2008 Aston Martin DB9 Volante

Our example is a remarkable one. A car ordered by dealers HWM Aston Martin for stock in April 2007 and slated for a build month in September of that year, HWM specified a number of thoughtful extras including 19-inch wheels, perforated central seat sections with contrast stitching, a factory wind deflector and a bright finish grill, to name a few.

Self-made millionaire and bread-making specialist, Graham, happened to be visiting Walton-on-Thames on business. He noticed the Aston Martin dealership nearby and having much admired his neighbour’s DB9 he decided to “pop in….just for a look.” He left the dealership as the very proud owner of our car, having bought it directly from stock.

The total cost of the car at that stage was £124,000 including extras. The car remains a one owner car to this day having only covered an incredible, hard to comprehend 943 miles. Yes, that’s nine hundred and forty three.

This clearly cherished DB9 Volante is only available for purchase by auction today due to the sad passing of Graham in 2021, with his family now dealing with its sale. In recent times the car has been professionally and diligently stored in a humidity-controlled specialist facility.

A DB9 Volante of any variety started life as an interesting and remarkable car, considered by many as the first of the truly modern Astons. Our example with one fastidious owner and a miniscule 943 miles behind it must surely be one of the most desirable examples to come to market for many a moon.

Our remarkable DB9 Volante, despite approaching its 15th birthday, is literally just about run in. Given this hard to fathom fact it will come as no surprise to learn that the car’s exterior presentation is superb. Presenting in its sublime Midnight Blue paintwork, the purity of the Callum Fisker design is a delight to behold. It appears clean and uncluttered and sweeps rearward, culminating in curvaceous and muscular looking rear haunches. The design language is punctuated with familiar Aston tropes, such as the metal side strakes and distinctively shaped front grill. What strikes you most is how well this twenty-year-old design has aged. It offers up road presence by the bucket load.

Our DB9 Volante rides on the optional 19-inch, fifteen spoke Aston Martin alloy wheels. Unsurprisingly these also appear to be in mint condition and are shod with a matching, no doubt original, set of Bridgestone Potenza tyres in a 235/40 configuration at the front and a 275/35 profile at the rear. The open spoke design of the wheels allows a view of the Aston Martin monogrammed brake callipers which are finished in grey.

The Atlantic Blue fabric hood appears to be in an “as-new” condition with no areas of fault or imperfection noted. The hood deployed quickly and smoothly and, although not timed, seems to be performing in line with Aston Martin’s originally quoted 17 second operation timeframe.

All cabin glass and light lenses appear to be in excellent order throughout with no areas of defect or concern noted. The plexiglass headlight cowls did exhibit some condensation at the start of our visit, but this seemed to dissipate once the car got into the relative warmth of the winter sunlight.

Given our car’s history, level of use and background, our main challenge has been finding any areas of imperfection to bring to your attention. It is fair to say it presents as you would expect a very well cared for and diligently stored £120K plus Aston Martin with under 1,000 miles on the clock to present.

The sublime interior is no exception to this observation, of course. Our car’s cabin is generously finished in Sandstorm hides with Caspian Blue carpets, Ivory headlining and finished with accents of oiled walnut veneer. Much like the exterior treatment of the car, everything in here seems surprisingly contemporary, pristine, and luxurious, yet sporting in equal measure.

The high-backed sports seats feature the optional perforated central sections complete with contrasting double stitching in Caspian Blue. As you would expect from such a premium offering, the seats are electrically adjusted and feature a three-position memory function. The rear seats are distinctly of the “token” variety and perhaps best suited for additional luggage space when required. They are, of course, in equally superb condition and every bit as exquisitely trimmed as the fronts.

An interesting feature of the DB9 is the “Touchtronic 2” automatic transmission which is operated by a series of buttons mounted on the centre console. The etched glass start button sits at the centre of this array. Magnesium steering-wheel-mounted gear change paddles provide manual control of the six-speed transmission if required.

Thanks to a compact hood design, a decent sized boot – for this type of car – is present and is nicely fitted with obligatory warning triangle and large, stowed umbrella. The incredibly modest use this car has had is most evident here where a number of the luggage bay’s chromed fittings still exhibit the adhesive protective plastic wrap applied at the factory.

Our DB9 Volante is fitted with the muscular 5.9 litre V12 AM11 engine, a third-generation iteration of the Vanquish engine and originally rated at 450 bhp in this configuration. Perhaps more significant was the 420 lb-ft of torque with over 80% of it available from just a leisurely 1,500 rpm. This output served to give the DB9 around a 263 bhp/tonne power to weight ratio, good for a 0-60 mph time in the high fours and a 180+ mph top speed. More than enough to feel a very significant flow of wind through one’s hair with the electrically operated hood stowed away! The power is delivered to the rear wheels via a six-speed ZF automatic gearbox which is engaged via dash buttons but can be manually overridden if required via steering wheel mounted paddles.

From a mechanical perspective, of course, our car is a barely run-in example and so should be considered in prime mechanical condition throughout. The car has been on a recent visit to Aston Martin Works of Newport Pagnell to have some minor, lack-of-use related niggles sorted. This included the resetting of the passenger seat adjustment, the provision of two new remotes and some adjustments to the gearbox oil cooler pipes.

During our consignment visit the car started on the (glass) button and ticked over and revved cleanly. Our recording of the start, revving and idling was somewhat thwarted by the dramatically howling wind, but we noted nothing of concern and were impressed by the car’s behaviour considering its extended time in storage.

In keeping with every other aspect of the car the under bonnet and underside presentation appears exemplary throughout.

Given the miniscule mileage covered by our example there is less paperwork on-hand than you would usually expect from a 14-year-old car that would more typically have covered many more miles in the hands of more owners than this one has.

The impressively deep, leather bound, and padded owner’s manual is present in an unusual long and thin landscape orientation. Numerous other books and leaflets are also present and pictured for your review.

The current V5 is present in the name of the single owner. Several previous MOTs in hard copy are on hand to help verify the tiny mileage of this car. The current, advisory free MOT is valid until December 2023.

A number of interesting invoices are included, not least the original sales invoice for the car from 2008. There are also accompanying invoices for various MOTs and for a number of trips to Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell. This includes a service in 2010, a fault clearance in 2013 and its most recent visit in January 2023.

The DB9 carries its age very well at the best of times. It’s a pure design, unencumbered by superfluous detail which remains crisp and fresh a full twenty years on from its launch. Our example builds on that youthful and perennially young persona by having covered such an incredibly low mileage of under 1,000 miles. Not only does this car cut a contemporary dash but it is virtually a new car in all but chronology.

Surely a car of this condition and interesting provenance, even down to the factory protective plastic film still being evident in places, has got to be the most exciting of ownership prospects for Aston Martin enthusiasts and sports car connoisseurs alike. Who knows when, or even if, such a remarkable example will come to market again. Be sure not to miss this, possibly, once in a lifetime opportunity.

We estimate this car to fetch between £55,000 - £65,000 in auction.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. To arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.