1979 Aston Martin V8 Oscar India

Impeccably maintained, matching numbers, UK-supplied and showing 24,150 miles on the odometer

The history file contains the Heritage Certificate, build records, and previous ownership history

Invoices amount to some £40,000 since 2002 with recent works by Aston specialists Davron

Subtle upgrades include electronic ignition, Vantage exhausts and a new air conditioning unit

Restoration works include leather, wood facings, carpets, sills, suspension, brakes, valances and the jacking points

Offered by a private vendor who has owned a variety of Aston Martins, including a DB6.

One could describe the Aston Martin V8 Series 4, often titled 'Oscar India' (October Introduction in phonetics), as "the Mustang that went to Eton". The exterior, particularly the front, may have had a touch of Ford's Mustang about it but the interior was unmistakably Mayfair. The first Aston Martin in decades to combine sumptuous Connolly leather and polished Walnut facings, the interior of the Oscar India, launched in 1978, provided the driver with all of the comforts of the era and the grunt of the legendary Tadek Marek designed V8.

Compared to the contemporary exotica on offer from Italy, Aston's V8 would cruise unassumingly, with only the burble and the occasional pop from the twin exhausts on the overrun alluding to the turn of speed available under the discreetly bulging bonnet. Few cars genuinely suit an automatic gearbox but the standard Aston V8 is a car that perfectly mates the 5.3 litre V8 to the Chrysler-derived 3-speed Torqueflite automatic gearbox. Gears change with barely a quiver and the kick-down can be executed without fuss.

This, rather special, early V8 Oscar India was finished, according to the copy build sheets, in Blenheim Silver with dark blue leather in 1979 and delivered to a Mr D. H. Britt of Elwell & Brown Ltd of Dudley on the 2nd February 1980. Interestingly the car is fitted with the Aston V540 engine, one of the last variants fitted before the V580 became the standard for the model. On 1st May 1984, the car was sold to businessman Mr Fairhurst and registered to his home address Wingfield Castle, Suffolk. In 1987 Mr Fairhurst moved to the Isle of Man, registering the car there, which may account for the low indicated mileage. It returned to the mainland in 2001 in the care of its third owner a Mr Meade who subsequently arranged for the car to be sold to a Mr Joyce via Goodwood Green Classics Ltd. of London with a mileage of just 15,215.

The Aston was restored by Marksdane Restoration Ltd. in 2003 and the colour was changed from the, rather bland, Blenheim Silver to the far more suitable Windsor Blue at that point and there are numerous invoices detailing the work carried out. The car was placed in storage from 2007 to 2013 and was later purchased by Mark Lloyd, the managing director of Marksdanes Restoration Ltd., to be used as his personal car after some recommissioning. When our vendor, an air traffic controller used to precision and order, saw the car he was particularly impressed and bought it from Mr Lloyd in 2014.

Our vendor is a true Aston enthusiast and has owned half a dozen examples of the Marque, including a DB6, and undertook a programme of subtle upgrades to enhance the driving experience and preserve the car for future generations including twin Vantage exhausts, Harvey Bailey handling kit, electronic ignition and a new air conditioning unit, that is a great improvement on the rather asthmatic factory unit. The leather interior was refreshed, sound and heat insulation renewed and new boot carpets fitted. Structurally, attention was given to the sills, outriggers and jacking points and the brake servos were overhauled. A full list of works, complete with receipts, is contained in the generous history file.

To conclude, we offer this car in a very good 'driver's' condition. Minor blemishes are limited to a little paint bridging at the bottom of the pillars, as is often seen on this model, and the inside corner on the left-hand petrol flap may require future attention. These blemishes are acknowledged by the vendor as only being rectified by a bare metal re-spray, an undertaking that is really not necessary for the foreseeable future and otherwise the coachwork and paint finish presents wonderfully.

Offered to auction freshly MoTd, which it flew through naturally, with the delightfully low mileage of 24,150 miles.