If you want a job done properly, get Prodrive to do it. When Subaru STIs were served exclusively to the Japanese market in the 1990s, the Banbury-based motorsport masters gave us the superb Impreza RB5 and P1, while the P25 served as the road-going version of the WRC car in a way that the 22B couldn’t. Then there are the cars that just needed a good sorting out. Alfa Romeo, for instance, called on Prodrive to un-rubbish the Brera’s chassis, which it duly did with the vastly superior Brera S. Not to mention the countless championship-winning rally and GT cars the outfit has churned out over the decades. If a car’s wearing a Prodrive badge, it’s worth your attention.
As is this Aston Martin V8 Vantage, which has been given a once-over by the boffins in Banbury. To be fair, it’s not like the Vantage needed much doing to it: the handling was superb, the engine visceral, and it was all wrapped up in a design so timeless that it still gives the new car a run for its money. Aside from any reliability gremlins (and there are a few on early cars), the 4.3-litre V8 did need to be revved out to get the most of its 385hp and 302lb ft of torque, while the steering could seem a bit on the numb side.
‘A brilliant base, but room for improvement’, read the Vantage’s report card at the time. Prodrive, then in charge of Aston Martin’s factory GT team and the mastermind behind the DBR9, took it upon itself to iron out some of the sports car’s creases. Namely, a hefty power injection courtesy of a remap that calibrated the ECU to work better with 99 octane fuel, while the rev limit was bumped up by 300rpm. Factor in a freer-flowing sports exhaust and you get a 45hp and 23lb ft of torque increase over the standard car, bringing peak power and torque up to 425hp and 325lb ft respectively.
On the chassis side, Prodrive paired Eibach springs with two-way adjustable Bilstein dampers, allowing you to switch between normal and sport modes from inside the car. Flicking the car into the latter setting is said to transform the handling by dialling out the standard car’s body roll. Meanwhile, Prodrive Japan developed a new forged alloy wheel design inspired by the design of the ultra-cool DBR9 GT1 machines, saving 10kg over the standard rims.
Interestingly, these were offered as a set of four Prodrive Performance Packages: the ECU tweak, suspension upgrade, the forged rims and an aero pack featuring a carbon composite splitter and spoiler to help reduce lift at high speeds. The car we have here has three of those packs fitted (minus the aero upgrade) totalling nearly £16,000 worth of options. Given that this wasn’t technically a special edition, there aren’t any official production numbers to go off, and the fact that customers could pick and choose their upgrades makes them almost impossible to track. But this being the only one for sale on PH suggests they’re relatively few and far between.
Understandably, the price tag comes with the usual Prodrive premium. You’ll need to part ways with £38,850 to get hold of the keys, which is a good chunk more than the cheapest V8 Vantages on sale but not miles ahead of other low-mile examples. It’s not the most expensive Prodrive Aston currently for sale, either. There’s a one-of-nine V8 Vantage GT2 that once raced at Le Mans, and a screaming V12 DBR9 that scored a class win at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Either one would surely complement the car we have here perfectly as a weekend track toy…
SPECIFICATION | ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE PRODRIVE
Engine: 4,280cc V8
Transmission: six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 425@7,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 325@5,400rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 2006
Recorded mileage: 34,000
Price new: £85,000 (plus £15,831 with Prodrive packs)
Yours for: £38,850
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