Aston Martin wavered on the brink of extinction in the mid-1970s, as they were haunted by the Official Receiver on the one hand and ill-fated projects like the William Towns wedge-like Lagonda sedan and the mid-engined flatfish Bulldog project on the other.

Fortunately, good fortunes appeared in the shape of investors George Minden, Peter Sprague, Alan Curtis, and Tony Flather, who directed a serious infusion of energy into Aston Martin’s core business V-8 Series III saloons with the return of the true Vantage in 1977.

The V8 Vantage was announced on February 18, 1977, with revised camshafts, an air box, larger inlet valves and carburetors, and new inlet manifolds, which resulted in a 40 percent increase in power, bringing it up to 425 brake horsepower. The ZF five-speed manual transmission became standard equipment, as the company built Vantages to order and had serious doubts about the Chrysler Torqueflite automatic’s ability to handle the additional power. Aerodynamic improvements included wider wheel arches, a rear tail spoiler, a deep front air dam below the front bumper, a blanked-off radiator and bonnet air scoop, and Cibie driving lights. Koni shocks were fitted, and the suspension was stiffened.

Motor Sport declared in their April 1978 road test that the Vantage was the fastest accelerating production car in the world, as it was capable of going from 0 to 60 in 5.4 seconds. Not to be out-done, Motor magazine took a Series II to task on April 25, 1981, and produced a 0–60 time of only 5.2 seconds.

The Series II Vantage was launched in October 1978, at the same time as the V8 Series IV, also known as the “Oscar India” Saloon (Oscar India for October Introduction), and it featured similar changes in body styling. Internally, a leather head liner and a burr walnut dashboard were offered, except for the first 20 cars, which had black dashes, as walnut trim was considered distracting to serious drivers.

The car on offer is one of one hundred seventy-two Series IV V8 Vantage models built from 1978 to 1985, and it is one of a believed three that were ordered to Canadian specifications. As such, it had the highest-horsepower, 425-brake horsepower engine and all the “no-holds-barred” performance options. It was built for Ranger Oil founder Jack Pierce, whose Calgary, Alberta, company was the nation’s largest independent firm at the time. It was Pierce’s personal car until the time of his death in 1991, and it has remained with his family since.

After being brought to Los Angeles in 1996, the car was maintained by Exotic Performance and repainted and partially restored by them in 2012. The engine has never been rebuilt, and its compression levels remain within factory specifications. The car is accompanied by full service records from 1996 to the present, and it is accompanied by a Statement of Confirmation from the Gaydon, Warwickshire, factory, which attests to its identity and origin.

This Vantage combines bulletproof provenance, truly startling performance, and true rarity on these shores, and it offers the discerning Aston Martin collector the opportunity to own a unique supercar, one that was the fastest the factory was building at the time.