FEATUREFULLBOREWIDE BOYWords: Tom StewartPhotography: Jim ForrestJust one of three made, few Aston Martins have moreon-the-road presence than this Virage Volante06 9
FEATURE : WIDE BOYFULLBORE1995 was the year in which Valeri Polyakov spent a recordbreaking438 days in space and Steve Fosset became thefirst person to cross the Pacific Ocean solo by balloon.Also in no particular order, ‘95 also saw the collapse of BaringsBank, the Oklahoma bombing, the first DVDs, eBay’s founding,war in Bosnia, Princess Di on Panorama, the revival of the MGsports car brand, the Vectra replace the Cavalier, Frank Brunowin the WBC World Heavyweight title, Michael Schumacher,Mick Doohan and Colin McRae victorious in F1, 500cc and RallyWorld Championships, Jacques Villeneuve win the Indy 500 andMcLaren take victory in the Le Mans 24hr.Less well known is that ’95 was also the year that Aston Martinlaunched its 24-speed, £3,500 mountain bike (with frame madeby Roberts of Croydon) and that it was the penultimate year ofVirage Volante production, although the ’95, 2+2 model hereisn’t exactly typical of the 235 Virage Volantes built over a fouryearproduction span as it was one of just three ‘Works Specials’built to this specification by Aston Martin’s Works Service dept.But before we delve into the detail of what makes this carspecial I feel almost duty-bound to mention the special weatherthat blessed my Virage Volante experience. After a long greywinter, a cool morning breeze and a reassuringly warm sunwere unexpected but more than welcome, and so the start ofthe day saw the Volante’s powered roof lowered and its softleather hood cover buttoned down with the kind of quietconfidence and keen anticipation that only such blue skiescan bring.Departing from the side entrance of Nicholas Mee & Co’s newshowroom means navigating a few so-called speed cushionsat a slow walking pace. Urban supercar owners will be familiarwith the technique which requires placing one pair of wheelsdirectly onto the hump rather than attempting to straddlethe confounded things, and this is necessary with this widebodiedVirage due to its hand-built supercharged V8 Vantagecoachwork. This has only the doors and roof of the standardVirage Volante as the entire front end, including grille, bumper,triple-cluster headlamps, bonnet with slatted air vents andthat low front air dam are all as per the supercharged Vantageof the period, as are the revised sills, rear wings, rear panelwith four ‘Jaffa grapefruit’ rear lights, rear bumper and flowing,bespoilered bootlid.In keeping with the authentic supercharged look this car rollson deep-dish (10.5J) 18-inch OZ Racing split-rim alloys wearing285/45 GoodYear Eagles, behind which lie 14-inch Vantagespecbrake discs (with ABS) and upgraded Vantage suspension.Commensurate with the flamboyant bodywork and exotichardware is what’s described as a ‘Sports exhaust’, and all of thiswould have cost an estimated £<strong>13</strong>0,000 over and above thestandard Volante’s £147,862 on-the-road price in mid ‘95.Driving south through London was a chore made all theeasier by this car’s smooth-changing 4-speed Torqueflite autotransmission and accurate power steering – although headingfor an equally sunny Surrey via the most direct route alsomeant negotiating the high-kerb width restrictors just beforeHammersmith Bridge. Fortunately my slight anxiety about07
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