1996 Aston Martin Virage Volante

‘When the opportunity came up to buy the Volante, I thought it something not to be missed,’ says the big tourer’s owner Rod. (He’s never quite forgiven himself for buying a big block Corvette Stingray over a DB6 when their prices were a lot closer (we mean a LOT closer). He goes on; ‘[in the Virage] Aston was still trying to keep to its core values of building sports cars by hand from a cottage industry factory. This car had clearly been cared for so well by previous owners. It came with a full service record from new, and it drives exactly as it would have new from the factory. It was also by its very late build, being the last standard body RHD Virage Volante to be built at Newport Pagnell.’ Having been in the high performance and classic car business all his professional life, Rod knows a good ‘un when he sees one. He adds with emphasis; ‘this car benefited from the development of the 350HP engine, the four- speed [Mercedes] gearbox, the revised wheel/suspension package and the much improved facia thereby addressing the previous criticism levelled at the Virage range when initially launched.’ In short, and below the skin, it’s more or less the V8 model that followed the Virage. ‘It goes so much better for having the later, freer-breathing engine.’

Please note that the car will not be on the registration plate photographed, but will have reverted to a standard reg, probably its previous N504 JNG.

Aston’s Virage was - and remains - an austere machine, almost brutalist in its aesthetic. Its silhouette and lines are unfussy and almost totally unadorned, so any imperfections in fit and finish will show quickly. Happily, as you walk slowly around this Virage Volante few blemishes appear. Rod’s feeling is that it has always been ‘bought to use’, but those who have owned it have taken great care to maintain its appearance. On our visit, we were very impressed with the final fit, finish and drive of this car and can easily place it much higher than most other examples of the model, we are pleased to offer our findings.

The paint finish is excellent, the darkest grey paintwork retaining a high gloss. If you look very closely, you’ll notice a small dent in the rear wing on the passenger’s side. (You probably wouldn’t see it if the car wasn’t so fuss-free or the general condition so good). Also, on close inspection, one could argue that the corners of boot lid cavity are a little untidy (by the high standards set by the car in general). There is no brightwork to speak of other than the front grill, which is in excellent condition, save for one blade being bent slightly up.

Panel gaps are narrow and consistent across the whole of the vehicle and the car sits squarely on its suspension. The deep front spoiler matches up closely to the nose and front wings, as do the lower side sills and the rear valance and box protecting the exhaust. There are no signs of heavy trauma to these areas, and their finish matches exactly with the upper panels. Understandably, there are some stone chips to this front air dam and around the grill. There is a very small chip above the Aston Martin badge.

Chiseled good looks I think is the phrase we’re looking for.

A Volante is of course a big luxury tourer and this Aston retains an interior to match that role. The grey leather, and the whole interior in general, largely shows only the lightest of patinas. Predictably, there is a little more wear to the driver’s seat, with wear to the leather commensurate with the car’s age and mileage, but certainly no more. There is some scuffing to the outer bolster and piping, and gentle creasing across the seat. Those big double head rests retain their shape and have not sagged. The dark grey piping is in excellent condition and sets the seats and interior off nicely.

There is a fair bit of wood in the cabin; the walnut burr is richly figured, retaining a deep colour and a good gloss. There are no cracks or scratches to its finish. Instruments all work, and it’s worth noting that this Virage has an analogue mileage/odometer display - a la V8 - rather than the bespoke LCD screen/mileage display that Aston gave the early Virages … and that proved very prone to malfunctioning (who’d have thought).

Going back to more traditional items; the steering wheel and gear selector have suffered no ring marks, scratches or stains - and all the black sections including the dash top retain a deep lustre.

A nice contrast to the wood and black leather are the light grey carpets, which are in very good condition - neatly edged and clean. In fact, you’ll find the fit and finish between materials very neat all over the cabin. This is carried right through to the carpeted boot/roof cavity panels, which are very clean and crisp.

The hood itself does show marks on the inside, in folds and around the rear window, though, in practical terms, it’s of no real detriment. There are some very minor blemishes on the outside near the corners of the windscreen, but that the roof is overall in excellent condition. Needless to say, the vendor states it does not leak. The hood cover shows gentle creasing - that’s a lot of leather – but we can vouch that it fits over the canvas well.

It’s a great space from which to enjoy a long distance tour – something the vendor has done on numerous times. Please feel free to use the Contact Seller button to arrange a viewing and the vendor will be very happy to show you around.

Everything under the bonnet looks to be in fine condition. The big hand-built V8 itself is clean, with no signs of any leaks. There is no oil-cum-corrosion crud in corners and very bolt, screw head and jubilee clip look eminently servicable. The ends of hoses and pipes have not frayed and joins and joints in general look clean and straight. Ancillary items are likewise excellent. The underbonnet matt paint is cracked, though this would seem to be just the finish ageing. The heat/soundproofing under the huge bonnet shows no signs of damage from overheating.

Moving further underneath the car, the weatherproof finish of some of the suspension parts is looking somewhat ‘crazed’ and there is surface corrosion here and there. Still, all the main suspension struts are looking very sound, along with the undertray. Those big (and expensive) twin exhausts are secure in their mounts and boxes and pipes look to have a lot of service left in them.

The big five-spoke alloys look good - understandably, there are some tiny blemishes if you get up close - and the brake discs behind (a recent refettling in terms of the car’s mileage) are in excellent condition.

On our visit, we took this car for a 10 mile test drive and were suitably impressed given the car’s condition, servicing and current care. The engine instantly fired on all 8, and the drivetrain and interior all functioned extremely well. In fact, we would go as far as to say that there are unlikely to be many Virage examples that drive as well. Just in case you were wondering, the vendor states that all the functions are fully working, including the A/C and the elec mirrors.

Rod sums up the service history in one sentence; ‘it’s always been well looked after by people who could afford to run it.’ That statement is borne out by the stamped-up service book (from blue chip Aston garages) and by the sheaf of paperwork that accompanies the car. Where some Virages, due to declining prices, fell quite far down the classic car food chain, this example stayed in the upper echelons. Look across the invoices and you will see, all through the Aston’s life, owners still willing to keep up with constant routine services, as well as paying hefty four-figure bills to refurbish specific mechanical and suspension areas. The body has never needed work. You can read this car’s whole life and have confidence in it.

Posterity and the market haven’t been hugely kind to the Virage. This was partly Aston’s fault, since the car was as much ‘developed’ through owner misfortunes as it was through factory upgrades. But that’s where this car scores so highly - beyond its excellent upkeep of course. This car benefits from two things; the first being that it came at the end of all those Virage refinements and, secondly, because, as we’ve said, that so much of this car is actually the later, much-improved V8 under the skin.

So if you like your Astons and grand tourers a little more brutal, but don’t want to be mopping up from other people’s lack of development work, then this is the car for you. There are Virage Convertibles available for under this car’s estimate of £39,000 to 49,000, but they will undoubtedly costs more to run, and they will not have the ownership satisfaction that comes from this example’s development, care and history. Remember also that the reserve is always lower than the estimate, and that makes this one a bargain given prices over the last few years.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the owner in Hampshire; 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, 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.