As well as an uprated engine, other modifications available for the car are numerous and include ultra lightweight hollow spoke magnesium Dymag wheels, giant brake discs with circumferential cooling grooves plus AP racing callipers, stack digital instruments and reworked suspension with Eibach springs, adjustable Koni’s and a stiffer anti-roll bar. Many cars also have a five speed close ratio manual transmission although it is possible to see V600’s with automatic transmission.

Central to the V600 is this, the most powerful Aston Martin road car engine of all time until it was toppled by the One-77. Essentially, this final version of the Tadek Marek V8 features performance engineering of the charge air intake cooling system, increased boost pressure and a big bore sports exhaust, described by AML as ‘Super Sport’. The engine bottom left was auctioned at the AML/Bonhams auction in 2003 and reached £16,000 plus buyers premium. This represented not only a fraction of the cost of the engine but a fraction of the conversion cost too.

So far as is known, Aston Martin Works have converted in excess of 80 engines to V600 spec including regular V8 Vantage, Special Series Cars, Vantage Le Mans and Special Edition Vantage Volantes. That said, Works have also stated that only 9 standard V8 Vantages were made V600 immediately after first registration. Even now, Works are still able and capable to upgrade any supercharged Vantage to V600 spec, 16 years after the modification was first introduced.

The blue car below, S600BHP / AML1, is the development and press car, photographed at the Factory and during the AMOC Le Mans tour 1999.

Supercharged Vangtages at the 2016 AMOC Spring concours at IWM Duxford