Prizes

Key Features:

• It is presented in its original Tourmaline Blue color with Magnolia leather and an Off White hood.
• Right-hand-drive, UK-market convertible.
• The car has matching numbers and an extensive history file, including photographs of its refresh and two service books dating back to 1980.
• It was built on October 19, 1979, and despatched on January 11, 1980.
• Fitted with a three-speed automatic gearbox, it complements the 5.3-liter V8 engine.
• Only 157 right-hand-drive examples were built with Weber carburettors before the model switched to fuel injection.
• The car was first bought from Victor Wilson Ltd of Edinburgh in November 1981 by James McNeil.
• McNeil initially registered the car under his Glasgow-based business, Apollo Window Blinds Ltd, and later in his own name in 1989, keeping it until 2010.
• In 2018, its underside, suspension, and brakes underwent an extensive refresh.
• The diamond-cut wheels have been refurbished.
• Recent work under current ownership includes re-foaming the front seats, replacing carpets and underfelt, refurbishing door cards, fitting a new fuel pump, and new power-steering hoses.
• The car was featured in issue 228 of Octane magazine, with Robert Coucher praising its powerful engine.
• MOT’d and road legal.

Model History:

• The convertible Volante was introduced in 1978 to broaden the appeal of Aston Martin’s V8 range.
• The V8 range originated from the William Towns-designed DBS V8, introduced in 1969, and evolved throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
• Styling and mechanical aspects were updated, including a temporary switch from fuel injection to Weber carburettors.
• A Vantage model, offering supercar performance, was launched a year before the Volante.
• Aston Martins from this period were largely hand-built at the Newport Pagnell factory, with approximately 1200 hours going into each V8 Volante.
• The V8 Volante featured an aluminium body and a 5340cc quad-cam V8 engine producing 300bhp.
• It was available with a choice of a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic gearbox.
• The car could reach 60mph in seven seconds and had a top speed over 140mph.
• Distinctive features of the Volante included a closed bonnet bulge (later adopted by the Series 4 ‘Oscar India’ coupé) and a burr walnut dashboard.
• The Volante’s chassis was strengthened along the sills and around the windscreen pillars.
• The Series 1 Volante was produced until 1986, when it received upgrades similar to the incoming Series 5 coupé.
• Production of the V8 model ceased in 1989, having significantly contributed to Aston Martin’s survival during challenging financial times.

Key Features:

• It is presented in Rosso Corsa with a Crema interior.
• The car was first registered on September 25, 1981, and delivered on October 2 to Colin Briggs’ Ferrari dealership in Forfar, Scotland.
• Its extensive service records begin with its first service on October 23, 1981.
• By 1986, the car had covered just over 12,000 miles, and by 1994, the total stood at 20,694.
• It spent much of the next 13 years in storage before undergoing an extensive recommissioning process in 2007, which included mechanical work and interior refurbishment. New dampers were also fitted at this time.
  Since 2007, the car has received regular servicing with independent specialists, and the cambelts have been replaced at appropriate intervals.
• Further recommissioning work was carried out after the car changed hands in 2021. This work involved removing the engine, stripping, cleaning, and refinishing the rear section of the tubular chassis.
• The suspension was removed and powder-coated, and new bushes were fitted throughout.
• The steering rack and brake calipers were refurbished, and new discs and brake lines were installed.
• The pop-up headlamp assemblies were overhauled, and sidelight reflectors were refinished.
• The car is supplied with a full tool kit and a complete set of books in their original wallet.
• With 30,500 miles from new, it is described as being in exceptional condition.
• MOT’d and road legal.

Model History:

• The Ferrari 308 GTB, designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, was introduced in 1975 as a two-seater, joining the earlier Bertone-styled Dino 308 GT4.
• The 308 GTB shared major components, including its 3-liter V8 engine and five-speed transaxle, with the GT4.
• Its bodywork was glassfibre until mid-1977, when Ferrari switched to steel production, and the targa-top GTS model was introduced.
• In 1980, Weber carburettors were replaced with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, leading to the GTBi and GTSi models.
• The ultimate development of the 308 line, the four-valve-per-cylinder Quattrovalvole, was introduced in 1982.
• The 308 line was replaced by the larger-engined 328 in 1985.
• The 308 was highly praised for its beauty and dynamic excellence, with Car and Driver calling its styling “a first-round knockout”.
• Road & Track commented on its direct, responsive, and predictable steering.
• The 308 is widely recognized as the Ferrari from the 1980s TV series Magnum PI.