The Aston Martin V600 is a car we never thought would exist, not least because it arrived after the Vantage it was based on had been replaced. But that was forgotten somewhat when we learnt about it. See, with the GT12, Aston had pitched the Vantage as a 600hp GT3 rival, but it couldn't quite match the Porsche on track, and what turned out to be a really nice road car was undermined by the crummy paddleshift gearbox. Meanwhile, the Aston that could have the manual - the regular V12 Vantage S - was denied the GT12's additional power and edge. If only, somehow, the two could be combined...
The V600, under the codename of 'Project Dreadnought', was that combination. Originally the vision of a very special Aston Martin customer, Dreadnought became a 14-car run - seven coupes and seven roadsters. The idea presented by that customer was simple: inspired by the 911 R, the aim was to create a (slightly) subtler GT12 experience, one just as capable but a tad less overt. The look was said to be inspired by the old V600, in fact. Finally, and crucially, this time the Vantage would come with a proper manual gearbox. It would have been a surprise to absolutely nobody when building more than one was suggested, especially with the chance to resurrect an iconic Aston Martin badge not seen for almost 20 years.
But the V600s wouldn't come cheap, reflecting their exclusive nature. The coupes cost £1.2m, the Roadsters another £200k. Given just that premium would buy a really nice Vantage GT8, the V600 was clearly only for the most dedicated (and wealthiest) Aston customers.
Now, three years after Project Dreadnought was announced to the world, a V600 Roadster is for sale. The seller of this Slipstream Green car believes it's the first of the 14 cars to be sold - because why would you sell it? - as well as the first of the seven drop-tops to be built. Even by very special Aston Martin standards, this is something exceptional.
Having been prepared originally by HWM Aston Martin and to be serviced by them before reaching its new owner, this V600 seems to have wanted for nothing. As you might expect for a seven-figure supercar. It's been used, too, accruing a couple of thousand miles since first registration, which is always nice to see. One-of-seven special edition or not, it would be hard to resist driving a manual, 600hp, V12 Aston roadster every now and then.
That relative simplicity was always part of the V600's considerable charm, and will continue to stand it in good stead for the future. New cars with a similar mechanical specification aren't long for this world, though the affection for them will last for many decades yet. Especially when the V12 and the manual gearbox come housed in a car as stunning to look at as the V600. This one's yours for a million quid - don't expect to see another for sale anytime soon.
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