2008 Aston Martin Vantage Coupe

Yes, it might be a cliché but you’d order your new Vantage in ‘James Bond’ Tungsten Silver too, wouldn’t you? The coachwork is in excellent condition too, which is not something you can say about every aluminium-bodied supercar, especially those unfortunate enough to find themselves in the care of ham-fisted owners.

Featuring the later and much-improved interior, the Obsidian Black leather is picked out in white stitching. Wool carpets and factory overmats plus a Taylor’s Grey Alcantara headlining confirm that the original owner nailed the Vantage’s interior specification, too.

With fewer than 31,000 miles on the odometer, a full service history, and a specification that features just about everything that was offered at the time (it was originally a dealer demonstrator) the owner looked at 11 other examples before finally settling on this one.

He’s owned Aston Martins for the past 37 years, so knows his way around the marque but he still took his expert advisor along with him, who earned his keep by spotting a small paint defect under the bonnet and insisted that was rectified by Aston Martin before they would take delivery. Obsessive? Maybe, but exactly the sort of chap you want to buy a hand-built British sportscar from…

He looks after his cars properly, too. Part of a small, private collection, the Vantage has never been driven in the rain or in the winter and has always been kept garaged and never left out overnight.

One for the collector, investor, or enthusiast, this is an Aston Martin Vantage you can buy with your head AND your heart.

The Tungsten Silver bodywork is straight and free of dings, dents, and other damage. As you can see from the photographs, the flanks are utterly straight, and the shut-lines as tight as the day they left the factory, which we think can be taken as the sign of a car that doesn’t have a story to tell.

Unless, that is, you include the owner’s advice on closing the boot; it has, you see, a lovely leather strap that dangles down enticingly, luring novices into pulling on it to close the lid. The trouble is that it is attached to that fragile aluminium boot lid, and pulling on it can leave two dimples in the metal. Closing it by hand avoids that. Not that you should push down on it either; the owner lets the boot and bonnet drop the last few inches, enabling them to latch securely without the risk of dents.

What chrome there is looks to be unmarked, and the badges, mesh grilles, and headlights are similarly clean. It really does look like a three-year-old car rather than one that is now in its second decade.

The 19-inch alloy wheels are straight and looking good, and are shod with matching high-performance Bridgestone tyres. But then you’d guessed that by now, hadn’t you?

The only problem we can see are some light scuffs on the front valance. These are restricted to the lower black edge, and that’s a sacrificial surface designed to be easily replaced in the event the new owner doesn’t like their Aston Martin even lightly (and almost invisibly) marked.

And, in case you’re worried that this is the sign of a careless owner who has been bumping over kerns willy-nilly, we can set your mind at rest because the rest of the underside is clean, straight, and unmarked.

The Obsidian Black leather interior is wonderfully understated, yet flashes the odd hint of rakishness; like a bright suit lining on a charcoal grey suit, the white stitching sets off the otherwise sombre interior beautifully. And it is rather nicely done, too.

The shape of the seats is sublime, managing to look both sporting and luxurious, a dichotomy that few cars manage to carry off with the same aplomb. They’re in great shape, too. Free of anything so vulgar as rips, tears, and scuffs they are showing on the very gentlest of creasing.

The dashboard offers extraordinary clarity, with a beautifully simple design that gives the driver all the information they need and nothing they don’t. The steering wheel-mounted paddles offer the ability to change gear with only fingertip pressure when you are in the mood to play the finest sounding musical instrument of the 21st century, and yet it will amble along with only a muted growl when you don’t want to play.

The grey Alcantara headlining is in great condition, and the alloy pedals have rubber dots inset on them for better grip. It’s details like this that, in our opinion, lift the Vantage’s interior above that of its German contemporaries.

The black carpeted boot is very clean, and features the Aston Martin logo picked out with a union flag. We’re not convinced that’s a good thing, but then neither are we convinced that putting the union flag as the lining in your Barbour coat is necessarily the most subtle way of showing your allegiance to the good old British waxed jacket, but we see plenty of ‘em about.

Of more interest to fuddy-duddies like us are the sill-mounted plaques that proclaim that this is an ‘Aston Martin V8 Vantage Hand built in England’.

The engine bay looks sensational, dominated as it is by that magnificent V8 engine. It’s very clean in there too, and wants for nothing other than an appreciative owner with an active Instagram account. (In case you’re wondering, Dean Brittain undertook the engine’s final inspection.)

The mechanical specification is completely standard, and has been maintained with an obsessive attention to detail, all backed up with the appropriate paperwork.

The owner tells us that the Vantage is running beautifully, and has been maintained regardless of cost. He resets the clutch before every journey - something a lot of Sportshift owners don’t know should be done on a regular basis - and says that while he baulks at paying £15 for a haircut, he will happily drop a six-figure sum on his cars to keep them running perfectly. His father worked on Supermarine Spitfires you see, and his meticulous approach to maintenance has clearly rubbed off…

The service history shows a mixture of main dealer and independent specialist, but before you think he has taken the cheap route, we should point out that that specialist is Christian Lewis, the former head of Works Service at Aston Martin.

Oh, and let’s talk about the Sportshift gearbox you might be dismissing. He chose it deliberately, reasoning that an automated gearbox like this would be able to change gear faster than he could. (Aston Martin says it changes three times faster than even the best driver can.)

And, if you think choosing this ‘box is the sign of a chap who places a premium on looks over performance, we should point out that he used to race a Ferrari 308 and a Porsche 911. And a vintage Bentley – in the Mille Miglia and owned the world’s fastest MGC at one time. He is a man who knows how to drive fast and well, and if he says the Sportshift is the better option for the driver who likes to make good progress, then we’re inclined to believe him.

(He even made a video about it, which you can see at https://youtu.be/KqpSdgs5Fxs).

If you are seriously interested in bidding on the Vantage, please do contact him and arrange to go and inspect it at his home near Milton Keynes. He’s a fascinating, self-deprecating chap whose enthusiasm for the marque, and this particular example, is infectious - and hugely reassuring, which is probably more important.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever. In fact, it passed its last five MOTs without gathering a single advisory point. The MOT certificate itself expires in April 2020.

The car comes with the original leather wallet and owner’s handbook, a stamped service history booklet (which even shows that the anti-corrosion inspections are up-to-date), and the proper Aston Martin key, you know, the original small one that you can actually fit in your pocket.

Only being offered for sale to make space for an incredibly rare and interesting classic car that discretion precludes us from naming, this Aston Martin Vantage is probably the best on the open market today. We’ve taken a close look at what else is out there and cannot find anything to match its specification or condition.

And the price of good Vantages is starting to creep up after months of stagnation. This comes as no surprise to us, because they are utterly gorgeous inside and out, very reliable when they’ve been serviced regularly by someone who knows what they’re doing, and provide peerless driver satisfaction.

Yet, even though it is completely original, beautifully specified and maintained regardless of cost, it won’t be as expensive as you might think because we think this example will sell for between £33,000 and £37,000, which seems like peanuts to us when you consider we found inferior cars being offered for £8,000 more than our upper estimate…

The reserve is, of course, set at a lower point than this and was reduced further on 12th August.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in the Milton Keynes area; 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’.

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

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.