Aston Martin marks anniversary of 'true British classic' made in Milton Keynes town

The Virage and high speed Virage Volante 6.3-litre conversion were among the last cars to be made at the historic local works.

The new vehicles came at a testing time for Aston Martin, as the country struggled with the economic downturn of the early 1990s. But the Virage and its conversion created massive media interest and became one of the brand’s most memorable niche models.

The standard model, launched in 1989, had earned worldwide acclaim as the first entirely new Aston Martin in 20 years. Then, in Spring 1992, the company launched an upgrade package to the vehicle into one of the most powerful sports cars of its day.

The Virage Volante 6.3-litre conversion reworked the engine to give 500 bhp at 6,000 rpm, meaning the machine could sprint from rest to 62 mph in just 5.1 seconds and reach a top speed of174 mph.

Aston Martin Historian Steve Waddingham said: “This ingenious offering created by the brand’s Customer Service Division – now Aston Martin Works – not only created a huge amount of positive media interest in the marque but also provided many of our well-heeled customers with the opportunity to acquire an iconic road car with real motorsport heritage

When the 6.3 conversion’s introduction in 1992 the standard Virage was retailing at around £140,000 excluding options. The cost of the conversion added £60,000 to that figure.

While the precise number of Virage and Virage Volante 6.3 conversions carried out remains unconfirmed, it is thought that as many as 60 were created over the course of a couple of years. Each conversion took around 12 weeks to complete.

Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works, was himself involved in the Virage 6.3 conversion project and remembers driving the development and demonstration vehicle, affectionately known today as ‘Minky’.

He said: “The Virage 6.3 conversion was, and remains, a superb example of the capabilities of the department that is now Aston Martin Works.

“The car was comprehensively re-engineered, and restyled, right here in Newport Pagnell. It remains a true testament to the ingenuity and vision of the Aston Martin business and I’m thrilled – but also a little shocked from a personal point of view – that we are able to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2022.”

Manufacturing continued at the Newport Pagnell works until July 2007, when the last car, a jet-black Vanquish S Ultimate edition, was driven off the line by one of the company’s longest-standing workers, Kenny Clarke.

Around 13,000 cars had been hand-built at the site before production moved to Gaydon in Warwickshire.

In 2017, 10 years later, new car production returned to Newport Pagnell with the DB4 GT Continuation. The DB4 GT Zagato Continuation and the DB5 Goldfinger Continuation followed.

Today, Aston Martin Works continues to operate out of the legendary Newport Pagnell facility as a new car dealership and service centre and a global Heritage sales, service and restoration facility.