2004 Aston Martin Vanquish

The last of the handbuilt Newport Pagnell Aston Martins, just 1,600 examples of the Vanquish were built, making this something of a landmark model for the discerning enthusiast.

And this example is a very special car indeed; with just four previous keepers, this wonderful 2003 Aston Martin Vanquish is finished in the special order colour of Ferrari Grigio Titanio. In the care of its previous owner for eight years, it comes to us via a private collection of high-end classic cars.

Gorgeously – and expensively – specified from new, it is running beautifully and comes with a thick sheaf of large bills to confirm its status as a pampered example of the breed.

Only for sale as he is rationalizing his collection on a ‘last in, first out’ basis, it is being offered with a very sensible reserve and a recent condition report from an Aston Martin main dealer, making this a Vanquish you can buy with your head AND your heart.

The Ferrari Grigio Titanio all aluminium coachwork is utterly exquisite. A special order colour, it endows the lithe, muscular Vanquish with a hewn-from-solid appearance and serves to emphasis its millimetre-perfect stance.

The panel fit and alignment is utterly perfect, too; if the colour of the paint gives the impression the car has been carved from a piece of solid titanium, then the shutlines look like they’ve been laser-etched.

And it’s all but flawless, too. There are a few minor blemishes on the bonnet and boot lid - there are a dozen-or-so very small spots on each panel that look like the underlying paint has been stained - but seeking anything more serious would be a job for an experienced concours d’elegance judge; mere mortals will struggle to find anything else to criticize.

Subtlety was obviously the keyword when the car was first ordered, as the owner went for black brake calipers that peek discreetly through the 19-inch, 12-spoke forged Aston Martin alloy wheels. Shod with matching Yokohama tyres, the wheels are perfect and show no signs of kerbing, scuffs or other damage.

As we will never tyre of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Little jewels bound, too. Like the stunning alloy fuel filler cap. Or the engraved alloy name plate that is screwed onto both sills. Or the geometrically perfect and ultra-simple front grille cover. Or the white lettering on the brake calipers. The closer you look, the better the Vanquish gets – and isn’t that exactly what you want from your hand-crafted British sportscar?

Work to do is limited to getting the wiper arms repainted as the black paint is flaking away, and replacing the tyres. Date-coded to 2007, they are now 13 years old so time-expired, especially on a car with the Vanquish’s potential performance.

That’s the bad news; the good news is that the fact they have lasted for 13 years – and with a good level of tread remaining, at that - surely proves that it hasn’t been driven hard or thrashed on a regular basis. We’d always rather buy a performance car that has been gently driven and have to splash out on replacing the tyres than buy a thrashed and abused example that wears a new set of boots.

The Charcoal leather trim, with matching stitching and a Smoke Alcantara headlining with a quilted centre insert, is understated. The carpets are Charcoal in colour too - and they have been made with matching binding to their edges. Now, you might think that all those dark colours might be a bit too somber but the reality is that they endow the Aston with a gravitas you just don’t find in some of its contemporaries. (Bentley Continental, we’re looking at you…)

The two-tone steering wheel, white-faced dials, and Violet Chrome centre console fascia help lift the muted interior a little, but this is a discreet gentleman’s sportscar and the colour scheme fulfils that role to perfection.

The leather front seats are heated and electrically operated, and their condition speaks of gentle miles as they show only the very mildest of creasing.

A strict two-sweater, the Vanquish was specified with the rear seat delete option. This is, we think, a good thing as the absence of a rear seat gives a useful luggage shelf, as well as a hidden storage comportment underneath – and there’s not a lot of legroom back there anyway, so we think getting rid of the rear seat is a smart way to gain space and lose weight.

There’s a heated front windscreen too, and powerfold exterior mirrors, and rear parking sensors, and body-coloured door handles. Music comes courtesy of a 1200-watt, 13-speaker Linn audio system that features a radio/cassette headunit, plus a six-disc CD changer in the boot. Whoever ordered this car demonstrated both good taste and deep pockets…

The boot is as beautifully trimmed and presented as the rest of the Aston’s interior. It is home to the CD multi-changer and first aid kit, and even still contains the OE Aston Martin umbrella. Oh, and there’s a pair of Aston-branded battery chargers in there too.

Problems seem to be limited to some tarnishing on the metal bar on the passenger’s door trim – and you could live with that, couldn’t you?

Last serviced in September 2018 at 21,600 miles, the bill came to a staggering £6715.37.

Why so much? Well, the previous owner clearly wanted everything to be as good as it possibly could be, so authorized Aston Martin Bristol to work its way through the checklist he was presented with.

The work included a full service, four-wheel alignment, an MOT, a new battery, replacement wheel nuts, a new number plate, replacement ignition coils, a lower suspension arm, a top wishbone arm, and an anti-roll bar link, fresh brake fluid, and a full inspection, and some corrosion-proofing, to the front subframe. The latter is a well-known weak point on the model, so potential bidders should be reassured that this one has been given a clean of bill of health.

The previous bill, in 2012 and 20,008 miles, was for almost £2,500 and earlier ones follow a similar pattern; this is a very well-maintained car and has the invoices and stamps in the service history book to support it.

As you’d expect, the mighty V12 engine purrs into life at the touch of a button, and growls when prodded. We’ve been lucky enough to have driven a few Vanquishs in our time and the sense of occasion never fails to surprise us; it is a very special car and this one is as good as any we’ve ever driven, feeling as tight and responsive as a good Aston Martin should.

The engine bay is clean and beautifully presented and dominated by that gorgeous V12 engine and an equally impressive carbonfibre strut brace.

The Vanquish’s MOT certificate expires in December 2020, and was gained without a single advisory point. The Vanquish’s MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage.

The car also comes with a number of expired MOT certificates, a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years, a service history booklet with nine stamps, and the wonderfully OTT metal ring binder.

It also comes with two keys and original remote controls.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

NB. We know that you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on. Or, even better, contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call, where you can direct us in real-time.

We don’t think there has ever been a better time to buy an Aston Martin Vanquish; having been static for a while now, surely they can’t drop any further making now the perfect time to buy before they start their inevitable march upwards, surely?

And, we believe this example is not only a gorgeous example of the breed but also likely to be one of the cheapest; with a guide price of just £49,000 to £58,000 – and a reserve that is set even lower - we think it offers outstanding value for money and should be a good potential investment opportunity into the bargain.

This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.