Remember the Aston Martin Virage? Not the one
from the '90s – the one Aston made in 2011-12. It was closely related to the
DB9 and DBS, but was phased out after just a year and a half of production.
That leaves it as something of an oddity in the annals of Aston Martin history,
but this one is rarer still.
At the 2012 Beijing Motor Show, Aston unveiled the
Dragon 88 edition, in celebration of the Year of the Dragon on the Chinese
calendar. Only 88 examples were to be made, split between the Vantage S coupe,
Virage coupe, and DBS Volante convertible.
We don't know how the distribution broke down, or if
all of the promised examples were actually ordered and delivered. But this one
is believed to be the only one (of the Virages at least) that was subsequently
imported to the United States.
It's done up in Amethyst Red and an even brighter
red leather interior with tan stitching and piano black trim. The emblems are
decorated in 24-karat gold, the grille in a magnesium-silver finish, and the
10-spoke alloys diamond-turned. At its heart sits Aston's long-serving
6.0-liter V12, sending 490 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque to the rear
wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission.
With only 112 miles on the odometer, this rare
Dragon has been consigned to Mecum Auctions, which will sell it off during
Monterey car week next month.
