Aston Martin Virage——Uh, I mean Vantage——No wait, I mean V8 Coupe/Volante——Ah screw it, either of the above, was a fairly good looking thing, one of, or if not, the last hand-built Aston, an Aston with an engine derived from the 1960’s, but endlessly tuned to make more power, even managing to name itself as the Most-Powerful Production Car in the process, and one of the Most-Long-Running Astons of them all, clocking in at around 10 years, a year short of the Current Vantage, which has been running for 11 years, and, as a quick search on carandclassic.co.uk reveals, a Virage can set you back anything from 50 grand to well over 300 grand in the UK. So, moral of the story? If you want a Virage, go armed with a lot of cash, and if you want a Vantage, well……Have a spare 450 grand to spare on a V600? Or, if you want a V8 Coupe, have a spare 92 grand to spare on a Limited Edition? Anyway, because these things were produced in pretty limited numbers, and the fact that it was one of the very last hand-built Astons, these things have gained in value, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon…. Oh yes, regarding the names? Utterly confusing, and by the time I’d finished all relevant information, I was going ‘ASTON, MAKE UP YOUR MIND! Just use ONE name and Stick to it! Why must you rename the models when they all look Nearly THE SAME?!’

And on THAT Bombshell, you have finished reading my article on the Aston Martin Virage—-No wait, Vantage—-Uh, I mean V8 Coupe/Volante——No, scratch that, V8 Vantage Le Mans—-Ugh, just one of the above, an Aston which once managed to be the Most-Powerful-Production-Car-Ever-Made, and an Aston with, quite undoubtedly, the most complicated and confusing naming scheme in the History Of Motoring. Feel free to leave advice and suggestions down below, and I hoped you enjoyed it.

See you at the next one.