This is a 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage, it’s one of the desirable “Oscar India” variants which were given a series of notable upgrades over the earlier cars in the model range.
The muscle car looks of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage aren’t just for show. This was a production car from the late 1970s that was producing almost 400 bhp while still providing seating for four, plenty of trunk space, and an interior finished with leather and walnut.
Fast Facts – The Oscar India Aston Martin V8 Vantage
- This 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage “Oscar India” is the desirable variant featuring upgrades like additional power, an integral rear spoiler, and inset driving lights. It’s powered by a 5.3 liter Tadek Marek-designed V8 producing 390 bhp, paired with a ZF 5-speed manual transmission, and a limited-slip differential.
- The “Oscar India” designation stands for “October Introduction” (in 1978) and it marked a series of refinements over earlier V8 Vantage models. Designed by William Towns, the car’s styling likely drew inspiration from American muscle cars but maintained a distinctive, iconic British aesthetic.
- The featured example, finished in Warwick Blue with a Magnolia interior, was originally delivered in the UK before being sent to Cyprus. It includes luxury touches like a walnut dashboard, electric windows, and a Kienzle analogue clock, retaining its numbers-matching engine and original build sheet.
- Currently part of a private collection in the Middle East, the car requires re-commissioning after years of storage. It’s scheduled for auction at RM Sotheby’s in early November, with a price estimate between £100,000 and £150,000.
What Does Oscar India Mean?
The name Oscar India was an internal codename at Aston Martin for the Series IV version of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The name was taken from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet where “Oscar” stands for “O” and India stands for “I.”
Here you can see the blanked-off grille with the inset driving lights – air for the engine was drawn in below.
The reason “O I” was chosen was due to the fact that this new model was planned for introduction in October of 1978, so it’s simply short for “October Introduction.” In enthusiast circles, the Oscar India V8 Vantage has long been considered highly desirable, as these cars included a long list of improvements and changes over their predecessors.
Some of these changes include an integral rear spoiler, a closed bonnet bulge, a blanked-off front grille, and the addition of new Vantage badging. Inside the cars you would find a leather dashboard replacing the earlier vinyl version. Many of these cars also received twin driving lights inset into the blanked-off grille.
In the engine bay you would find an uprated 5,340cc Tadek Marek-designed aluminum alloy quad cam V8 producing approximately 390 bhp – 5 bhp more than the 385 bhp quoted power figure of the Ferrari Testarossa supercar that would debut a few years later in the 1980s.
Power was sent back through a ZF 5-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential to the rear wheels.
The styling of the Aston Martin V8 was penned by influential British designer William Towns, who would later go on to design the 1979 Aston Martin Bulldog concept car and the Aston Martin Lagonda, a car so unusual that it still remains controversial to the current day.
It’s clear that Towns took some inspiration from the American muscle car world when designing the Aston Martin V8, some claim it looks like the Mustang and others point to similarities with the Camaro. At the end of the day, the car is its own unique design, and it remains one of the most beloved Astons of the era both for its looks and its performance.
The aluminum alloy Aston Martin V8 features double overhead cams per bank and power figures that exceeded 400 bhp by the mid-1980s.
The 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Shown Here
The car you see here is an original Aston Martin V8 Vantage “Oscar India” from 1985, it’s one of the later versions of the car that benefits from a number of upgrades that occurred over the 1977 to 1989 production run of the V8 Vantage.
This Vantage is finished in Warwick Blue over a Magnolia hide trimmed interior with dark blue piping and matching beige carpets with blue piping. Interestingly, although it was delivered new in the United Kingdom it was actually destined for Cyprus, where it was undoubtedly one of very few Astons on the island.
Inside the car you’ll find a classic walnut dashboard and door card accents, a heated rear screen, a lockable glovebox, electric windows, and a Kienzle analogue clock. This vehicle retains its original numbers-matching engine and it comes with a copy of its factory build sheet, tool kit, and spare wheel.
The interior is finished in leather and walnut, with all the luxuries you would expect from a 1980s-era Aston Martin.
It’s been in storage for many years in the Middle East as part of a private collection, so it will need a re-commissioning before any driving is undertaken.
The car is now due to roll across the block with RM Sotheby’s in early November with a price guide of £100,000 – £150,000 and you can visit the listing here.
Images: Peter Seabrook courtesy of RM Sotheby’s 2023 ©
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
