1973 Aston Martin V8

The car’s November 1973 registration date places it firmly in Series 3 territory, as of course do the various design changes introduced for the Series 3, with the first of these quad Weber carburettor V8s leaving Newport Pagnell in August 1973.

The Series 3 cars started with the chassis number V8/11002/RCA, so this car’s number, V8/11043/RCA, suggests that it was the 41st of this series built.

We say ‘suggests’ because Aston Martin’s record-keeping back in the day was sometimes a little less than orthodox or forensically accurate.

Either way, this car left Newport Pagnell finished in Stardust Ascot Grey Metallic with blue leather and black carpets.

It was claimed in a previous auction that before the first owner took delivery of the V8, Aston Martin featured this very car on its 1973 London Motor Show stand at Earls Court.

Records suggest the first owner of our car kept it for a full 26 years right up until October 1999. A number of other owners followed with the car hitting the radar again in 2010 when its restoration journey began.

The penultimate owner bought the V8 in April 2020 at auction, with the restoration well advanced but still at ‘work in progress’ stage.

Most of the chassis and bodywork issues had been addressed and many parts had been powder coated and were ready for assembly and installation.

That owner went on to complete the work to a very high standard, spending north of £100,000 in the process, with much of the work completed by Alan Mann Racing, plus nearly £17,000-worth of interior retrimming carried out by Trimmania of Finchampstead.

The vendor has owned the car since July 2023 and, with commendable diligence and an admirable disregard for cost, one of the first things he did was send the car off to Aston Martin Works to be given a proper shake-down and receive all and any remedial attention necessary.

We know from experience with previous marque owners that no-one looking to cut corners or save money sends their car off to Aston’s Works department at Newport Pagnell.

We have driven the car and can attest to the fact that it starts, runs and behaves exactly as you would hope and expect of a properly fettled V8 Series 3.

We know what a good one feels and looks like.

And we know what a not-so-good one feels and looks like.

This is a good one.

Leaving behind the softer, more curvaceous lines of its DB predecessors, the William Towns designed V8 cars (which Towns later admitted owed more than a little of their design inspiration to the Mustang), couldn’t have been more aesthetically different.

The DB cars looked as if they would have been entirely at home sipping a glass of chilled rosé on the lawns at Glyndebourne.

The V8s looked like they should have towels round their necks and be punching sides of beef in a Bronx cold store.

If these cars had been any more masculine, they’d have had to live up a tree.

This particular car is a fine example of the breed, showcasing its purposeful muscularity to good advantage from every angle.

The bodywork is free of any dents, creases, ripples or folds of consequence.

The shut-lines and panel gaps were created in Newport Pagnell by chaps called Brian and Geoff, probably in a fog of smoke from their briar pipes. So, while they are consistent and even, they’re probably not quite the same as any you’d find on another V8 Series 3.

It’s all part of the car’s hand-built appeal and arcane bespokery.

The chrome-work is free of any foxing, pitting or tarnishing that we can see, and the car’s GKN alloys are untroubled by any encounters with kerbs or other roadside obstacles.

The wheels are shod in matching (and correct) Avon tyres that were fitted new in 2024.

The car’s Ascot Grey Metallic paintwork helps create an aesthetic that’s as classy and elegant as it is macho and brawny.

The paintwork has retained an impressive amount of shine and lustre and really does look very good pretty much everywhere you choose to rest your gaze.

Faults are few and far between on this car, but it’s our job to find things to moan about, so here goes.

There are a couple of paint chips and a tiny dink atop the n/s/r wing; a chip on the front valance below the registration plate; a chip near the handle on the boot lid; a few small stone chips on the windscreen; some very light crazing to the lacquer on the wheels in one or two places; and some cracked and perished rubber around the rear quarter-lights.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all in very good order.

The interior is following the same script as its exterior counterpart in terms of quality, condition and preservation.

These are delightfully functional, analogue interiors and, although they would have been considered luxurious back in the day, they are clearly aimed at drivers with more focussed, sporting pretensions.

The ‘Oscar India’ Series 4 cars introduced some of the trim we would today associate with more obviously opulent vehicles - leather and walnut veneers on the dashboard and door cappings, plus a leather headlining - making the Series 3 cars the last of the V8s to rejoice in the somewhat spartan but very purposeful interior you see with this car.

As stated earlier, the interior was retrimmed at a cost of nearly £17,000 fairly recently, so it should come as no surprise to learn that it is in very good overall condition.

The seats are trimmed in soft and supple blue leather which has yet to earn more than the odd light crease or two.

Front and back, the seats are comfortable and supportive.

The door cards are also in fine fettle, as is the headlining, save for a slight warp to the fabric on one side.

The dashboard trim is free from any nicks, holes or tears that we can see, and has resisted any temptations to fade or crack.

The carpets and mats are in very decent order.

Some of the blue carpeting on the parcel shelf is just starting to lift a little where it meets the seat backs.

As far as we’re aware, all gauges, buttons, knobs, levers, switches and dials do what they’re supposed to do in a timely and uncomplaining manner.

The bonnet release lever has snapped off (they have a tendency to do that on these cars), but what remains of it can still be pressed into service, albeit somewhat uncomfortably.

The deep, carpeted boot is in good condition, too, although we did notice a pervasive smell of petrol.

The engine bay is reassuringly clean, dry and tidy, and all the visible ancillaries on Tadek Marek’s V8 masterpiece are present, correct and seemingly in first-class condition.

In the V8 featured here the 5,340cc is fitted with the Series 3 specific, four 42DCNF twin choke downdraft Weber carburettors. This specification was believed to produce around 320bhp at 5,000 rpm.

Power is fed to the rear wheels via a three speed, Chrysler Torqueflite automatic gearbox.

The car’s undersides appear to be possessed of oodles of structural integrity, which is always good to know with these cars, and we’ve seen nothing to make us tut, frown, gesticulate wildly or otherwise question the vehicle’s integrity or character.

The only thing to note with the V8 is there is a very small misfire at around 1500rpm other than that the engine runs and sounds as it should.

This car comes with all sorts of bills, receipts and invoices covering its recent time spent at Aston’s Newport Pagnell Works department.

Among countless other things looked at, rectified and addressed, the suspension, brakes, electric, steering and fuel lines received a good deal of attention.

The car has had new tyres fitted just a few hundred miles ago and has had a new head gasket, alternator, water pump and belts very recently.

The car comes with a V5C, a recent HPI report, full sets of keys, a copy of the workshop manual, and a hardback volume of William Presland’s book, ‘Aston Martin V8’.

The good news with this car is that other people have done most of the heavy lifting responsible for achieving its current good condition and ensuring that it stays that way.

No corners have been cut, no bills dodged, and no deadlines missed in the servicing, maintenance and repair of this fine, matching numbers, Aston Martin V8 Series 3.

And all of the most recent work, totalling some £70,000, was carried out by Aston Martin themselves.

It really doesn’t get any better than that.

It’s a fabulous car and, if you hadn’t already guessed, we like it a great deal.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £70,000 - £80,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.