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Aston Martin Works breaths fire into the engine bay of the Virage, turning it into a British V-8 muscle car
by Dim Angelov, onWith modern cars becoming more and more artificial, we can see how there is a market for resto-modded, updated, or reimagined classics and young-timers. It seems Aston Martin Works was ahead of the game since in 1992, a 6.3-liter conversion was offered for the first-generation Aston Martin Virage and Virage Volante (convertible), made between 1989 and 2000.
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1992 Aston Martin Virage and Virage Volante 6.3-litre Conversion
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Year:1992
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Design-wise, the first-generation Aston Martin Virage was quite different from other Aston Martin models at the time, with its more angular forms, which were a sharp contrast to the DB7’s sleek body, which made the Virage look like a more luxurious muscle car.
How fast was the base car?
The Virage was never a slow car, with its 5.3-liter V-8 that packs 336 horsepower and 376 pound-feet (510 Nm). Unfortunately, only about 40-percent of the Virage cars were equipped with the ZF, a five-speed manual, which allowed for 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/).
Most vehicles came with Chrysler’s Torqueflite three-speed automatic, with which, the sprint to 60 mph (97 km/h) was executed in 6.5 seconds. Facelift versions got a six-speed manual and a four-speed automatic option.
| Engine | 5.3-liter V-8 |
|---|---|
| Power | 336 HP |
| Torque | 376 LB-FT |
| Transmission | five-speed manual |
| 0 to 60 mph | 5.7 seconds |
| Top speed | 155 mph |
Performance and drivetrain
If the Virage looked like a British muscle car, the 6.3-liter conversion done by Aston Martin Works made it go like one too. The conversion was offered from January 1992 and featured a mill stroked to the 6.3-liter version of the AMR1 race car. In this trim, the V-8 produced 456 to 500 horsepower at 6,000 RPM and 480 pound-feet (651 Nm) at 5,800 RPM. This was a 40-percent increase in horsepower, over the stock car, which will come in handy in overcoming the gran tourer’s curb weight of 3,946 pounds (1,790 kg).
Depending on which transmission was equipped, the Virage 6.3-liter could reach 60 mph (97 km/h) in under 5.0 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 175 mph (282 km/h). Power went, exclusively, to the rear wheels. The 6.3-liter conversion came with upgraded brakes, featuring 14-inch (362 mm) brake rotors – the largest of any road car, at the time – hidden behind 18-inch wheels, wrapped in 285/45/ZR18 Goodyear Eagle tires. Other upgrades included the obligatory stiffer suspension and bigger anti-roll bars.
| Engine | 6.3-liter V-8 |
|---|---|
| Power | 456 - 500 HP @ 6,000 RPM |
| Torque | 480 LB-FT @ 5,800 RPM |
| 0 to 60 mph | 5.0 seconds |
| Top speed | 175 mph |
Exterior
The Aston Martin Work treatment for the Virage also included visual touch-ups. The new wheel and tire combination significantly widened the car’s track. This required a new wide-body, featuring flared wheel arches, hand-made from aluminum. The sills and side skirts were modified to fit the new wide-body and there was a new spoiler on the trunk lid.
Interior
The luxurious interior of the British gran tourer does not leave much room for improvement. Still, the treatment offers optional extras, including a minidisc player, television, and other, for the time, high-tech features. Otherwise, you have the usual for the model vast amount of Conolly leather and wood trim, which is in typical British GT fashion.
Rarity and collectability
The first-generation Aston Martin Virage was never a mass-produced vehicle. Between 1989 and 2000, a total of 411 examples of the generation-one Virage were made, in both coupe and Volante body types. As for how many of them received the Aston Martin Works 6.3-liter conversion, the exact number is between 60 and 80 cars.
While the majority of those were coupes and some were the Volante version, a few examples had the shooting brake and sedan body styles, which sat on a 12-inch longer version of the Virage chassis, with some having an 18-inches longer than normal chassis. The base Virage had a sticker price of £140,000 and the conversion cost another £60,000, on top of that.
