With the final incarnation of the V8 Vantage––a staple of Newport Pagnell’s range since 1977, sporting lines akin to those first seen on the six-cylinder DBS a decade earlier––Aston engineers weren’t content with simply sending the graceful old GT out in style. They had something special up their collective sleeves. Known unofficially by many names including “X-Pack”, “Series 3” and “580X”, all terms refer to the final run of the 1986 to 1989 Vantage models that ended this Aston’s 12-year production run with a bang. The model was the fastest four-seater of its kind at launch.

For these last-of-the-line Vantages, Aston Martin engineers tinkered with its base and already potent engine, substantially modifying it in order to unlock a monumental 400-plus horsepower figure––in an era when 200 horsepower was still considered plenty. Said tweaks to Polish engineer Tadek Marek’s already legendary V-8 consisted of adding Cosworth pistons, high-lift camshafts and enlarged inlet ports, fed by four mammoth 48 millimetre Weber carburettors. The fuel-injection system from the Lagonda wasn’t deemed capable or reliable enough for such a high horsepower application.

With the crucial “X” designation in its engine number––marking it out as a high-performance ‘X-Pack’ variant––this late 1988-built Vantage Volante didn’t hang around long, being sold to its first keeper on 31 January 1989. Originally finished in Suffolk Red with matching magnolia and red-piped seats and carpets, this Vantage Volante has since been repainted in a green colour scheme. What appear to be correct 16-inch Ronal wheels, with their concealed wheel bolts, sit within outrageously flared arches, perfectly in-keeping with the bonnet bulge, splitter and rear flick spoiler aesthetic of 1980s aggression that so perfectly encapsulates this seminal Aston Martin supercar.