1993 Aston Martin V8 Vantage 5.3L V8 6MT (557 HP)

Vehicle Overview

The 1993 Aston Martin V8 Vantage was like a Pink Floyd song: powerful, authentic, and yet hard to understand by many due to its uncanny sound.

Built as a higher-powered version of the Virage, the V8 Vantage was a grand tourer made to cover hundreds of miles in a single day without taking a toll on the driver’s back. Its look was menacing, and the sound it emitted was brutal. And yet, it featured some unusual solutions for such an expensive GT.

For some, the front of the vehicle was original, although it sported Audi 100 headlights. Its grid-like grille was shared with the Virage, but the air dam was different. That was designed to stop the air from getting under the car and create a ground effect. It also sported a center secondary mesh grille flanked by two air intakes mounted there to cool the front disc brakes. On the sides, the massive (for those times) 18″ light-alloy wheels had a six-spoke design, and finally, at the back, the automaker placed two round taillights on each side and a diffuser flanked by two round exhausts under the bumper.

The interior was luxurious, and it could accommodate up to four people. As expected, those seated in the rear couldn’t enjoy the same level of comfort as the driver and their side passenger on their high-bolstered seats. In addition, the wood-trimmed dashboard featured a plethora of dials and gauges spread both in front of the driver and above the center stack. The wood veneers also covered the center console and parts of the door cards as well.

Its twin-supercharged V8 engine produced 550 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque from the 5.5-liter displacement. And still, it was not a supercar; it was one of the greatest and most underrated GT vehicles of its time.