• One of the fastest and most powerful supercars of its day • Manual transmission • Stored since acquisition in 2007 • Requires re-commissioning 'Brutal' was a word used more than once to described the fastest Aston Martin ever on its introduction for 1993, but as the Vantage had no less than 550bhp available to propel its two tons, the choice can only be judged fair comment.

After almost 20 years in production, Aston's V8 had been updated for the 1990s as the Virage.

A consummate fast tourer, the Virage left room at the top of the range for an out-and-out sports car, hence the Vantage.

Although the two models appeared superficially similar few panels were shared, while beneath the skin the Vantage chassis boasted the kind of extensive re-engineering required to cope with the massive increase in performance.

The latter came courtesy of a blown version of Aston's 5,340cc V8, twin mechanically driven Eaton superchargers being preferred to turbo-charging on the grounds of superior thr...