When you think Aston Martin V8 Vantage, you are probably imagining a sporty tourer owned by an older gentleman who drives it only on Sundays, and only if the weather is just so. This particular example of the breed, however, somehow racked up 513,921 kilometers – which means 319,335 miles – since it was first registered back in October 2006.
Listed for sale on Germany's biggest vehicle marketplace, said car had its original engine replaced some 35,000 kilometers ago. The listing further notes two owners, the carbon package, the exhaust package, and that it's a limited edition. The plaque on the driver-side door sill reads one of one and hand built in England for B.L.P's WORLD.
Finished in an eye-catching orange, this 2006 model is equipped with sat nav, a heated windshield, heated seats, xenon headlights, and body-color leather upholstery for the interior. Although the seats do show a few creases and wrinkles, they're in seriously good condition for the car's mileage. Lest we forget, NASA's estimate for the distance between our planet and its only natural satellite is 384,400 kilometers or 238,855 miles in old money.
Speaking of moolah, care to guess how much this fellow costs? The seller wants 29,900 euros, meaning 31,985 dollars or 25,305 pounds sterling at current exchange rates. A bit of a steal, but on the other hand, the car may hide a few nasty surprises due to its mileage, replacement engine, and the lack of vehicle history information in the online listing.
Equipped with a manual transmission, which is a rarity in modern Astons, the 2006 model was originally advertised with 385 metric ponies or 380 mechanical ones from a displacement of nearly 4.3 liters. Codenamed AJ37, the naturally aspirated V8 is derived from the 4.2-liter version of the Jaguar AJ-V8 engine. Dubbed AM14, the more powerful 4.7-liter version of the AJ37 rolled out in 2008 with pressed cylinder liners instead of cast-in liners.
Photo: Wisam kfz on mobile.de
Both the AJ36 and later AM14 rolled out when the Ford Motor Company was running the show. Remember the Premier Automotive Group division that brought together Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo under Ford's umbrella? The last of the PAG brands would be sold in 2010 to Geely, which explains why certain Volvo sport utility vehicles come exclusively from China.
At the moment of reporting, Lawrence Stroll owns a 25-percent stake in Aston Martin Lagonda Holdings Plc. The Canadian billionaire and father of F1 racing driver Lance Stroll currently serves as executive chairman. However, the Gaydon-based automaker got rid of the Jaguar-developed V8 a few years before Lawrence Stroll entered the scene.
The company's V8 engines now come from Affalterbach's Mercedes-AMG, with all of them displacing 4.0 liters. In the 2025 model year Vantage, the M177 cranks out a hugely impressive 656 horsepower and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) of torque as opposed to 671 ponies and similar peak torque for the more grand touring-oriented DB12.
Not long now, Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG will sweeten the deal with a flat-plane crankshaft version of said V8 in the Valhalla. Think of it as the V8-engined sib of the V12-powered Valkyrie. The Valhalla is a three-motor PHEV that develops 1,012 ps (998 hp) at full chatter, while its AMG-sourced mill offers 812 ps (801 hp) and revs to 7,200 rpm compared to 11,100 rpm for the Cosworth-engined Valkyrie.
How Astons have changed since this orange-painted V8 Vantage rolled off the assembly line, huh?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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