450 bhp, RSW 7.0-litre engine, automatic gearbox, independent front suspension with upper and lower control arms, coil springs and anti-roll bar, de Dion rear axle with Watt linkage, trailing arms and coil springs, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 2,610 mm

• Classic V8 from final year of production

• Just 17,620 miles covered from new

• Upgraded RSW 7.0-litre engine, gearbox, brakes and handling kit

• Extraordinary historical documentation

The classic Aston Martin V8 in its many forms is, to many enthusiasts, the last of the ‘real’ Astons. Conceived during David Brown’s ownership of the revered marque, it reigned supreme for almost two decades as Britain’s flagship sports car and even served James Bond at differing times in his career, from George Lazenby’s 007 in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in 1969 to a final fling with Timothy Dalton in 1987’s The Living Daylights—by now fitted with rocket launchers and skis, Bond being Bond…

For some clients, though, enough is never enough. This handsome V8 is one of the final series built, being supplied on 1 January, 1989 to its first owner in Cambridgeshire, UK, who paid £82,059.50 for his new Aston Martin finished in Salisbury Blue with magnolia trim and manual gearbox and registered ‘1 FTJ.’ It remained in his ownership until 6 August, 2002, still with only 3,808 miles covered, before acquisition on 3 September, 2003 (at 4,087 miles) by Tara Getty, scion of the celebrated oil dynasty, from leading Aston Martin specialist R.S. Williams for a then-record £100,000. Mr. Getty commissioned RSW to carry out their famed 7.0-litre engine conversion, raising power from the contemporary V8 Vantage’s 400 bhp and 380 lb/ft torque to a heady 445-450 bhp with tree stump-pulling 500 lb/ft torque. The gearbox was converted from manual to automatic at the same time (RSW can reverse this modification if desired), and exhaust, handling and brake upgrades were also carried out to match the greater performance. Another invoice dated 12 July, 2006 details further work carried out (RSW Brembo brake upgrade, box back to manual, RSW handling kit, fitting latest spec ECU) for £31,008. In December 2008 RSW fitted the latest 7.0 specification automatic gearbox, torque converter and rear brake servo for £15,424.29. Other attractive details include the Nardi steering wheel (only fitted to the last V8s) and Prince of Wales armrest and cubby. Most recently the car was acquired by a well-known entertainment personality and car collector who kept the total mileage to a modest 17,620 miles.

This unique Aston Martin is accompanied by its 1989 purchase invoice, original order correspondence, MoTs back to 1992 (when first due), numerous maintenance and upgrade invoices, original owners handbook and service vouchers (correctly stamped, the most recent on 6 August, 2010 at 16,970 miles by RSW) in their green wallet and factory 1989 warranty: in short, the most extraordinary amount of documentation we have ever seen with one of these cars.

This, then, is truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or perhaps it would be fairer to say a lion in wolf’s clothing. It has everything—a late production V8, in arguably the most attractive colour scheme, with very low mileage, fantastic documentation and the ultimate, no-expense-spared specification.