Aston Martin V12 Vantage

The V12 Vantage S manual sits at a rare intersection in Aston Martin's history: the last truly analogue iteration of the Vantage before the platform's wholesale reinvention, and one of only a handful specified with the 7-speed dog-leg manual gearbox. This 2016 car is finished in Q Special 'Ceramic Grey' — a bespoke, non-catalogue colour that gives the Vantage's muscular proportions a cooler, more purposeful character than the standard palette allows — complemented inside by an Obsidian Black and Spicy Red leather and Alcantara interior. At 13,271 miles it has been used, but modestly so for a ten-year-old car.

The specification sheet is extensive and deliberate. The Full AMR Power & Exhaust Upgrade Kit (a £15,005 factory option) enhances both the output of the 5.9-litre naturally aspirated V12 and its acoustic character — an engine that already defines the word 'occasion' in naturally aspirated terms. Carbon ceramic brakes, 19-inch lightweight graphite wheels, carbon fibre side strakes, door pulls, gear shift surround and a full-length twill carbon fascia trim round out a chassis and interior package that clearly reflects considered factory ordering rather than an afterthought options list. The Sport-Plus Package and red-painted brake calipers complete the picture.

With a 205 mph top speed, 0–62 in 3.9 seconds and that dog-leg manual gate — increasingly scarce in any context, let alone a V12 supercar — this is a car whose appeal is only growing as the naturally aspirated, manually shifted sports car recedes further into memory. UK-supplied and offered with a Romans International Platinum Warranty.