1973 Aston Martin V8

If those telltale Series 3 design cues weren’t obvious on this example, its November 1973 registration date places it firmly in Series 3 territory, with the first of these carburettor V8s leaving Newport Pagnell in August 1973. The Series 3 cars started with the chassis number V8/11002/RCA with our car’s number, V8/11043/RCA, suggesting it was the 41st of this series built. The car left Newport Pagnell finished in Stardust Ascot Grey Metallic with blue leather and black carpets.

Before the first owner took delivery of the V8, Aston Martin were reported to have featured this very car on its 1973 London Motor Show stand at Earls Court. Records suggest the first owner of our car kept it for a full 26 years right up until October 1999. Quite a number of other owners followed with the car hitting the radar again in 2010 when its restoration journey began.

The current owner bought the V8 in April 2020 at auction. At this stage the Aston was described as a “stalled restoration.” Much of the tin work had been done and many parts had been powder coated and were ready for installation. Since his purchase the current owner has had all the work completed to a fastidious standard at a documented cost of over £100,000. Today the V8 represents a fully restored, matching number example in a close to concours condition.

Aston’s Head of Design, William Towns, beat the firm’s favourite external design house, Touring of Milan, in a competition to create the DB6’s successor. Touring’s design was uncharacteristically fussy next to Town’s muscular, kammbacked design. Later, Towns would confess to “borrowing“ the design of the car’s rear quarters from the early Ford Mustang.

Our car has been exquisitely finished in Ascot Grey Metallic paintwork that exudes a lustrous shine throughout and exhibits plenty of metallic flake content. It’s a colour that suits the car very well indeed, seemingly accentuating the bonnet’s power bulge, shapely rear haunches and kammback rear treatment. The overall condition appears totally pristine.

The front end showcases the V8’s dual 7-inch headlamp arrangement, with the broad radiator shroud fitted with black finished steel mesh. Below this a delicate, chromed bumper wraps around the car’s extremities. Up on the bonnet, the deeper intake aperture of the Series 3 cars is in evidence. On the car’s flanks, the signature large vents are located behind the front wheel arches. These are finished with a chrome bar bearing Aston Martin V8 badging. The rear of the car showcases a sloping, flat boot lid, chromed bumper and black lower valance housing twin tail pipes.

The V8 sits purposefully on original, 15-inch GKN Aston Martin alloy wheels. These present in an excellent condition although one centre cap is noted as missing. The alloys are fitted with a matching set of Avon, Turbosteel 70, radial type tyres in a 235/70 configuration.

Quite a few cabin upgrades, by Aston Martin standards, were made with the advent of the Series 3 cars. These included new seats, revised switchgear, a larger ashtray and fuses located in the glovebox. The passenger door could now be locked electronically from the drivers’ side.

This V8 has just undergone a full interior restoration and retrim courtesy of specialists Trimmania. This work is documented as having cost almost £16,500. The work has succeeded in maintaining faithful originality whilst bringing the cabin up to an excellent standard of fit and finish.

The front seats are finished in blue leather, with the centre panels stitched into eight vertical, padded box pleats. The bolsters are finished in smooth blue leather and deeply chromed hinge hardware is fitted. The rears are identically finished and are arranged into two separate seats with a folding arm rest fitted between them.

Door cards and rear side panels are finished in immaculate blue leather. The woollen carpets are in a complimentary blue shade and, naturally, pristine. The light headlining is the signature V8 padded and pleated article.

The dashboard is finished in black padded leather. The white on black Smiths instruments are housed in a hooded and curved binnacle. The big speedometer and tachometer share this panel with five smaller ancillary gauges. These sit behind a small, leather and alloy three spoke steering wheel with a “DB” inscribed boss. The well-shaped boot is finished with an edge bound black carpet set. The battery is housed here and boxed in with an isolator switch fitted.

Tadek Marek’s V8 engine may have been two years late to the party but most agree it was worth the wait. His design provided the basis of engines produced right up to 2000 and in configurations ultimately producing as much as 800 bhp.

In the V8 featured here the 5,340cc is fitted with the Series 3 specific, four 42DCNF twin choke downdraft Weber carburettors. This trim was believed to produce around 320bhp at 5,000 rpm. Power is fed to the rear wheels via a three speed, Chrysler Torqueflite automatic gearbox. In this configuration the car originally had a 0-60mph time of a shade over 6 seconds and powered on to a top speed exceeding 150mph.

The accompanying invoices detailing the work carried out between 2020 and now predominantly relate to the mechanical systems. There are also lengthy manifests of new or reconditioned parts sourced for the car. These all help to underscoring the amazing mechanical condition of the V8 and should provide the new owner with the upmost reassurance about the condition of this sublime Aston Martin.

Not only has the mechanical condition been attended to, but components have been stripped, cleaned and repainted in most cases. As a result, the under-bonnet condition appears to be pristine with the cam covers finished in a black crackle finish and Aston Martin Lagonda picked out in bright, polished alloy lettering. The underside of the Aston looks equally well attended to presenting in a condition that truly belies its age.

The paperwork pictured here amounts to numerous high value and detailed invoices documenting the work done in the car’s current ownership since 2022. As mentioned earlier, these equate to almost £100,000 of expenditure with renowned industry specialists. An invoice from the current owner’s auction purchase in 2020 is also included.

We believe the current V5 in the name of the owner is included. This categorises the Aston Martin as a Historic Vehicle. As such, the V8 is MoT and VED exempt in the UK.

The Aston Martin V8 was a quintessentially British GT car. It was no wonder that the marque is inextricably linked to the James Bond franchise. Much like Bond in Daniel Craig guise, the V8 managed to blend a degree of brutishness with a healthy dose of style, sophistication and charm. The V8 has, in recent times, become significantly desired and sought with expertly restored examples always in high demand.

This is one such V8, with a recent restoration completed regardless of expense. The result is classic Aston Martin that is surely one of the best of its type current available. Every aspect of the car has inspected and replaced, restored or refinished as required. This is a car that will turn heads in droves and represents a thrilling and rare ownership opportunity for its lucky new owner.

We estimate this vehicle to fetch between £80,000 - £100,000 in auction.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Surrey, 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’.