1990 Aston Martin Virage

Virage. It's a word of change, a new direction, a new shape, a new colour. The Virage was launched at the end of the 1980s, built to replace the ageing V8, car that had been in production for nearly two decades. This new change welcomed Aston into a new era, into a new and changing world.

Whilst the world warmed throughout the 1990s, Aston would continue to develop the Virage platform reaching its final form and ultimately its end of production at the turn of the 21st century as the Vantage.

This example, is a relatively early car. Supplied new in April of 1990, it's finished in Metallic Gold over a parchment leather interior. Despite never appearing as a Bond car, the Virage is arguably the most bond-like Aston. It is a thug in a pinstriped Saville Row suit.

The exterior is stunning - in an uncommon and yet utterly wonderful hue, champagne-like paint drapes over the subtle nineties curves like a silk table cloth. The 5-spoke alloys, which are wrapped in gloriously chunky tyres offer unparalleled ride comfort. This is a grand tourer.

In more recent times, the car was stored in an underground car park in Paris. During one of the many COVID-19 lockdowns, the garage suffered from water ingress that ultimately led to the interior becoming contaminated by mould. To combat this, the car was quickly dispatched to Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell.

During its time at AM Works, the interior was fully removed including the dashboard and assessed. With foams replaced and carpets cleaned, a decision was made to complete a full interior retrim. The expert craftsmen and women at Aston Martin set about replacing and completely retrimming the interior with Connolly leather.

Today, the Parchment leather is accented by chocolate piping and a colour that adorns the fully trimmed chocolate top dash and steering wheel. This work, totalling a value of more than £13,500, has returned the interior to a better-than-new state. It is a metropolis of rich wood and leather.

Under the bonnet, you’ll find the Virage is powered by a 32-valve 5.3-litre V8. Thanks to cylinder heads designed by Callaway, the legendary Corvette tuners, this new V8 was able to produce 330bhp, whilst also meeting the stringent emission requirements of the day. The engine runs perfectly, which should come as no surprise given it has covered less than 9,000 miles.

Despite the limited mileage, the car has always been maintained to an extremely high standard. The return to Aston Martin Works is confirmation of that. Most recently, the engine and the automatic gearbox were subjected to a full and uncompromising service. 

Today, this Virage is ready for its change, ready to be beloved by a new owner. Somehow, the Virage would look as at home on a gritty urban landscape as it would on a country estate. It’s hard to believe that an opportunity to buy such an incredible example will present itself again any time soon.

As with all our vehicles, a full digital folder is available on request containing more images, walk-around videos, and scans of the service history. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.