1990 Aston Martin Virage

Unveiled at the Birmingham Motor Show in 1988, the Aston Martin Virage was the first all-new Aston for nearly 20 years and, notably, it was also the first car to be produced under Ford's ownership. Designed by John Heffernan and Ken Greeley, it was praised for its fresh contemporary styling. The new V8 engine was a development of the tried and tested 5.3-litre power unit but with new four-valve cylinder heads for better breathing and to overcome the inevitable power losses associated with the arrival of catalytic converters. The new car was hand-built with an aluminium bodyshell and embraced many of the legendary Aston Martin styling cues, including its distinctive grille and front wing vents. In spite of its aluminium body, the Virage was a large and heavy car, so the 32-valve, 5.3-litre V8 was pressed into service to persuade the big Aston up to 60mph in around 6.5 seconds. Just 1,050 Virage related models were produced in total, quite a low production number when compared to some of its predecessors.

Originally registered in the UK on 11/09/90, this Aston had two owners here before being shipped to Denmark. This Virage is right-hand drive, has only covered 34,000 miles from new and, we understand, drives superbly. Most Virage' are automatic, but this is one of the very rare 5-speed manual cars with a 'dog-leg' gearbox. The car is finished in a lovely understated Valiant Blue, however, the interior is anything but, in fabulous Rich Red Connolly Leather with polished wood veneers.

European VAT has been paid on the Aston and the car is ready to go, however, there are some minor areas where the paintwork needs a little attention and it could do with a little tlc and some detailing.

Idiosyncratic and a bit 'macho', these cars are now widely accepted as the last of the classic Aston Martins before the launch of the Ford financed and Jaguar influenced DB7 in the late 1990s, and having reached the bottom of their depreciation curve recently, we have to agree with the delightful 'Yazz' - “The only way is up”.