Vehicle Details

• Year: 1977
• Make: Aston Martin
• Model: AMV8 Coupe
• VIN: V811759LCA
• Mileage Shown: 31,822
• Transmission: Manual
• Title Status: Clean
• Color: Red
• Seller Type: Dealer
• Location: Torrance, CA 90501
• Dealer Fees: None
• Lot #: V-0048431

Entirely hand-built in Buckinghamshire, England, the Aston Martin V8 represented the brand’s flagship grand touring car for nearly two decades with just over 4,000 examples produced from 1969 until 1989. This Series III example was produced at Aston Martin’s Newport Pagnell plant in late 1976 and delivered new in January for the 1977 model year. It came factory configured for the U.S. market with lefthand steering, air conditioning, and a rare 5-speed ZF manual transmission. It spent time in Texas before moving to Dusseldorf, Germany, where it remained under the care of a private owner for the next 21 years. It was professionally refinished in red before being acquired by the previous owner, a renowned American collector, in 2011. This Aston Martin was recently acquired by the seller and extensively serviced by a marque specialist at a cost of over $11k. Accompanied by the original toolkit, spare wheel, and an Aston Martin Certificate of Origin, this rare numbers-matching Aston Martin V8 is now being offered for auction out of California.

The Aston Martin V8’s aluminum bodywork was designed by William Towns and assembled by hand with approximately 1,200 manhours from start to finish. The Series III cars are distinguished by a tall hood scoop. This example has been refinished in red from its original Tudor Green Metallic color and features chrome bumpers and trim, straked fender vents, bright rocker panel trim, dual polished mirrors, a rear valence with integrated dual exhaust outlets, and 15” GKN alloy wheels with gold-colored centers and Avon Turbosteel 235/75 tires. 

The four-seater cabin features Natural leather upholstery complemented by a matching headliner and Woburn Sand carpeting. A black leather-three-spoke steering wheel is mounted ahead of a black dashboard with analog Smiths instrumentation, air conditioning controls, and a VDO Dayton navigation head unit. Other accessories include power windows, leatherbound carpet floor mats, a locking glovebox, polished door sill finishers, and three-point seatbelts.

Up to 305 HP comes from a 90-degree 5.3-liter quad-cam alloy V8 engine with quadruple Weber carburetors and an updated electronic ignition system. The rear wheels are driven through a 5-speed Z5 manual transmission and stopping power comes from four-wheel disc brakes with inboard mounted rears. Service completed in April 2024 is said to have included a tune-up, a new clutch master cylinder, slave cylinder & hose, new brake servo, new vacuum pump, rebuilt carburetors, a rebuilt steering rack, new spark plugs, filters, rebuilding the alternator, cleaning the distributor cap, and replacing the battery. The seller adds that the car cannot pass a California emissions inspection.

This sale will include copies of factory build sheets and an Aston Martin Certificate of Origin, owner’s manuals, a toolkit, a spare tire, and a clean title.

The seller would like you to know: “This 1978 Aston Martin V8 is the last year of one of a claimed 970 Series III units produced in Newport Pagnell between 1973 and 1978. The car is a left-hand-drive unit and refinished in a super striking 'Red' color over a 'Tan' leather interior, it is powered by its matching #'s 5.3-liter V8 engine matched to the very rare and desirable 5-speed ZF manual transmission. Additional equipment includes four Weber carburetors, original 15" Lagonda Alloy wheels, hood scoop, heater, and power windows and door locks. The car is equipped with speed-sensitive power steering, and stopping power is provided by four-wheel disc brakes with inboard-mounted rear units. The all-aluminum Tadek Marek-designed 5.3-liter V8 is equipped with dual overhead camshafts and four downdraft Weber carburetors. Factory-rated output was 310 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque with a blistering performance of over 160mph! Only some 1,600 cars were built in total during the 1969-90 5340cc V8 production run! The large, thirsty, and very expensive V8 was to prove to be a rare breed with enormous appeal for collectors today for these handsome high-speed British brutes and is especially desirable and collectible with the 5-speed ZF manual trans! In 1978 a new fuel injection system developed by Weber proved far more reliable than the earlier Bosch system, with these later '78 models having once again flat hoods without the required bulge and scoop to contain the four Weber carbs. This particular model is therefore one of the very last and most desirable Series III four Weber carb models with the hood scoop. You will look long and hard to find a finer example of this extraordinarily striking in this rare color and penultimate year (1977) of the 4 Weber Carbs AM V8 Coupes with hood bulge/scoop and original matching #'s aluminum Tadek-Marek 5.3L V8 engine paired with a 5 speed ZF manual transmission!”

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Seller: wcclassics 

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