1980 Aston Martin V8 Series IV

Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring for an eight-cylinder car for years, so eventually, the design team at Newport Pagnell succumbed to pressure from the Marketing Department and a larger two-door saloon for V8 applications was on the drawing board. However, in 1967 when the DBS first saw the light of day, the V8 engine was nowhere near ready so the new car was put into production with the straight-six Vantage engine from the DB6. Two years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was production ready and Aston released the DBS V8. With the demise of the straight-six Vantage in 1973, the DBS V8, now restyled and called simply the Aston Martin V8, became the company's mainstream car for nearly two decades. It took a well-earned retirement in favour of the Virage in 1989.

Supplied new by James Edwards Ltd of Chester to its first owner, a Mr A.F. Piper from Beaconsfield, this Oscar India V8, chassis #12233, originally left the factory in Storm Red and was fitted with options that included air-conditioning, electric mirrors and ultra-rare cruise control. The early service history of this car is superbly documented with the original service book & continuation service book logging the services and mileage as follows:

Specialist

Mileage

Date

Aston Martin Lagonda

1,840

9.6.80

Aston Martin Lagonda

7,255

11.11.80

Aston Martin Lagonda

11,865

25.3.81

Aston Martin Lagonda

19,966

27.11.81

Aston Martin Lagonda

31,451

9.12.82

H.W.M Ltd

35,984

4.5.83

H.W.M Ltd

41,230

18.1.84

H.W.M Ltd

44,758

30.5.84

H.W.M Ltd

53,501

24.4.85

H.W.M Ltd

56,510

3.3.86

H.W.M Ltd

60,492

3.11.86

Four Ashes Garage

65,000

30.8.89

Runnymeade Motor Co.

88,594

8.3.90

SJB Classics

94,982

-

SJB Classics

96,279

26.9.14

The history file includes many invoices during the 90s from Aston Service in Dorset for parts, labour and service work on the car with bills totalling more than £5,000 over a 3 year period. It's believed that in the early 2000s the front and rear suspension, brakes, differentials and driveshafts were all rebuilt, along with work on the sills and the underside of the car.

Upon purchase of the car, the previous owner to our vendor set about returning 'NBF 599V' to its best with a full body, interior and mechanical restoration in mind. The car was professionally repainted by L&L Bodyworks of Stoke-on-Trent at a cost of £8,000 and is now finished in fabulous Cumberland Grey, with an expensive Cream leather interior retrim by experts AutoTrim of Cradley Heath. The final re-assembly was entrusted to SJB Classics of Stoke-on-Trent, details of which are fully documented in the history file at length. Sitting on GKN alloys, there is nothing left to do other than turn the key and fire the burbling V8 into action.

Supplied with a UK V5c and an MoT until 17th November 2016, this British muscle car needs no further expenditure, and with its DB predecessors commanding challenging amounts, these V8s are now getting the attention they've so richly deserved for many years.