Description
THIS VEHICLE IS TO BE AUCTIONED AT GOODWOOD MEMBERS MEETING 19TH APRIL
** 1980 Aston Martin V8 Volante**
Registration no. ETH 261V
Chassis no. V8COR/ 15151
Engine no. V/ 540/ 5151/ S
• In previous ownership for 28 years
• Maintained regularly
• Circa 78, 000 miles from new
"It's not by any means the world's most expensive drophead in production (the Corniche costs an extra £23, 000) nor is it quite the quickest, though a Porsche Cabrio would have to be very well driven to get away from it, but the Aston Martin Volante is perhaps the greatest. It is a true sports car which is also luxuriously comfortable." - _Fast Lane_.
The Aston Martin V8 survived the changes of ownership and financial upheavals of the 1970s, appearing in countless 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 chassis numbers ran from '15001' to '15849', a total of 849 cars.
First registered on 1st January 1980 as 'LUM 666V', chassis number '15151' passed to its second owner, J Lawrence of Honeysuckle Fashions Ltd, Leeds on 1st February 1982. The immediately preceding owner purchased the Aston on 24th July 1984 via Hawks of 32 Queens Gate Mews, London SW7, the odometer reading at that time being 29, 900 miles, and would keep it for the next 28 years. Its registration during his ownership was '18 PEA' and is now 'ETH 261V'.
Purchased by the previous owner from Bonhams' sale at Aston Martin Works Service in May 2012 (Lot 234). At that time we said: "An almost continuous run of MoTs on file (only one or two are missing) dating back to 1984 confirms the recorded mileage of _circa_ 70, 000 as genuine. Bills on file document routine maintenance and annual servicing by marque specialist Ian Mason (now Aston Service London) from 1984 onwards, while Panel Wise of Weybridge, Surrey replaced the sills in 2001 at 62, 000 miles."
The most recent MoT was issued in August 2023 at 77, 816 miles (the current odometer reading is 77, 848 miles). Finished in blue with blue-piped magnolia leather upholstery, this well cared for Volante is offered from careful ownership and is hoped will come with the aforementioned service history and a V5C document once it's been located.
