Aston Martin V8 Series 2 Prince of Wales Volante
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Car producer : |
Aston Martin |
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Model: |
V8 Series 2 Prince of Wales Volante |
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Year: |
1987-1989 |
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Type: |
Cabriolet |
The 1986–1989 580 'X-Pack' was a further upgrade, with Cosworth pistons and Nimrod racing-type heads producing 403hp. A 'big bore' after-market option was also available from Works Service, with 50mm carbs (instead of 48mm) and straight-through exhaust system giving 432hp (the same engine as fitted to the limited-edition V8 Zagato. 16-inch (406-mm) wheels were also now fitted. If this wasn't enough, a 450 hp (336 kW) 6.3 litre version was also available from Aston Martin, and independents offered a 7 litre version.
304 Series 2 Vantage coupés were built - including 131 X-Packs - and 192 Volantes (in spite of only having been officially introduced in 1986, near the end of production). A Vantage Volante convertible version was also produced, between 1986 and 1989. Six mechanically similar cars had been built earlier to special order, but it was not regularly available until then. The production version featured an even deeper front spoiler than fitted to the Vantage, even wider wheel arches, and extended side skirts.
In 1987 The Prince of Wales took delivery of a Vantage Volante, but at his request without the production car's wider wheelarches, front air dam and side skirts. This became known as the 'Prince of Wales Spec' (or POW) and around another 26 such cars were built by the factory. These are now generally considered the most desirable of all the 1970s/80s V8 models.
