Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Britain's first supercar: 170 mph in a Savile Row suit.
The story
Aston tuned its hand-built V8, blanked off the grille, added a deep front spoiler and created a car that out-accelerated a Ferrari Daytona. Each engine carried a plate with the name of the man who built it.
Inside
Hand-stitched leather, walnut and a big wheel. It was a heavy, physical car to drive fast.
In period colours
Tap a colour to respray the drawing.
A later V8 with missiles and skis was Timothy Dalton's Bond car in The Living Daylights.
On screen
The Living Daylights Film, 1987
Bond's Aston V8 has skis, rockets and a laser in the wheel hub.
Meanwhile, in 1977
The Queen's Silver Jubilee brought street parties, and Star Wars arrived in cinemas.
Best-selling single of 1977: Mull of Kintyre by Wings
Before you buy a 1970s car
- Rust is common in sills, wheel arches, front panels and the bottom of the doors.
- Check the wiring and electrics carefully, as they age badly.
- Many volume-selling cars still have good parts support, but badge-engineered and low-volume models can be harder to source.
General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.
Rivals of its day
Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.
See the real thing
These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.
Today's money: the launch price adjusted for inflation to 2026, using the Office for National Statistics price index.