My single favorite car manufacturer in the world has always been Aston Martin. There is a certain magic about the cars built in Newport Pagnell that makes me think of epic Le Mans wins, arriving in the highest of style to the Savoy hotel in London, and of course the whole James Bond mythology tied so tightly to the brand. The fact that most Astons deliver on your expectations only helps solidify my love of these cars. Over the years I have had the chance to own two of these amazing cars and no other car I have ever owned was as fun to see in the garage.
What makes Astons special is not just their history, but the materials used. From Connolly leather for the interiors, aluminum for most bodies to the legendary engines designed by engineers, including Tadek Marek and on earlier cars, W.O. Bentley. All of these parts are put together by some of the finest craftsman of the time and the end product is some of the best GT cars ever built.
My Pick of the Day is one of these cars and a model that I wish I had bought many years ago, a 1975 Aston Martin V8 coupe located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
According to the seller, this Aston V8 is one of only 967 total Aston Martin V8 Series 3 cars built. This particular example, Chassis #V811379LCA, is equipped with a 5.3-liter V8 and backed by a rare ZF five-speed manual transmission. It began its life in November of 1974 when it sold new in Illinois at Newport Pagnell Works to a Mr. Searle. It was originally finished in Cornish Gold (a very light metallic gold with a slightly green hue) over a black leather interior. It came equipped with 15″ alloy wheels, fog lights, air conditioning, power windows, and a Blaupunkt Seattle cassette radio. It was driven sparingly by the first owner until 1981, when it was sold to its second owner, a Mr. John Miller, who later moved to Pennsylvania.
The second owner, a member of the Aston Martin Owners Club, transferred ownership to his son in 1994 who continued to own and meticulously maintain the car until 2020, when he sold it via a dealership to its current owner. This Aston was thus part of the same family from 1981 to 2020, during which time it was repainted in the stunning light green metallic paint it wears today. Other recent services performed recently include a new steering rack, brake fluid reservoir, ballast resistor, and power steering unit.
In 2021, it was purchased by the third owner, who gave it a refresh in 2022 that included new spark plugs, plug wires, a fuel filter, an oil temperature sending unit, a clutch slave cylinder, tires, seat padding, defroster vent seals, door pin switches, ball joint gaiters, a refinishing of the valve covers, replacement door frame weather-stripping, many new gaskets, dent repairs in the floorboards, and touch up paint work in the engine bay.
The key to happy Aston Martin ownership is the same as any collector car, buy the best one you can afford and then maintain it. This Aston looks and sounds like an example that is not only in nice cosmetic condition but one that seems to have been loved since new. If I currently had the available funds, I would fly to Philadelphia tomorrow, inspect the car and if it passed a pre-purchase inspection, drive it home to Connecticut.
The asking price is not at all unreasonable at $178,000. This Aston Martin is a great classic GT car that you can show and enjoy.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Why change the paint color?
Rich folk gotta rich.