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 Martin 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 Martin’s 12-year production run with a bang. The model was the fastest four-seater of its kind at launch.

For this last-of-the-line Vantage model, 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 was not deemed capable nor reliable enough for such a high horsepower application.

This stunning X-Pack-equipped Vantage Volante was delivered new via HWM on 15 January 1988, sold new to Mr D Smith of Potters Bar. Copies of the build sheets (available to view on file) show the bodywork was finished in Suffolk Red with the cabin trimmed in Magnolia leather, and importantly this example was one of 79 equipped with a manual gearbox. Registered as “ORD 123”, the car was used to illustrate marketing material (also on file). The car was bought by Globe Trust of Exchange Tower, London in 1991 and the following year it was acquired by a Mr Edwards, who retained the car for two decades with Aston Martin Specialists Pugsley and Lewis servicing the car from 1997 to 2011. In 2008, Mr Edwards elected to have a new automatic gearbox fitted for ease of driving.

Purchased by the previous owner in 2011, five years later he sent this Volante X-Pack to Aston Martin Works (AMW), with invoices on file showing more than £80,000 was spent. Returning to AMW in 2019, another £52,000-worth of invoices were issued for cosmetic work carried out. At the time of cataloguing, the odometer read 64,866 miles.

Presenting wonderfully today, this 1988 V8 Vantage Volante X-Pack is finished in its factory-correct colour scheme and has been confirmed to retain its matching-numbers engine. Accompanied by a raft of invoices and copies of the factory build sheets, this rare and powerful beast is one for collectors seeking to acquire one of Aston Martin’s coolest 1980s open-top muscle cars.