1991 Aston Martin Virage

VIN: SCFCAM1S9MBR50175.

Engine No: 89/50181/M.

All Aston Martin Virages are rare. 

Manual examples are rarer still, and that’s what we have here. 

The engine turns over. We haven’t driven it or had it running because it has been in a static collection since 2012 and is in need of mechanical recommissioning. 

Consequently, we can only assess it on its cosmetic condition.

While the car takes power to the dashboard, the trip computer refuses to spring into life and, consequently, we can’t see or read the odometer. 

This is pretty much standard behaviour for trip computers on Virages of this era.

That said, our experience with the vendor’s other cars tells us that the car is highly unlikely to have added many miles to the 49,000 recorded at the time of its sale to the vendor in February 2012.

In common with many cars from the vendor’s collection, it comes with very little in the way of history or records, but it does have copies of old V5s from its time in the UK, plus proof of its original sale to someone from Cooper’s Metals of Wiltshire in 1991, a copy of its original manufacturer’s record card, and an invoice for its sale to the vendor in 2012. 

The car’s online MoT record under its previous UK registration number (H838VVG), tells us that its mileage was 35,928 in 2006 and 37,362 in 2010.

IMPORTANT: This motor car is being sold as part of a private overseas collection. It has been imported under the Bonhams’ temporary admission customs bond. In addition to the ‘hammer’ price, the winning bidder must pay a bond release fee (£350) and also import tax/duty.

In the UK, cars over 30 years old are subject to the lower rate of 5% import tax on the final selling price if purchased by a private individual. Cars less than 30 years old will pay 10% duty + VAT as well as VAT. A company buying this car will always pay 10% duty + VAT as well as VAT on the ‘hammer’ price.

The winning bidder will receive a receipt for the final hammer value, and proof that HMRC fees are paid. If the car is subsequently exported abroad within 30 days then these fees are refundable upon proof of customs/tax payment in the other country.

The bond release fee (£350 payable direct, post-auction, to the CARS shipping company) will produce a NOVA from HMRC, this document is formal proof that all duties & taxes are paid in UK. The vehicle is not registered anywhere. You must register the vehicle with the DVLA. Upon request, Bonhams|Cars Online can suggest some companies who can help with this process.

This vehicle has been on static display in the Middle East for a number of years, and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section. In all cases, the documents shown are photocopies, unless otherwise stated. We do not have the originals.

Unless otherwise stated, we have not tried to start or drive the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is strictly sold ‘as seen’.

It is available for viewing by appointment only, we are open weekdays 10am-4pm, and we advise you (or your appointed engineer) to inspect it at our HQ near Abingdon in Oxfordshire.

The bodywork is free of any dinks, dents or creases worth mentioning and the panels, panel gaps and shut lines look as consistent and even as you’d expect to find on a hand-built prestige car.

The passenger door was very reluctant to open when we first saw the car and has since decided that it doesn’t want to open at all – well, at least not for us. 

The paintwork is a shade described as ‘Rolls-Royce Brewster Green’ and is something of a curate’s egg: good in parts, less so others and in need of remedial attention elsewhere.

There is a little bubbling and blistering around the rear screen on the nearside and by the fuel filler cap on the same side.

The paint work around both filler caps looks like it’s been attacked by some spilled fuel that hasn’t been cleaned up. 

That said, there are some similar marks on the roof, so perhaps that’s not the underlying cause. 

Who knows?

Some lacquer is missing from the paint along the edge of the boot lid.

There are a few light scratches on the bonnet and a small scuff on the n/s/r wing.

One windscreen wiper is disintegrating.

The wheels are in very decent condition.

The Magnolia leather upholstery with green piping has a gentle patina to it but no heavy creasing or other signs of significant use or wear – front or back.  

It just needs a decent clean and an introduction to some quality leather-feeding products.

The Alcantara headlining is intact and undamaged but a little grubby.

Much the same can be said of the door cards.

The black finish inside the instrument binnacle is flaked, lifting and coming away from around the dials.

The lacquer is lifting and cracked in a few places on the wood veneers on the dashboard, one section of which is wearing a stencilled outline of the Nürburgring, for some reason.

The leather gear lever gaiter is loose and a little frayed, and the passenger-side sun visor seems to be stuck in place.

The carpets and mats have been vigorously attacked by some voracious moths and their offspring, particularly in the front.

The boot appears to be broadly fine and contains a spare wheel and some loose lambswool over-rugs, which appear to have been spared by the moths.

We can’t make any claims about the full functionality of switches, knobs, levers, toggles, buttons, dials or other electrics as we haven’t driven the vehicle.

Everything in the rather dusty engine bay, including the engine (built by a Mr. Mike Peach), appears to be clean, dry, present and correct. 

The sound insulation inside the bonnet lid is frayed and ripped.

There’s a little rust and flaking to be seen under the sills, but the extent to which this may or may not compromise the car’s structural integrity is something you’ll want to judge for yourself.

The car doesn’t come with any history or service records beyond what is shown in the photography section. 

It has neither an MoT certificate nor a current V5. It must be registered in the country of your choice and you will need to contact the appropriate vehicle licensing agency for instructions on how to do this. 

None of the paperwork shown in the gallery constitutes any kind of current licensing or registration documentation.

Although in need of some light cosmetic attention here and there (inside and out), we think that this hand-built pedigree car should more than repay the time and effort required to get it back to its best – provided, of course, that the engine, electrics and mechanicals are amenable to recommissioning and as decent as the rest of it. 

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’.