Offered from the estate of the late Peter Phillips
1998 Aston Martin Vantage Coupé
Registration no. R547 GCL
Chassis no. SCFDAM253WBR70199

'What the Vantage is, and what the Virage, Volante and Zagato are not, is a real Aston Martin: a big, very beautiful, very fast, albeit expensive GT with so much appeal and purpose behind it that it is more an experience than it is mere transport...' - Autocar & Motor.

'Brutal' was a word used more than once to described the fastest Aston Martin ever on its introduction in 1993, but as the Vantage had no less than 550bhp available to propel its two tons, the choice can only be judged fair comment.

After almost 20 years in production, Aston's V8 had been updated for the 1990s as the Virage. A consummate fast tourer, the Virage left room at the top of the range for an out-and-out sports car, hence the Vantage. Although the two models appeared superficially similar few panels were shared, while beneath the skin the Vantage chassis boasted the kind of extensive re-engineering required to cope with the massive increase in performance. The latter came courtesy of a blown version of Aston's 5,340cc V8, twin mechanically driven Eaton superchargers being preferred to turbo-charging on the grounds of superior throttle response. Quite apart from its stupendous maximum output of 550bhp, remarkable enough in itself, the Vantage engine is monstrously torquey, producing 550lb/ft at 4,000rpm, a figure that made even the mighty the Chrysler Viper V10's 450lb/ft seem puny by way of comparison. And for those who found 550bhp insufficient, there was the Works Service-developed 'V600' enhancement that brought with it an additional 50 horsepower together with upgrades to the wheels, suspension and brakes.

On test with Autocar, magazine, a development Vantage raced to 60mph in a Ferrari 512TR-destroying 4.6 seconds, reaching the 'ton' just 5.5 seconds later. The standing kilometre was achieved in 23.1 seconds with the speedometer registering close to 150mph and although a true top speed figure proved unobtainable, the Vantage was reported as having already recorded 191mph while on test in France. Its price at launch was as eye-watering as the performance figures: a cool £177,600.

Sold new by Grange Brentwood Ltd, this particular Vantage appears to have had - effectively - only three owners from new. The car was ordered with a host of desirable enhancements, which accounts for the invoice total of £205,649 after a new vehicle sales discount of £9,497. There are numerous bills on file issued by Aston Martin, Stratton Motor Company, and other independent specialist showing that all owners have adopted a no-expense-spared approach to the Vantage's upkeep. The previous owner purchased the Aston from Stratton Motor Company, who sold it to Peter Phillips in 2011. Although not used for the last 18 months, the car has nevertheless been started regularly and been stored in a modern purpose-built car storage barn commissioned by Peter Phillips. Offered with a V5C document and history file.