{"id":1718,"date":"2019-07-08T10:05:50","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T10:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=1718"},"modified":"2024-09-12T10:24:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:24:17","slug":"driving-the-unknown-aston-martin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/driving-the-unknown-aston-martin\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving the Unknown Aston Martin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having Car & Classic<\/a> at our disposal is a wonderful thing. It means we can scour the adverts and look for interesting cars on which we can craft what we hope will be interesting and engaging stories. It was during one of our recent searches, when we were looking for something to provide some Aston Martin based content, that we stumbled upon this utterly beguiling, immaculate, one-owner V8 Coupe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

The car is worthy of our camera lens\u2019s attention on the mere basis that, built in 1996, it is a one-owner, 12,600 mile car that has never been restored. It is immaculate, flawless in fact. The one owner must have weighed no more than a gerbil, as the seats look to have never been sat in. The carpets are still rich and deep. The steering wheel is free of marks to suggest collisions with rings or other \u2018bling\u2019. Externally, the wheels are immaculate, and the Porsche Midnight Blue paint is so rich, so deep, you want to jump into it. This is a new car. From 1996.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

Admittedly the guys at Nicholas Mee & Co<\/a>, who have this car for sale, were somewhat perplexed by our choice of feature car. With classic DBs, Zagato this and race that, the humble V8 Coupe seemed an unlikely candidate for our lens. But while the other cars on site were indeed special, we couldn\u2019t help but be drawn to this humble (though we use that word lightly) coupe. And as we talked with Ed Barton-Hilton of Nicholas Mee & Co, we soon felt even more confident in our choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

When people see this shape of Aston, they instantly think of the mighty Virage and Vantage, angry, 500bhp+ machines that would chew up a set of rear tyres as soon as look at you. Cars that were made famous most notably by Jeremy Clarkson\u2019s unabashed lust for them in the \u201890s. If the tall man could wedge one into a television or video segment, he would. The V8 coupe, not so much.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing. The car you\u2019re looking at here is number nine of just 101 examples made. This is rarer than its forced-induction siblings. Of those 101, this car is probably the best – the purest if you will – example out there. And that\u2019s what makes it special.<\/span><\/p>\n

The other thing that makes it special is its restraint. Yes, 550bhp is nice, but come on, when are you ever going to use that? Exactly, you\u2019re not. The 350bhp in this V8 coupe, however, you can use all of that. All 350 horses are at the gate and keen to run. And yes, the V8 in this particular model is a somewhat lazy beast, but only in comparison to other V8s. In real world terms, this is still a fast car. It\u2019s just perhaps not as eager or wild as other Astons, but that\u2019s fine. This is a car laden with wood, leather and that deep, luxury carpet we mentioned earlier. This is a car you cruise to the south of France in, you don\u2019t go hunting apexes in it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

Driving this V8 Coupe is just as much of an experience as driving any Aston Martin. The V8 burbles along with a pleasing throb \u2013 this \u201890s car is fitted with period perfect Alpine stereo, but we felt no need to use it \u2013 and it motors along at more than respectable pace. And it\u2019s not a shy car, either. You might look at this and think, because it\u2019s not a LM or some such, that it would be soft, or lazy. It\u2019s not. The driving experience is still involving, still captivating. The steering is perfectly weighted and delivers ample feedback. The brakes are direct and reassuring, which is important when you\u2019re driving a car so big it has its own moons.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

Press on in the V8 Coupe and it shifts. The four-speed Torqueflite is perhaps a tad recalcitrant, but it still kicks down with pleasing eagerness and it shifts through the gears without fuss or complaint. Had this car been built to be more hard-nosed, this transmission would be a little off target, but given this car is for cruising along at a pleasing pace, it\u2019s just fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

As we push on through the country lanes, we can\u2019t help but be impressed by the big Aston\u2019s composure. The suspension is soft and supple, but in the bends, there are no dramas. In fact, it dives into those bends with a pleasing willingness, and while you wouldn\u2019t want to lean on it too much, we were left with the impression that it had a lot more grip left in it. In fact, despite the tall tyre walls and the more relaxed suspension, the handling is tight and connected. You still feel a part of the driving experience, unlike in some modern cars where you feel completely detached.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

This V8 Coupe is rewarding to drive, it\u2019s deeply pleasant and as we returned back to base, we were left wanting. This car grabs you, it cossets you, but it also engages you. It\u2019s not intimidating like its big power siblings. It puts its arm around you and says, \u201ccome on, you\u2019ve got this, we\u2019ll have fun\u201d. It doesn\u2019t shout at you and then headbutt a wall.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aston<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the price. This very Aston Martin can be yours for a hair under \u00a3100,000, which represents outstanding value in our book. Cars like this are only going to go up in value.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They already are in fact. It wasn\u2019t so long ago that cars like this could be had for \u00a340,000. But they\u2019re coming into their own, finding a following, finding their place in the market.<\/span><\/p>\n

It might not be the most talked about Aston Martin, but don\u2019t let you put you off. It might not have forced induction, it might not have Le Mans in its name, and it might not have been giddily enthused over by a curly-haired motoring journalist, but so what? This is every bit an Aston Martin, but one you can use, one you can enjoy, and you can get the most out of. And when you\u2019re buying a car so special, those are the factors that matter.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Having Car & Classic at our disposal is a wonderful thing. It means we can scour the adverts and look for interesting cars on which we can craft what we…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":1719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[2],"tags":[46,601,15,12,13,11,533,14,16,38,602,604,603],"yoast_head":"\nDriving the Unknown Aston Martin - Car & Classic Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You may recognise the shape, but it belies a car far less common that you think. 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