1988 Aston Martin Project Vantage
It wasn't a Ferrari or a Lamborghini that I loved first, but an Aston Martin. The exhaust note on an Aston Martin DB9 is exhilarating, so I bought one.
As a walking tourist in London on July 12, 2022, I went looking for an alley to replace the band-aid or what they call "plaster" on my blisters, and I stumbled upon Heritage Classic Cars in back alley of a side street in Kensington. The independent shop had the 1998 Aston Martin Project Vantage Concept Car that inspired the 2001 V12 Vanquish and the 2003 DB9.
Presented at the 1998 Detroit Motor Show, the Project Vantage put Aston Martin back in the spotlight. Like many previous Aston Martin prototypes, Project Vantage is capable of running on the road or the track. There was a great reaction from the press and potential customers - Aston Martin just had to build the car to replace aging 'V' models. It wasn't obvious at the time, but Project Vantage was our first look at the legendary V12 Vanquish and then the DB9.
Styled by renown Scot, Ian Callum, GQ’s 2021 Car Designer of the Year Project Vantage was strongly influenced by the DB7 (also his work) and Zagato's DB4 GT. Project Vantage had a 6.0 liter V12 engine with 450 hp, originally proposed for the 1993 Lagonda Vignale and Ford Indigo prototypes as Ford owned Aston Martin in the 1990s. Another Aston Martin first was the paddle shift gearbox derived from F1. The structure was built on an aluminium chassis and covered in composite panels, not aluminum.
"It brings back fantastic memories of great times". "It was one of the nicest projects I've ever worked on, not least because it was just me and Bob Dover, (Chairman & CEO of Aston of Aston Martin). And this was the start of the modern era" -Ian Callum, Aston Martin Design, 2018
Project Vantage's only UK appearance was at the AMOC race meeting at Donington Park in October 1998. Since 2003, Project Vantage has been displayed in the AM Works Service Reception with a V12 Vanquish, the model it sired. It's only been seen in public once since then: at the 2014 UK Vanquish day at AM Works, until it was sold on the auction block by Bonhams in 2016. And now, it's changed hands a few times to be made available for sale by Heritage Classics.
While Project Vantage is a fully functional vehicle, it can't be registered for road use and is only for display or track days. This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the serious collector.
If you’re interested in purchasing this amazing collectible, you can do so with this link:
https://www.heritageclassic.com/stock/1998-aston-martin-project-vantage-concept-car/16
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