Aston Martin Virage

At a glance: Aston Martin Virage

The Virage line ended with the arrival of the Aston Martin Vanquish. Other generations are in the Aston Martin catalogue.

History and production

Aston Martin revealed the Virage at the Birmingham motor show in 1988 as the successor of the earlier Aston Martin V8 models. Production began in 1989. The plans were optimistic: the company expected to build about 275 cars a year, but actual output averaged only about a third of that.

According to Wikipedia, the total had reached 1,050 cars by the end of 2000, when the Vanquish replaced the range.

Design and borrowed parts

The Virage is a 2+2 coupé. To keep costs down, Aston Martin used parts from other manufacturers: the headlights came from the Audi 200 and the rear lights from the Volkswagen Scirocco, while the steering column, the climate control panel, the door mirrors and the dashboard switches came from General Motors, Jaguar, Citroën and Ford. On the later Vantage the mirrors were changed to units from the Jaguar XK8 and XKR.

Engine and performance

The engine is a 5,340 cc V8 with 32 valves and cylinder heads designed by Callaway. It produced 246 kW (330 hp) and 494 Nm; European cars with a catalytic converter were rated at 228 kW (310 PS) at 5,300 rpm. In 1996, at the Geneva motor show, output was raised to 261 kW (350 hp).

Most cars — about 60% — had a Chrysler TorqueFlite automatic, with three speeds at launch and four from the 1993 model year; the rest had a five-speed ZF manual. Wikipedia gives a kerb weight of 1,790 kg, a top speed of 254 km/h and 0–100 km/h in about 8 seconds for a European automatic.

The 6.3-litre conversion

In 1992 Aston Martin offered a 6.3-litre (6,347 cc) conversion for the Virage, with an engine bored and stroked using experience from the AMR1 racing car. It produced between 340 and 373 kW (456–500 hp) at 6,000 rpm and 651 Nm, and the top speed rose to 282 km/h. The 6.3 cars have wider bodywork, 14-inch ventilated brake discs and 18-inch wheels. A "Wide Body" version with the look of the 6.3 but the standard 5.3-litre engine was sold mainly in the United States, where the bigger engine was not certified.

Virage Volante and V8 Coupé

The open Virage Volante was built from 1992 to 1996. From 1996 they were followed by the V8 Coupé and V8 Volante, which received the more powerful 261 kW (350 hp) engine with 500 Nm. The V8 Coupé was built until 2000 (101 cars), the V8 Volante from 1997 to 2000 (63 cars).

Vantage, V600 and Le Mans

The Vantage of 1993 was the most powerful model of the family. Two superchargers raised the output of the 5.3-litre V8 to 410 kW (550 hp) and 752 Nm. Wikipedia gives a top speed of 300 km/h. From 1998 the V600 upgrade offered 447 kW (600 hp) and 813 Nm, and a six-speed ZF manual gearbox from the Vantage later became an option for other models.

The final version, the Vantage Le Mans of 2000, was planned as a run of 40 cars. With 450 kW (612 PS) and 820 Nm it reached 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and 320 km/h. Nine bespoke Vantage Volante Special Edition cars were also built in 2000.

Special bodies

The Virage family was also the base for very small series built to order. Around six Virage Shooting Brakes were made from 1992, and a long-wheelbase four-door Lagonda saloon followed in 1994; Wikipedia gives eight or nine cars, six of them ordered by the royal family of Brunei. Three V8 Coupés were converted into "Sportsman" estates, and ten half-scale junior Virage Volantes were built for children.

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