This £300k V8-engined brute could be peak Aston Martin

The Story

The original V8 Vantage nailed its brief as a handsome 170mph cruiser, but it’s also unexpectedly fun to drive.

Some cars don’t take long to reveal their magic, and the original 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage is one of those. Just listening to its growling V8 as it reaches its crescendo before being followed on the overrun by a series of angry crackles from the twin exhausts is reason enough to want to own one of these testosterone-heavy bruisers.

The heart of the Vantage was a highly tuned version of Aston’s all-alloy quad-cam 5.3-litre V8. For the Vantage it gained higher-lift camshafts, bigger inlet valves, a higher compression ratio, four 48IDF Weber carburettors with a larger airbox for better breathing and a revised exhaust system. The result was a claimed 32 per cent increase in power, giving around 375bhp in the earliest cars, later rising to 400bhp-plus. Two gearboxes were offered, a ZF five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic.

The aero saw work in the wind tunnel too, where Aston discovered that adding a bib spoiler, blanking off the grille and bonnet scoop and adding Perspex covers to the sunken headlights reduced drag by 10 per cent and eliminated lift for no loss of cooling.

Twist the key and the big, four-cam V8 fires up with an unexpectedly complex, appealing V8 rumble, almost like it’s two-thirds of an Italian V12. Set off and although the Aston is roomy with great visibility, very quickly it seems to shrink around you, the power steering giving it a wieldiness that makes it easy to exploit and enjoy the performance.

Why It Matters

The heart of the Vantage was a highly tuned version of Aston’s all-alloy quad-cam 5.3-litre V8.

CarMotion Daily’s Take

Some cars don’t take long to reveal their magic, and the original 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage is one of those. — the story from Evo-GN bears tracking.