This Used V12 Virage Is A Forgotten Piece Of Aston Martin History

What you’re looking at is not a late model Aston Martin DB9. I know, I know, it looks damn near identical, but it’s actually the Virage. Yep, we’re looking back at that time Gaydon revived the Virage name for a short-lived super GT that didn’t quite hit the mark.

The idea was it would sit nicely between the DB9 and the DBS. It had 490bhp where the DB9 then had 470bhp, and the DBS 510. It was slightly firmer than the more relaxed DB9, and slightly softer than the more sporting Vanquish. In porridge temperature terms, it was of the just right variety.

But it was never distinctive enough to win people over. The recipe was too familiar, and while there’s no faulting the DB9 and the DBS on looks, did the world really need a third car that looked damn near the same? It’s a tactic Aston Martin has thankfully now dropped, as shown by the new Vantage we drove this week, which looks entirely different to the DB11. And as it should.

After selling just over 1000 units worldwide, Aston Martin pulled the plug on the Virage, having sold the car for just 18 months. The Virage’s styling tweaks were then carried over to the DB9, which is why this misstep in Gaydon’s history looks particularly familiar, even if you’d - understandably - forgotten about its existence.

As a consequence of the underwhelming sales, there aren’t many up for sale now. This 2012 example is one of only eight on Autotrader, and is yours for £71,950 - less than half its original price before options.

The outside is finished in ‘Marron Black’, while the interior is finished in gorgeous ‘Bitter Chocolate’ leather. It’s an awesome combo, we reckon. It has a reasonable 33,000 miles on the clock, and is one of Aston Martin’s ‘certified’ approved used cars.

If you had £70k or so spare for a V12 GT car, could you find space in your heart for a forgotten Aston? Let us know in the comments…