1977 Aston Martin V8 S

This is a rare and unusual car.

The Series 3 V8 continued until 1978, at which point the endlessly changing owners of Aston Martin decided to usher in the Series 4, or ‘Oscar India’ models. 

The ‘Oscar India’ cars were designed to be a more luxurious version of the V8, offering such aesthetic novelties as wood veneers and leather headlining along with a host of mechanical and dynamic improvements.

But the move from the Series 3 to the Series 4 wasn’t done in one leap; it featured a little-known and today very rare increment that can be identified by the ‘S’ suffix to the engine and chassis numbers.

These cars were an interim step-up in quality, finish and performance, and were designed to move the model towards its final iteration, the ‘Oscar India’ Series 4.

The ‘S’ indicated a revised specification known as ‘First Stage Vantage Engine Tune’. 

So, not a full-fat Vantage then, but nonetheless sprinkled with some of that flagship car’s rather special magic dust. 

The ‘S’ designated and promised numerous enhancements to, among other things, valves, camshafts and carburettors. It also indicated the presence of a Vantage exhaust system and various suspension improvements, including a move to Koni shocks. 

The result was a more refined, faster and more economical version of the Series 3.

Only 184 ‘S’ cars were ever made for the UK.

But the rarity of this splendid V8 doesn’t begin and end with the ‘S’ designation.

Oh no.

Eagle-eyed observers among you will have noticed that this car looks rather different, a little more purposeful, and a tad more aggressive than the standard Series 3.

In fact, while all Aston Martin V8s have the gait, poise and attitude of properly meaty muscle cars, this one looks like it should have a towel round its neck and be punching sides of beef in a cold store.

That’s because, in 1988, it went back to Aston Martin to have a Vantage-style body-kit fitted by Tickford, who were Aston’s in-house coachbuilders.

We believe that it was at this point that the car went from its original ‘Storm Red’ to its current ‘Kent Green’.

Now then.

Some background.

The vendor, who has owned the car since 2004, is well-known to several of us here at HQ. 

Some of us grow teary-eyed at the memory of this very car escorting the then landlady of our local hostelry to her wedding day some years ago. 

Others regale each other with tales of derring-do, gaiety and uproar from various shooting parties, golf escapades, rugby trips, nights of excess and other social indulgences while in the never-less-than-entertaining company of the vendor.

One or two run and hide when they see him pulling up outside the Dog & Trumpet.

So, we’ve known both the vendor and his car for many years. As such, we feel qualified to attest to the amount of time, care and eye-watering expense he has lavished on this very special car over the years – and nearly all of it done though none other than RS Williams, the acknowledged doyen of Aston whisperers.

You’ll find all the proof you want in the documents section, along with a very recent Aston Martin Heritage Trust Certificate, which establishes the car as a matching numbers (engine and chassis) vehicle.

The vendor came to own the car in 2004 because a bonus he’d been promised hadn’t come to fruition. 

His boss at the time, mindful of this egregious breach of contract, offered him his personal car in lieu of the bonus – this car.

We’ve had a chat among ourselves and none of us has had any experience of a boss like that. 

We consider ourselves blessed to get the occasional pat on the head and a biscuit.

Anyway.

We have driven the car and can state that it goes about its business with all the muscularity and brawny application you would hope and expect to find.

It presses on well and it makes a noise like Tom Waits having a heated argument with Brian Blessed across a canyon. 

Which is what you want.

The car was serviced (and had its radiator repaired) by the Aston Workshop in January 2024.

The odometer is currently showing 82,594 miles and the car’s MoT (with no advisories) is valid until 2.1.25.

The factory-fitted Tickford body-kit really does make a world of difference to the way the car presents. 

If a teenage boy had wanted a poster of an Aston Martin V8 on his wall back in 1977, he’d have most wanted one that featured this car.

The ‘Kent Green’ metallic paint also adds to the car’s powerful presence and highly desirable aesthetic. 

The car’s bodywork is in very good order and there are no creases, dinks, dents, folds or ripples of any consequence that we can see.

The BBS wheels are in fine fettle, and the matching Avon tyres look to have plenty of life left in them. 

The chrome is good all round, save for a few spots of foxing on the rear bumper.

There are a couple of spots of bubbling on the o/s/r wing and at the base of the driver’s door.

There is some nascent blistering and cracked paint to be seen on the tops of both sills, at the base of the boot lid and, to a lesser extent, at the base of the windscreen.

We found a couple of paint chips on the n/s/r wheel arch, and a few scuffs, surface cracks and crazing on the front valance. There are also some cracks to the paint on the bonnet and some stone chips around the ‘nose’ of the car.

The badging, lights, lenses and other exterior fixtures and fittings all look pretty decent to us.

The inside of this majestic car, you won’t be entirely surprised to learn, is every bit a match for its exterior counterpart. 

The ‘Magnolia’ leather seats, front and back, are free of any rips, holes or tears and only the driver’s seat is showing any significant signs of wear, primarily to the back-rest bolster by the door.

The back-rest bolsters on both front seats felt a little low on foam padding to us and might benefit from some attention in that department at some point in the future.

That said, this car is 47 years old, and most 47-year-olds should think themselves lucky to have a full set of taut and bouncy bolsters at that age.

There’s some wear to the beading around the centre armrest storage box.

The rear seats look untroubled by much more than the lightest of creases and scuffs, let alone any ingrained patina. 

The roof lining and door cards are in fine fettle, save for a small biro mark and a couple of scuffs on the driver’s side. 

The carpets and mats are perfectly serviceable, although there’s a loose section of carpet in the driver’s footwell. 

The steering wheel, gear selector, instruments, dials and controls all look pretty good to us.

We didn’t press, tweak or flick every button, knob or switch, but those we did press, tweak and flick responded in the right way and in a timely and accurate fashion. 

It’s all really rather well preserved – even the sun visors have resisted the almost universal tendency towards ‘crispiness’ exhibited by most of their counterparts in Astons of a similar vintage. 

The boot is following the same script in terms of condition.

The engine bay is clean, dry and tidy and many shinier, newer bits and pieces can be seen. 

The undersides look to be possessed of plenty of structural integrity and nothing we’ve seen has prompted us to tut or raise an eyebrow.

This car comes with a thick file of service, maintenance and repair invoices, primarily through RS Williams, covering the whole period of the vendor’s ownership.

Much money has been spent as and when needed and no compromises have been entertained nor corners cut. 

There are also numerous invoices covering the car’s earlier life, mainly from Chapman Spooner and other Aston specialists.

There’s too much to detail here (you can see it all for yourself in the documents section), but highlights include a replacement refurbished gearbox in 2004, when the mileage was 65,814 miles, partial chassis and bodywork restoration in 1987 (Four Ashes Garage), and £13k-worth of additional bodywork and engine overhaul work done in the same year.

It comes with full sets of keys, what looks to be an original manual, a V5, a copy of the original Car Record Card from the manufacturer (courtesy of (AMOC), a recent HPI check and an even more recent Aston Martin Heritage Trust certificate. 

This is just about the best-looking Aston Martin V8 Series 3 we’ve seen, despite one or two cosmetic issues that could, we think, be rectified without too much trouble, time, effort or expense.

What’s more, it is an ‘S’ spec model, which makes it both as rare as teeth on a particularly endangered breed of hen and, in our opinion, highly covetable.

It’s also got 20 years of absolutely gold-plated RS Williams care and attention, and a well-documented history of work done prior to that. 

We like it a lot.

Who wouldn’t?

We are happy to offer this fine vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £60,000 - £80,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, 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, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.