V8 Vantage Le Mans « Aston Martins.com

V8 Vantage Le Mans

(1999 - 2000)

In 1959, Aston Martin won the Le Mans 24 hour race; indeed, so far the marques only outright victory in the French classic. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of this great victory, the company produced the ultimate V8 Vantage. Unveiled at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show, and available with both standard 550 bhp and V600 600 bhp versions of the twin supercharged V8, it is the swan song of the Marek engine and the Virage chassis - the last of the line.

V8 Vantage Le Mans

At the AMOC 40th anniversary meeting at Le Mans, June 1999, the first V8 Vantage Le Mans was displayed alongside the winning DBR1 from the 1959 race. The remaining 39 cars were built between December 1999 and October 2000.

Some of the features of the V8 Vantage Le Mans are

1999MY V8 Vantage
V590 engine, often but not always uprated to V600 specification
ZF six speed manual transmission, often modified to 5 speed
V600 spec brake package with ventilated and grooved discs and 6 pot callipers (front) and 4 pot rear
5 spoke magnesium alloy hollow spoke Dymag wheels with centre caps
Blanked radiator with twin openings
Bonnet cooling ducts
Redesigned wing vents with a resemblance to those on the DBR1
Machined alloy fuel filler cars
Brushed aluminium facias on most cars

In addition, each car came with a map of Northern France to assist owners visiting the famous circuit, and a leather and sterling silver key fob.

Limited to only 40 examples, the V8 Vantage Le Mans came with a price tag approaching a quarter of a million pounds. For a picture gallery of all the examples of the Le Mans, try V8 Vantage.com.