- Only 44,310km

- One of 25 LHD cars built

- Luxury for four and high performance

In 1997, a ‘new’ Aston Martin was presented at the London Motor Show: a long-wheelbase version of the V8 Vantage Volante with comfortable space for four adults in its softly-padded leather seats. The car’s styling was an undeniable success, but it failed to win the hearts of buyers on account of its astronomical price, higher even than that of a Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph. When the Show closed, there were few orders in the book. Only 67 customers signed up for an Aston Martin V8 Volante LWB, which will be produced at Newport Pagnell. Of these orders, 25 were for left-hand-drive (LHD) models, destined to cross the Channel (or the Atlantic). This beast of a car was (very) heavy, but its 5.3-litre V8 developed 349bhp in this version and it needed every one of those horses to propel the 1900kg convertible and take it from 0–100kph in 6 seconds and on to a top speed of 250kph, figures which were by no means ridiculous at the dawn of the 21st century. Offered with a four-speed automatic transmission from Chrysler, it was the perfect car for long trips with its V8 purring away, but could also roll up its sleeves when you floored the accelerator.

This example was registered for the first time in 1999 in Holland and has had only two owners. They each had the car serviced directly at the factory (a full history file is available). It has covered only 44,310km since leaving the factory and offers a fine opportunity to take four passengers (including the driver) out on the road, revelling in its 350bhp while enjoying the sunny days of summer.