Two tonnes of Aston fun

In late 1993 motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson, in his very first road test for The Sunday Times, described the Aston Martin V8 Vantage V550 thusly: "Calling the performance explosive is like calling the space shuttle jolly clever…you will not have felt, or heard, anything like it in your life before."

"Aston...quickly came to represent the pinnacle of British sports car desirability"

Powerful it is. Generating 550bhp (410Kw), and 550lb-ft (746Nm) of torque at just 4,000 rpm, it churns out 220bhp (164Kw) more than its predecessor, the Virage. While this comes from broadly the same 5.3-litre quad cam V8 petrol engine, what makes the difference is the addition of two Eaton M90 superchargers, each fed by its own cylinder bank.

 

Performance matches the power and torque figures, with a 0-60 (0-100km/h) sprint in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 186mph (297km/h). Quite a feat when you consider the V550 weighs in just shy of two tonnes.

 

Aston dubbed the approach of its designers Ken Greely and John Heffernan to the V550 as 'more is more', with features such as six headlights positioned in two banks of three and placed behind a heated glass cowling. For a two-door coupe, it is also surprisingly large, measuring 4,7m nose to tail and is 1,94m wide, with a wheelbase of 2,61m. Aston notes that "it's a big car by the standards of the day, and bigger still by the supercar standards it was created to redefine".

 

Of course, two tonnes of vehicle requires some serious braking power for proper, safe performance. This mean that the V550 sports what were, at the time, the largest brakes available on any production car in the world. The ventilated, ABS-controlled discs all round measure 362mm at the front, with four-piston AP callipers, while at the back are 310 mm discs, while 18-inch six-spoke alloys are shod with 284/45 tyres.

The V550, according to Aston, "quickly came to represent the pinnacle of British sports car desirability", and was priced at £177,000 at its launch – equivalent to roughly £440,000 in 2023. Production ran from 1993 to 1999 and just 239 of the vehicles were built.

 

Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works, said: "The V550 holds a particularly special place in my heart, as I know it does for the small band of lucky owners who possess one of these cars. I recall the launch of the car, and can well remember the excitement among dealership staff, and buyers, as the first customer cars began to be delivered from Newport Pagnell 30 years ago.

 

"What stands out for me today, though, is the way the V8 Vantage V550 has matured into a genuine modern classic. It is an occasion to see one on the road, let alone be lucky enough to drive one, and I'm delighted that we here at Aston Martin Works continue to service, repair and indeed now restore these exceptional cars."

(Words: Newspress and Phil Devine | Pictures: NewsPress)