My Beautiful V8 Vantage, Part 2.

Welcome to part 2. If you have not seen my earlier blog in this mini series you can read it here.

Finding the right way to follow up my previous blog on this car felt right to tell the life story of the car itself.

Being one of the first 1000 vehicles off the line, number 619 to be exact it is commonly discussed that these vehicles had stronger engine internals than those produced post this number, the reasons for this as I understand it is the vehicles that were used in testing pre-production had these same internals however when the vehicle came to being produced Aston made some changes to these parts which likely resulted in a cost saving. When the vehicle went into production and latterly testing before going to market a number of the cars had engine failures.

Aston Martin decided to revert back to the earlier engine internal specification to release the vehicle whilst the issue was investigated. My “internet knowledge” of this investigation was that there was an issue on the coatings applied to these internal engine parts at the supplier and once corrected Aston then reverted back to the spec for production to continue as intended.

Therefore, there is no real difference now between the first 1000 and post this number off the production line as they are both capable in the job they need to do.

My car has a stack of paperwork with it which also includes the original bill of sale from JCT600 in Leeds so it makes sense to start there.

It was sold to a Mr Scott Thompson and his name is still sitting elegantly engraved on the sill plaques he specified on the original build.

I also have the receipt for the original transaction of £80,427.63 that Mr Thompson transferred in full to the dealer.

The car was ordered in May of 2005, documents from the V8 Vantage Coordinator at JCT600 invite the original owner to a launch event at the Canary Wharf Motor Expo in June of 2005 where Aston Martin were unveiling the vehicle to a UK audience.

Further build directives for my car were Onyx Black exterior colour and Obsidian black leather with silver stitching, Alcantara headlining in Taylors Grey and Black carpet. European Sat Nav, Heated Seats, an Alloy appearance Ski Slope on the dash was also at Mr Thompsons request. Grey brake callipers were also specified and remain immaculate today.

My car has no steering wheel controls which appears to be reasonably rare on these cars and I think this really makes for a classier appearance, less is more if you like.

A further event was held by JCT themselves at York Racecourse in September of 2005 when the first customer cars were available giving those who had ordered a car a chance to view the new V8 Vantage in a relaxed atmosphere with champagne and canapés.

The letters for both events and a further event at the Le man’s 24 hours are within the history folder.

Collection day eventually arrived after what must have felt like years of waiting and Mr Thompson took delivery of the vehicle on 12th January 2006 with a mere 42 miles on the clock as indicated by the pre-delivery inspection that took place and is documented in the history.

The vehicle went on to cover 3900 miles in its first year, having its three months’ initial service in May 2006 at and its first year service in January 2007.

I will talk more around parts and servicing in part 3 of this series but the vehicles service history as it stands today is as follows:

Jan 06 – JCT 600 – PDI – 42 Miles

May 06 – JCT 600 – 3 Month Service – 1,188 Miles

Jan 07 – JCT 600 – 1 Year Service – 3,988 Miles

Jan 08 – JCT600 – 9,576 Miles

Nov 08 – JCT600 – 14,877 Miles

Dec 09 – JCT600 – 22,759 Miles

Dec 10 – JCT600 – 30,062 Miles

Nov 11 – IND AMS – 36,978 Miles

Dec 12 – Stratstone – 43,036 Miles

Nov 13 – HWM AM – 48,679 Miles

Jun 17 – IND – 52,206 Miles

Jun 19 – IND – 54,348

May 20 – IND – 59,775

This also is where it gets interesting, those of you who hare still reading might note there is a slight gap between November 2013 and June 2017. When reviewing the documentation, the vehicle was owned by a “R Mayall” who had an SW19 London postcode. He appears to have purchased the car around February 2013, paid just over £2,500 to service it at HWM Aston Martin later that year in the November and also taken out extended warranty between February 2013 to 2014 and then renewed it again in February 2014 for a further 12 months to 2015.

The number plate associated to the vehicle at this time was V12MYL which as I write this blog today is not assigned to any vehicle. Its possible Mr “R Mayall” is in fact Rik Mayall from the TV series “Bottom” and the “Young Ones” who sadly passed away very unexpectedly in June of 2014. If there is any truth to this theory it may explain a time lag of why the vehicle was off the road for a period of time?

If anyone has any connections that would identify the number plate as belonging to Rik Mayall I would love to hear from you to see if this element could be authenticated or not. As it stands right now it simply remains a theory and possibility with zero evidence to back it up.

During the years many things have been replaced on the car, I have spoken to nearly all the previous owners with exception to the first one and the one above. I believe I have found Mr Thompson through social media however he has not engaged with the message I sent and I respect his silence.

I contacted the others through old mobile numbers on invoices within the cars history. All of them were extremely happy to hear from me and shared extremely fond memories with me of their time with this car.

One stated he used the car to go on road trips and specifically to the 24 Le man’s race three years running and only changed it because Aston released the V12 version and at service time he agreed a transition in to a V12 which he said was still in his garage today. He also stated if the V12 wasn’t released he would still be the proud owner of my car.

There is details of a clutch replacement, the owner who had this completed told me he paid for the uprated twin plate clutch and accompanying flywheel. It is evident how much lighter my clutch is in comparison to a standard one. The drive belt and idler assembly has also been changed in 2017 which is also another item that is definitely worth completing.

A tracker was installed in the vehicle around 2008 as was a Parrot Bluetooth kit which is neatly hidden in the ashtray. A detailing “life-shine” was also applied to the vehicle during its earlier days however I have since had the vehicle ceramic coated in my ownership which I will mention also in part 3.

I have three keys with the vehicle and remote fobs, the original Sat Nav disc which has been updated with a 2017 version. As the system is disc based this is the last release before Aston moved to a hard drive set up.

All the old MOT’s are present in the paperwork going right back to the first one required.

This car has without doubt had some extremely careful owners and I have every intention of maintaining that.

There is so much to read through and understand about this vehicle, even writing this blog it brings great joy dissecting some of the info present in the five-inch-thick folder I have beside me. The leather service wallet is also present holding the stamps from years gone by.

All in all, I am very happy with the vehicle I have found and bought, it is certainly one that will remain with me for some time.

I hope this blog whilst quite factual has given you an understanding of the vehicle and some of the history that surrounds it.

I will look to cover regular servicing, parts that have been fitted previously and my first year and a half with the vehicle in the next addition, until then keep safe!

Mark