Say what you will about the current Aston Martin line up, but they can no longer be accused of being too similar. The Vantage is a punchy, angry V8 sports car, the DB11 is a genuinely long-legged GT and the DBS combines the best of both to deliver a fitting flagship. It can be nearly as focussed as the Vantage, and as plush as a DB11. Then there's the DBX - and that's certainly not like anything that's ever come out of the Gaydon gates before. Because it will come out of St Athan. But you see the point...
It's a point worth reiterating because, not that long ago, the range was quite hard to tell apart - and nothing typified that better than the Virage. To be fair, Aston's logic make some sense: "The Virage sits between the enduringly elegant DB9 and overtly sporting DBS, providing customers with a car that remains luxurious and understated but delivers increased performance and crucially performance that is always accessible for effortless driving" explained the press release. Fluffy, yes, but fine for a model to sit between two others. Problem being that DB9 and DBS weren't all that far apart to start with, at least not to a casual observer, and so putting another model in there only confused matters.
Sadly for the Virage it was an Aston too far. While it could have been seen as combining the best elements of both cars, the Virage could also be viewed as a more expensive DB9 and a less exciting DBS. Whatever the reason, it didn't enjoy great commercial success in the UK; around 250 were sold here, before the DB9 evolved to take in many of the Virage upgrades. One might see that as a tacit admission of Virage failure, attempting to squeeze a car into a gap that wasn't there.
Regardless, 10 years and secondhand status serves to benefit few cars more handsomely. Next year will mark a decade since the Virage's Geneva debut, and Aston has moved on so much in that time that the model and its ilk will feel markedly different to anything new in the line up. Point being that it won't feel like a poor relative of the current cars, as the VH vehicles arguably did as the second century was ushered in; it's just representative of that Aston era.
Rarity plays into the Virage's hands as a used prospect, too, because who wants the same old Aston V12 as everybody else? There are thousands of DB9s around and, while the Virage is quite clearly closely related, it isn't a DB9. As well as being different, the Virage uses one of the final evolutions of the VH architecture; back when it promised the "highest levels of refinement and dynamic control yet", and ought to offer a key advantage over something like a DB9 or Vantage, launched many years earlier. The only new VH car to follow after the Virage was the final Vanquish.
Giving it more rope than it was treated to at launch, it's possible to see the Virage as something like a more exclusive DB9 'S'. Of course, it was great to drive - in fact we rated it as "a better car overall" than a DBS - and the newer model benefitted from a couple of key advantages that are still worthwhile over a DB9: a recalibrated automatic gearbox, reworked suspension, standard ceramic brakes and a slightly less worse sat-nav.
Perhaps if Aston had made the Virage limited run it would have helped the depreciation; as it is the car has fallen along with the rest of the range, meaning this 2011 car, in a gorgeous blue with just 11,000 miles, is available for £57,500. Remember it was a £150k Aston Martin brand new. For a DBS with comparable mileage, you could pay anything up to £110,000. And although the DB9 is perhaps a fairer comparison, it's still possible to pay £60k for a pre-update car or the same amount for a facelifted version with more than twice the miles of the Virage.
So there you have it; the Aston that couldn't really justify itself at launch now making all kinds of sense a generation later. Factor in the naked joy of that V12 and properly lovely steering - not to mention the kind of timeless styling that makes a DBX look like a tractor - and you've got yourself a fine GT for this decade. Just be ready to tell everyone it isn't a DB9...
SPECIFICATION | ASTON MARTIN VIRAGE
Engine: 5,935cc, V12
Transmission: 6-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 497@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 420@5,750rpm
First registered: 2011
Recorded mileage: 11,000
Price new: £150,000
Yours for: £57,500
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