1994 Aston Martin Virage 'Widebody' Volante (6.3 Litre)

• Supplied by Stratstone of Mayfair on the 21/01/1994
• Order confirmation letter in the file from Stratstone confirms that it was the third new Volante built to full 6.3 Widebody specification for registration in the UK
• Superbly finished in Buckingham Green with a black leather interior piped in Spruce
• Substantial service and MOT invoice from Joe Macari in 2011 in the file showing a mileage of 10,486
• Most recent service in September 2019 at 10,878 miles. MOT valid until 01/10/2020
• Original book pack and leather wallet plus supporting history file

The Volante (convertible) had been the big seller of the previous generation of AM V8s, so the only surprise was that it took Aston Martin more than two years from the Virage Coupé's introduction to come up with a soft-top sister. The production Virage Volante debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991, a prototype having been displayed at Birmingham's NEC the previous October. Weighing in at over two tonnes, the open Volante was even heavier than the closed Coupé, itself no lightweight, this increase in weight being accounted for by considerable body strengthening to compensate for the absent roof, plus the extra complication of the power-operated convertible hood. Electrically powered, the latter was beautifully made and incorporated a glass rear window, complete with heated de-misting elements. Mechanically the Volante remained much the same as its closed cousin, though with a slightly lower final drive.

However, there was no disguising the fact that the Volante simply lacked 'grunt' and from the outset, Aston engineers began working on the problem. Their solution, ahead of the forthcoming twin-supercharged Vantage, was for the Works Service Department to offer 6.3-litre conversions for the existing 5,340cc V8-engined cars. Introduced in January 1992, this package could cost more than ú60,000 (depending on options) and offered increased power whilst offering a menu of modifications to the bodywork, suspension, and brakes. Power was upped to circa 450bhp, thanks to boring and stroking the V8 to 6.3-litres, which gave the two-tonne leviathan