MOTOR CARS | 139Described by former Aston Martin Chairman Victor Gauntlett
as, ‘a stylish thoroughbred, beautifully built, luxurious, fast and
immensely safe,’ the V8 was built in several variants, one of the more
exclusive being the Volante convertible. Introduced in response to
customers’ demands for such a car, the Volante first appeared in
June 1978. Arguably the ultimate in soft-top luxury, the newcomer
boasted a lined, power-operated hood which, when erected,
endowed the walnut embellished interior with all the solidity and
refinement associated with the saloon version. Although its open-car
aerodynamics meant that top speed suffered with the hood down,
the Volante’s 150mph maximum nevertheless ranked it among the
world’s fastest convertibles. V8 Volante and Vantage Volante chassis
numbers ran from ‘15001’ to ‘15849’, a total of 849 cars.
One of only 19 right-hand drive V8 Volantes built with manual
transmission, this V8 Volante currently displays a total of 37,671
miles on the odometer and is described by the vendor as in
generally very good original condition.
This relatively low mileage can in part be explained by the fact that
the Aston spent some ten years resident in the Channel islands,
there being export documentation on file recording that it had
previously had been registered ‘FYT 27V’ on the UK mainland and
was first registered in Jersey on 14th January 1999.The car remained registered in Jersey until March 2009, latterly
in the ownership of a Mrs Meriol Arnold of St Saviour, who had
acquired it in April 2005. Other documentation on file includes
an Aston Martin Certificate of Origin, MoT certificate (expires
June 2015) and invoices from Aston Martin ‘Works’ totalling over
£13,000 including a new braking system, suspension, radiator, etc.
Finished in Imperial Burgundy with fawn hide interior, this beautiful
V8 Volante also comes with its original warranty agreement and
owner’s instruction manual. Taxed until the end of July 2015, it
is in superb condition mechanically; indeed, the Aston recently
completed a trip from Paris to Swansea, some 468 miles in one
day, completely trouble free. This car really is ready for European
touring in matchless style.
£80,000 - 100,000
€100,000 - 130,000