1974 Aston Martin V8

Finished in Storm Red with a beige leather interior, this 1974 Aston Martin V8 has been in the same hands for the past 22 years. A ‘matching numbers’ example, it was used as a daily driver between 2001 and 2007 but has been used only sparingly since.

It is fitted with the rare and desirable five-speed dog-leg ZF gearbox having been converted in 1996 by Aston Engineering. The same year saw an engine rebuild by the same firm following a catastrophic failure at 82,156 miles. Together, the two jobs set the owner back well around £10,000, or around twice that today.

It sits on a lovely set of 8x16” Gotti alloy wheels and we are told the rear suspension was updated to ‘Oscar India’ specification in 2003.

Only for sale because the seller is approaching 70 years old and finds it a “bit of a brute to handle”, XGF 235M is in need of further titivation, which is reflected in the modest guide price.

And, the fact it’s being offered with no reserve so will sell from the very first bid!

Originally blue, it is now finished in Storm Red, a colour that shows off its somewhat brutal lines to tremendous effect. The shade suits it brilliantly and there are photos in the history file of the bodywork restoration being carried out.

The shutlines are all good too, and the car presents well from a distance with decent chrome that’s only lightly pitted. There’re no dents, dinks, or other damage to the panels either, although closer inspection shows the paint has microblistering covering the entire body, plus cracking to the finish. There is also rust of course.

None of it is catastrophic and you could live with it for a while if you like the 'original' look, but you will need to budget for a respray, plus new rubber seals all round.

The car sports a factory-fitted metal sunroof, a very rare and expensive option.

There are a pair of Desmond J. Smail plates on the sills. These date from when the inner and outer sills were replaced in 1994.

The 16-inch Gotti alloy wheels are in an unmarked condition and their eight-inch width and the BF Goodrich Comp T/A tyres give the V8 its purposeful stance. That said, the tyres are old and perished and need to be replaced and the wheels could do with being refurbished, so you might as well bite the bullet and get both jobs done at the same time.

The interior is well-appointed, featuring beige leather and lashings of chrome. Resolutely old school and unashamedly so, it’s got good leather and deep red carpets, the cockpit exudes an ambience unlike any other.

The front seats have been recoloured at some point but they are comfortable and presentable enough that there’s no real urgency and refurbishing them could be put off for a while yet.

As for the rear seat, no concessions have been made for a third occupant, the two wraparound seats being joined in the middle by a thinly padded strip of leather on the transmission tunnel that could in no way be described or used as a place to sit but then, as Mick Herron wrote in Reconstruction: “Compromises laid end to end were indistinguishable from surrender” and Aston Martin V8 does not recognise the word compromise in either its performance or accommodation…

The door cards are pretty good too, as are the carpets and the dashboard.

The interior is full of half-forgotten names like Smiths, Securon and Kienzle - and Koolaire. We know, we’re sorry to bring that last one up but at least you were spared the horror of discovering they also produce a machine that makes ‘Koolaire Ice Kubes’…

Anyway, the air-conditioning system has been disconnected but we are told the pipework is still in place should the new owner want to recommission it.

The boot floor is solid following a replacement earlier in the car’s life. The boot plays host to a genuine AML spare alloy wheel, a car cover, a battery cut-off switch, miscellaneous spares and a CD multichanger.

Apart from some general refurbishment, the Aston Martin’s boot lid doesn’t stay open, the leather trim around the C-pillars is coming away, and the headlining is drooping.

As you can see, the engine takes a while to catch and then “pops and bangs like a b*stard when cold – and it isn’t a whole lot better when it’s warm”, so it’ll definitely need a tune-up as a minimum.

But, what a noise! It sounds like a Spitfire at idle and like a half a squadron of ‘em at full chat, so you can forgive it just about anything – and if the tune-up ends up costing you a few quid then, well, you never expected this to be as cheap to run as the Ford Focus your other half thinks you should buy, did you?

The invoices on file show the following recent work:

• 22.06.2021 – tune-up and carburettor clean by Tune Up Mobile Mechanic
• 16.06.2020 – service and miscellaneous work including new diaphragms in the carburettors and new fuel line by Mark’s Autos

As you can see online there are many others on file from earlier times; please take the time to read through them to understand what’s been done over the years.

This included some restorative work in the 1990s and early 2000s and included quite a few mechanical components plus welding to the underside and chassis (including a new wheel well, new sills and a chassis crossmember) followed by Waxoyl and rust treatment. The boot floor, rear panel, sunroof and tray were all replaced then too.

The engine rebuild we talked about earlier, which included an unleaded conversion, was done around 20,000 miles ago and the Opus ignition module was replaced in 2006. The owner also tells us it benefits from an uprated starter motor and a recent check showed good compression across all cylinders and “superb” oil pressure.

It does need a new battery as this one doesn’t hold a charge.

As for the cosmetic stuff, the engine bay is pretty clean and we can’t see any leaks.

Oh, and the chassis plate states V8/11136/RCA and engine number V/540/1136, a number the stamp on the engine confirms.

The history file contains many historical invoices for repair, maintenance, and restoration plus the owner’s handbook, a workshop manual, and a marque guide in addition to lots of expired tax discs and old MoT certificates.

Speaking of which, the Aston doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

Being offered with no reserve, this Aston Martin V8 may well be the car you thought you’d never be able to afford again; after all, we’re old enough to be able to remember the heady COVID days of six-figure barn finds…

Of course, part of the reason it’s cheap is because it needs a little work. But, the good thing about handbuilt cars like this is that what one person can make, another can repair and there’s little here to scare away a talented amateur; after all, folk repair E Types and the like without batting an eyelid, so an Aston Martin V8 should be within grasp.

As for the price, we think the virtual hammer will fall somewhere between £40,000 and £50,000 but the reality is it’s going to sell from the very first bid, so your guess is as good as ours.

Just be sure to form an orderly queue, eh?

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ near Abingdon. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.