Aston Martin V8 Vantage (1977)

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage of 1977 is a British grand tourer, a higher performance version of the Aston Martin V8, hailed at its introduction as Britain's first supercar for its top speed of 170 mph. It shared its engine with the Lagonda but used high-performance camshafts, a higher compression ratio, larger inlet valves and bigger carburettors on new manifolds. The first series, with four Weber carburettors, produced an estimated 380 bhp, and 38 of these were built plus 13 cosmetic cars for the United States. The Oscar India version of late 1978 added an integrated spoiler and a smoother bonnet bulge and a little more power, and the line ran with running changes until 1989. A Vantage Volante convertible followed from 1986, with 192 built including the Prince of Wales specification cars, and the limited V8 Zagato was a variant. Motor measured 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph in 1981, and the car became famous as James Bond's car in The Living Daylights.