1979 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Sports Saloon
- Engine
- 5.34L V8 with four 48mm Weber carburettors, enlarged valves and revised camshafts, approx. 375–380 bhp
- Colour
- Tourmaline Blue
A 1979 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Sports Saloon finished in Tourmaline Blue with Fawn leather, despatched from the Newport Pagnell factory in November 1979. Notable as one of only approximately three examples converted by the Works Service Department from manual to automatic transmission for Aston Martin Lagonda director Peter Cadbury — some six years before automatic transmission became a standard production option. The car has accumulated documented service history and subsequent ownership changes, though much of its paperwork has since been lost.
Ownership
- 2021-12-04Auction saleSold £82,000 (≈ $103K)
- 2011-09-01 →AuctionCurrent vendorpartial documentation
Acquired at the Bonhams Beaulieu sale, September 2011, Lot 518. Most original documentation has since been separated from the car; only an old-style UK V5C remains. The car was subsequently exported and has been in static storage for several years.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownPeter Cadburypartial documentation
Director at Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd; the car was converted from manual to automatic transmission specifically for his use by the Works Service Department, one of only three such conversions undertaken at that time.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1980ServiceAML
First stamped service recorded in the Service Booklet, carried out at 1,695 miles.
Service booklet stamps record regular-interval servicing by AML and AVJ from this date through to October 1990 at 52,695 miles.
- 1990ServiceAVJ
Service carried out at 52,695 miles, the last in a series of stamped entries in the Service Booklet.
- 2003Repair
Replacement sills fitted.
Work recorded in receipts on file, attributed to workshops including Lincoln Scott, HWM, Waterside Classics, and Nicholas Mee across multiple jobs in this period.
- 2005Maintenance
Full interior retrimmed in cream hide with blue piping.
- 2005ServiceRunnymede
Service performed at 64,445 miles.
- 2006Mechanical
Air-conditioning system replaced.
- 2006ServiceNicholas Mee
Service carried out at 70,140 miles.
- 2007Mechanical
New brake discs fitted.
- —ModificationAston Martin Works Service Department
Car converted from manual to automatic gearbox by the Aston Martin Works Service Department — one of roughly three such conversions carried out at that time, predating the factory's official automatic transmission option by approximately six years.
Conversion was undertaken specifically for director Peter Cadbury.
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