Introduced in 1977 as the halo car in Aston Martin’s line-up, the V8 Vantage was ostensibly a development of the then-current Series 3 Aston Martin V8, a car that had taken its lineage from the earlier square-fronted DBS. The Vantage took the Series 3 model and turned up the wick to create what was widely acknowledged to be “Britain’s first supercar”, boasting performance figures which eclipsed its contemporary rivals, including the Ferrari Daytona.

A fitting car for the well-heeled “man about town” in the early 1980s, the V8 Vantage offered here, boasts interesting rock music provenance. From nearly new until the end of 1991, the car was owned by Tony Smith—a music producer who worked with The Beatles, Genesis, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and more. One of the founders of Hit & Run Music Publishing, during ownership Tony worked with legendary drummer and vocalist Phil Collins on his 1991 Grammy Award-winning Another Day in Paradise single. Always an automobile enthusiast and afficionado, Tony has since become one of the UK’s most prominent car collectors, and a well-known figure in the world of historic motor racing.

From factory this V8 Vantage featured a 5.3-litre 375 brake horsepower V-8 engine which already offered impressive performance, but for those seeking a little extra, of which Tony Smith was one, the factory offered a thoroughly potent 6.3-litre V-8 engine conversion—the same engine shared with the coachbuilt Zagato Coupé—which increased the power figure to 420 brake horsepower.

The factory 6.3-litre engine conversion was performed in 1989, as was fitment of a large-bore exhaust system, a shortened rear axle ratio, the performance handling package, and replacement of the standard wheels with 16-inch Ronal alloys with confirming correspondence in the history file—additional features of note include a retro-look Becker Mexico radio head unit with satellite navigation. The factory build sheet shows it originally wore Madagascar Brown over Magnolia hide, though it now wears an attractive Balmoral Green hue. The car has led a pampered and storied life, to which the plethora of accompanying specialist and main dealer service invoices attest.

Purchased in 2013 by the consigning owner from eminent car collector and ex-Lotus F1 team president Gérard López, the car has recently tackled a European tour which had it venture as far as Spain, a trip noted to have been dispatched with ease. It is accompanied by images of the underside, documentation showing prior ownership, and significant parts receipts totalling in excess of £20,000 dated between 2018 and 2021 from Aston Martin heritage specialist RS Williams. It is further offered with various documents including a letter from Aston Martin confirming the car’s engine conversion, and various historic service invoices and MoT certificates—tracing which suggest that the odometer was reset around 1993, and the car has covered just over 19,000 miles since.

Given its history, provenance and specification this Aston Martin V8 Vantage will be of particular interest to marque enthusiasts. It is surely among the most capable examples of the breed, and its history only adds depth to what is a unique and storied life.