Dan Trent – an Aston with added colour

Picking a Vantage from the healthy number available on the used market isn't easy – there are over 250  advertised on PistonHeads – with prices starting from the low 30s all the way up to an optimistic half a million for a GT12.

I drove the GT8 recently and absolutely loved its character, if finding the OTT looks a little, well, OTT. 'My' Vantage would therefore have to be similar in spirit but a little more restrained in appearance. The V12 is bonkers but I prefer the balance of the V8 so that narrows things down a little; coupe is a given for the sheer beauty and balance of the shape and I'd probably go for a later 4.7, most likely an S.

Sounds like we're getting somewhere doesn't it! Now we get to specifics. The N430 launched in 2014 looks to me like a bit of a sweet spot in the Vantage back catalogue. A little different from the norm. A little lighter, a little sharper and, with 436hp, quick enough to be going on with. And with a relatively subtle nod to racing Astons of the past in its selection of colour schemes.

Of these my absolute favourite is the 'Race' combination of Alloro Green with the yellow nose cone, pillars and wing mirrors. A lovely balance of a classic Aston Martin racing colour scheme with just a little lairiness thrown in for good measure. Off to the classifieds I go…

Ah, it turns out there aren't many N430s on the market, not helped by the fact it's hard to pick them out from the mass of V8 Vantages in the classifieds search engines. Autotrader comes up trumps with one in my preferred colour and things are looking up. But it's a Sportshift automated manual. Now, I happen to quite like this transmission. I think I'm among the few that do but I appreciate that it's lighter than a manual and demands application to deliver its best.

But 'my' Vantage is going to be a road car, in my head at least. And I think it's got to be a manual, for that essential connection at what I'd call 'fast road' pace. Especially after discovering – via feedback on my GT8 roadtest – there is a dealer fit single-mass flywheel option to help liberate some needed zing from the V8.

But the only manual N430 I can find is in the 'Heritage' colour scheme of Mariana Blue with red accents. Not so keen on that. Can I reconcile it with my desire for a manual. I do some reading… Turns out this paint scheme is inspired by a DB2/4 owned and raced by a gentleman called Bobby Parkes in the 1950s, once he'd tired of using it as his 'station car' on the daily commute. Really. Parkes' UWL 333 is actually up for sale too, price undisclosed but with some fabulous photos and a pleasingly detailed history. Price is listed as 'please enquire' so brace yourself if you do.

First world problems and that but, with this revelation, my aesthetic quibbles about the colour combo are easily shouted down by a quality back story.

Looks like I've found my Vantage!

Images courtesy of Pistonheads and DK Engineering