1979 Aston Martin V8 Volante
Registration no. FYT 27V
Chassis no. V8/COR/15124
Engine no. V/540/5124/S

Described by former Aston Martin Chairman Victor Gauntlett as, 'a stylish thoroughbred, beautifully built, luxurious, fast and immensely safe,' the V8 was built in several variants, one of the more exclusive being the Volante convertible. Introduced in response to customers' demands for such a car, the Volante first appeared in June 1978. Arguably the ultimate in soft-top luxury, the newcomer boasted a lined, power-operated hood which, when erected, endowed the walnut embellished interior with all the solidity and refinement associated with the saloon version. Although its open-car aerodynamics meant that top speed suffered with the hood down, the Volante's 150mph maximum nevertheless ranked it among the world's fastest convertibles. V8 Volante and Vantage Volante chassis numbers ran from '15001' to '15849', a total of 849 cars.

One of only 19 right-hand drive V8 Volantes built with manual transmission, this V8 Volante currently displays a total of 37,671 miles on the odometer and is described by the vendor as in generally very good original condition. This relatively low mileage can in part be explained by the fact that the Aston spent some ten years resident in the Channel islands, there being export documentation on file recording that it had previously had been registered 'FYT 27V' on the UK mainland and was first registered in Jersey on 14th January 1999.

The car remained registered in Jersey until March 2009, latterly in the ownership of a Mrs Meriol Arnold of St Saviour, who had acquired it in April 2005. Other documentation on file includes an Aston Martin Certificate of Origin, MoT certificate (expires June 2015) and invoices from the Aston Martin 'Works' totalling over £13,000 for works including a new braking system, suspension, radiator, etc. Finished in Imperial Burgundy with fawn hide interior, this beautiful V8 Volante also comes with its original warranty agreement and owner's instruction manual. Taxed until the end of July 2015, it is in superb condition mechanically; indeed, the Aston recently completed a trip from Paris to Swansea, some 468 miles in one day, completely trouble free. This car really is ready for European touring in matchless style.