The multiple lives of "Virtage"
When the Virage arrived in 1989, it marked the final chapter of Aston Martin’s hand built V8 tradition. The supercharged Vantage unveiled in 1993 ensured the era ended not with a whisper, but with unapologetic brutality, but the crescendo came in 1998 in the form of the Vantage V600. While the Vantage was never known for subtlety or restraint, I was left in exhilaration and disbelieve after spending a day with the first of five Vantage prototypes and one of only three which are known to survive.
Since the 2000s, Aston Martin has been synonymous with V12 GTs and V8 Vantage sports cars, based on the transformative alloy VH architecture. The successful V8 Vantage made such an impact in 2005 and became so successful, that it practically pushed the previous V8 and Vantage models from the collective memory. Only brand enthusiasts of a certain age remember the large, brutish, and hand-built coupés that reigned the 1990s.
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