The 1988 Virage was another fine example of a heavy Grand Tourer car built by Aston Martin and marked the end of an era.
In 1988, Ford already had a foot in the Aston Martin company after taking share stakes in September 1987, but the new Virage was almost ready to roll. The car replaced the old Vantage but continued to show a similarly-shaped bodywork and the same high level of craftsmanship.

The Virage’s look was a mix between a sports car and a three-box personal luxury coupe. It featured a flat front area with rectangular headlights carried over from the Audi 200 and an almost straight, but not too tall, grille. The wrapped-around plastic bumper sported a lower grille to cool the V-8 engine and gave the car a more aggressive look. The greenhouse started with a raked windshield, and the short roof continued in the back with a long sloped windscreen. Its flat short trunk lid was at the same level as the driver’s head. In the back, a pair of squared taillights carried over from the Volkswagen Scirocco filled the space between the trunk lid and the wrapped-around bumper.

Inside, it was luxury as usual, with hand-made stitches for the leather-clad interior. Its wood trims covered more parts on the tilted toward driver center stack and the door panels. The carmaker carried over the steering column and the stacks from Ford. In the back, the carmaker took care of building a high-quality bench upholstered in leather, even though there was hardly any room for someone there, let alone two people.

Under the hood, Aston Martin installed a new, 5.3-liter V-8 engine and paired it to a five-speed manual.