Aston Martin played on the memory of its 1959 success at Le Mans and introduced the Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600 Le Mans, a highly refined, limited special edition.
The history of Aston Martin traces back to 1913. David Brown began running the company in 1947; and in 1959, Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, followed by Maurice Trintignant and Paul Frère, achieved a one-two victory at Le Mans, beating the best Ferrari by 25 seconds.
In 1967 the Aston Martin DBS, designed by William Towns, replaced the DB6. From 1969 onwards, the new light alloy V8 engine, designed by Tadek Marek, gave it additional propulsion.
The V8 was built (in part as a Vantage variant) until 1988, when it was replaced by the Virage. While this model had a more angular design, the improved technology of the predecessor could largely be found beneath the exterior. Even the De Dion rear axle survived the model change and was produced for another decade.
In 1992 the Virage was joined by the Vantage, which differed both visually and technically. The front and rear had undergone extensive restyling, and the V8 5.3-L engine, now with two Eaton compressors, boasted 558 hp.
No half-portion
The Aston Martin Vantage weighed in at a hefty 2015 kg when it was tested by Auto Motor und Sport magazine in 1997. But the 745 Nm (at 4000 rpm) and 557 hp (at 6500 rpm) ensured enough propulsion. The Vantage could hit 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, reaching a top speed of 281 km/h. Although the Aston was not exactly economical, consuming 19.1 L of Super per 100 km, it could not be considered a gas guzzler, either.
No clear test winner
Despite its performance advantages, the Aston could barely measure up to the competition out of Detroit or Maranello – at least objectively speaking. The Ferrari F550 Maranello could accelerate more quickly, reach a higher top speed by 36 km/h and weave through a slalom course 20 km/h faster. In a comparison test against the Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Viper and Ferrari F550, the Aston came in last. Only in the body category could it catch up to the Ferrari.
But such rankings probably had little effect on typical Vantage buyers, including Tom Cruise and Prince Charles, who would have never opted for a Corvette over the elegant Aston Martin. The Vantage interior, made from at least 11 cowhides of Scandinavian origin, brimmed with classic British style. Everything was handmade by masters in their field, and not in a matter of hours but weeks. Even the large series parts from Ford and GM did not tarnish its image. If you were a gentleman who could afford it, you simply drove an Aston, not a Corvette.
The boys at Aston Martin in Newport Pagnell, England, ended up retrofitting the Vantage, even if lagging performance was hardly the reason the Aston Martin could not match the Ferrari 550 Maranello.
V550 and V600
From 1998 onwards, Aston Martin customers could bring their Vantage back to the factory and order a V600 performance “cure”. The cure, at a cost of around £20,000, upped the horsepower to 608 hp at 6200 rpm and the torque to a whopping 813 Nm.
It also significantly cut down the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h to under five seconds. From then on, the “normal” models were sold as the V550.
In the meantime, the world kept turning. New emissions and crash regulations hastened the end of the Virage, at that time called the V8, as well as the Vantage. The DB7, one car class lower, went on to enjoy success in the mid-1990s, with the Vanquish already on the horizon. But Aston Martin knew their fans and wanted to close out the Tadek Marek V8 series with one more highlight.
In March 1999, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600 Le Mans premiered at the Geneva Motor Show as a limited special edition. The plan was to build 40 of these special models to mark the 40 years since the DBR1 had won at Le Mans, in 1959.
The limited edition went far beyond a few catchy stickers and labels. It featured a unique grille, which contained two bold ventilation openings for the Eaton compressors. The front spoiler was adapted, as were the tailpipes of the exhaust system.
The cockpit harkened back to the DBR1, with its large rev counter and small speedometer. All the wood had gone, and a titanium finish was used instead.
The customer who was willing to invest over CHF 500,000 (£225,000) in this car could choose the V600 option. Most probably did. The buyer – whose name, along with the vehicle number, was printed on a plaque inside the car – was also treated to a reinforced braking system with four-channel ABS and a tighter suspension. The model also featured 285/45 ZR 18 tires, mounted on magnesium rims with hollow spokes, as well as parking sensors.
With these specifications, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600 Le Mans could, according to the carmaker, reach a speed of 320 km/h and clear 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. It is safe to say, however, that few owners ever enjoyed this level of performance. From the start, the cars were collector vehicles and likely sat in heated, moisture-controlled garages. And if the car did happen to show up on the open road, it would have attracted attention more for its impressive exhaust rumble than its exterior – especially with most models painted in unobtrusive shades of green, grey or black (13 coats!).
If you did get to sit behind the steering wheel (taken from the Lincoln Continental) of one of these rare cars, you could enjoy the endless torque and propulsion to no end. And you could also be annoyed by the relatively stubborn six-speed gearbox and unforgiving clutch. In effect, the Aston was not built for stop-and-go, 30 km/h speed zones or narrow pass roads because of its 194-cm width. The car – at 475 cm long and weighing in at two tons – feels most comfortable on wide, slightly curvy country roads or on the motorway. The only real difference between driving in third or sixth gear is pitch, as there is always enough power.
And speaking of pitch: even if a Ferrari F550 runs quietly in comparison, the sound is not so disturbing and in fact rather harmonic. In any case, the car’s sonic expressiveness should not warrant any Sunday driving bans. After all, the probability of seeing an Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600 Le Mans drive past remains, in the end, very low.
Guest author: Bruno von Rotz, Zwischengas
Video: Michael Klauser