2009 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Base Hatchback 2-door 4.7l on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin DB5 Vantage trio for sale, and they're as rare as rare gets

Among classic Aston Martins, there are perhaps none better, from pre-war antiques to modern supercars, than the DB5. And among DB5s, the Vantage specifications are the most prized among car collectors. With only 70 of the high-performance examples built out of an already small pool of about 1,023 regular-flavor DB5s, they are a rare breed. If that's your bag, there's currently a once-in-a-lifetime sale of three different body styles of DB5 Vantages as one lot. The sale, facilitated by Aston Martin dealers Nicholas Mee & Co Ltd., will offer a Vantage in every DB5 body style built. The Vantages looked like normal DB5s, but had 322 horsepower, a 40-horse gain, thanks to a higher cam profile and some Weber carbs to replace the S.U. units.  On the coupe, at least, that translated to a 0-60 time in the mid-6's, quite impressive for a 1960s car. The Vantage sale trio is one coupe, one convertible, and one shooting brake. It'd be impossible to get that last one anywhere else, as there was only one factory Vantage shooting brake ever built, and this is it. In total, only 12 DB5 shooting brakes were made, with the first being a one-off for Aston Martin's chairman at the time, David Brown. He used it for the most rich-British-guy activities you can imagine — hauling gun dogs and polo equipment. Eventually, 11 were ordered by customers, but this California Sage specimen is the sole Vantage-spec car. The next rarest is the Caribbean Pearl Blue convertible. Only 123 DB5 convertibles were ever built, and only 5 to 12 (depending on who you ask) were fitted with the Vantage engine. While rarity or open-top cruising might be reasons to desire this car, we want it simply because it's one of the few we've seen that doesn't come in some dour shade of gray or British racing green. Lastly, for all the 007 cosplayers, is the Silver Birch coupe, looking exactly like the one made famous by James Bond. It has been a staple of the film franchise ever since 1964's "Goldfinger," quite possibly the first car to benefit from a movie fame halo long before the "Back to the Future" DeLorean or the "Fast and the Furious" Supra. All three cars come with a dossier of build details, ownership and maintenance records, and British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificates guaranteeing their provenance. The asking price is $5,643,000, which may seem steep considering a DB5 Vantage coupe is worth a little over $1 million.

Snap up the only all-aluminum Aston Martin V12 Zagato Coupe in the world

Roses are red, violets are blue, and neither are remotely as beautiful as this extremely rare 2012 Aston Martin V12 Zagato Coupe sporting Aston Martin Racing Green. The only example of its kind, It's currently listed for sale in the U.K. Offered by Bell Sport & Classic, this V12 Zagato is the top layer of the cream of the crop. The engine plaque says the car is No. 2 of 2, but in reality, it's one of one. While the first of the two pre-production prototypes was built using part aluminum, part carbon fiber for the body, this example was built entirely out of aluminum. The two pre-pro cars were used for events, and customer viewings, and toured around the globe.  In total, a few more than 60 Aston Martin V12 Zagato Coupes were produced (some report 61, others say 64). It was unveiled at the 2011 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa dÂ’Este as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the DB4GT Zagato. Under the hood, it has a V12 that originally made 510 horsepower, and it shares mechanical parts from the V12 Vantage. It features several typical Zagato style characteristics, such as the double-bubble roof, wide-open grille, short body overhangs, and circular rear lighting. This example is right-hand-drive and features a manual transmission. Despite its status as a pre-production vehicle, it has been owned before. Aston Martin had possession of the vehicle until 2016, when Zagato was set to take ownership for its own collection, but "a very special Aston Martin client" finessed it away from the manufacturers. Before he took the car in, it was given a "full recommissioning." Originally Titanium Grey, it was repainted Aston Martin Racing Green, and the interior was retrimmed as well.  The 2012 Aston Martin V12 Zagato Coupe is currently available for purchase.  Related Video:

British firm helps Aston Martin, Zagato re-create commemorative Vantage

In early 2012, Aston Martin honored its decades-old partnership with Italian coachbuilder Zagato by introducing the aptly-named limited-edition V12 Zagato at the Geneva Motor Show. Fast forward to 2020, and a British firm with Swiss roots named R-Reforged has obtained permission to build 38 additional cars it will sell as pairs. These are continuation cars like the ones made by Alvis, Bentley, and Shelby, among others, but the gap they bridge is much smaller than we're used to. R-Reforged starts with a V12 Vantage platform and keeps the naturally aspirated, 5.9-liter V12 engine. It's tuned to deliver 600 horsepower, a 90-horse increase over the original's rating. Enthusiasts can choose between an automatic transmission and a seven-speed manual. Rear-wheel drive is the only configuration available regardless of pedal count in the driver's footwell. R-Reforged is bringing back the coupe and convertible variants of the Zagato-bodied Aston, and both make extensive use of carbon fiber to keep weight in check. They also gain center-locking 19-inch alloy wheels and a deployable rear wing for added stability. It replaces the much bigger wing fitted to the 101 examples of the car manufactured in the early 2010s. The sky is the limit when it comes to customization; R-Reforged can turn any color sample into a paint color. Customers will have the opportunity to watch their car being built, too. R-Reforged will only sell the 19 coupes and 19 convertibles in pairs, so plan on freeing up two spaces in your garage before reserving a pair of build slots. Act fast, too, because a majority of the production is spoken for, according to the company. Pricing has been set at $2.2 million for the pair. To add context, Aston Martin originally charged GBP330,000 for the V12 Zagato, a figure that converts to approximately $400,000.