1977-’89 Aston Martin V8/V8 VANTAGE
Her Majesty’s subjects might scoff, but there is a bit of a certain American pony car in the Aston Martin V8 and its higher-performance sibling, the V8 Vantage. There’s that fastback roofline and those inset headlights. Then there’s the Vantage’s air dam and spoiler, as well as the inboard driving lights — plus a tune-up given to the car’s 5.3-liter V-8 engine and suspension tweaks. For Americans, it’s hard not to draw a comparison between Aston’s muscular grand tourer and the 1967-’69 Ford Mustang/Shelby G.T. 350. It’s not a carbon copy, but more like a different song that shares the same melody.
The pony-esque Aston Martin has also had its or moments, appearing in James Bond movies like 1987’s and 2021’s . (In the Vantage Volante convertible also appeared.) Seeing and hearing the svelte Aston in action on the silver screen really drives home the pony car similarities but, if you’re budgeting for one of these, you’d better be prepared pony up well beyond what the vast majority of Mustangs would cost. Popular guides put the low-end value of the V8 Vantage at more than $100,000, with a top end at more than $200,000. The V8 is typically valued $40,000-$60,000 lower —
