"With the Aston Martin Virage Wide Body, it's all about presence. And this particular motorcar has it in spades. As if a standard Virage wasn't imposing enough, Newport Pagnell decided to go out with a flourish and launch their final ever car with a bang, the Virage powered by a 6.3 litre engine required Wide-Body characteristics which proved popular with their customer base. Buyers began to then order 5.3 litre cars with the 6.3 ‘Wide-Body’. This is one of the official factory ‘6.3 litre Cosmetic’ cars powered by a 5.3 litre engine sporting more generous wheelarches, sills and air dams. The Volante, to compensate for the lack of roof stiffness, added extra strengthening underneath making the car no lightweight. Nevertheless, it was still limited to an impressive 150mph.
The soft-top was a beautifully made electrically powered structure incorporating a glass rear window and complete with heated demisting elements, transmission was a full three-speed automatic unit superseded by a new four-speed, dual-mode (normal/sport) unit in 1993.
The complete Wide-Body package also features OZ split-rim wheels with Goodyear Eagle tyres to the front and wider rear Pirelli P-Zeros to the rear and large, ventilated disc brakes all around and a rear boot spoiler.
The hand-built example here is finished in Kingfisher metallic blue with interior parchment hide, contrasting dark blue piping and a dark blue mohair hood. Supplied new to UK main agents, Lancaster of Sevenoaks, periodic service history can be found in the supplied owner’s book pack. Also included are a series of regular MoT test certificates found in the accompanying history file.
Reassuringly, regular maintenance can also be found from a number of noted Aston Martin specialists including Aston Workshop and RS Williams. This includes superficial paintwork correction, new tyres, brake work, mechanical adjustments and tracking more recently and rebuilt throttle bodies, new HT leads, battery and comprehensive service a little further back. The Aston Workshop repaired the front spoiler, always something that catches, as well as both front quarter panels, blending in all areas and finishing with a full machine polish. Later that year, a full service took place with some electrical rectification and MoT test. RS Williams also checked through some battery defects, brackets, hood mechanism issues & relays, quarter light with a thorough road test to finish. Supplied with a full 12 month MoT test certificate, this now rarified sportscar was once described by a writer, name withheld, as Schwarzenegger in a Dior dress.."