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Virage and Derivatives (1988-2000)
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 With less than three years between conception and display the Virage was truly a miracle car for AML. In 1986 AML had a two-door Lagonda development car on the road and had also announced a design competition for budding Aston Martin designers. The winners, Ken Greenley and John Heffernan, had created a large, modern GT - with an evolutionary link straight back to the DB4.
Reeves Callaway in the US reworked the 5.3 litre V8 engine with four valves per cylinder, Weber fuel injection, a clean exhaust and an output of 330 bhp. The name 'Virage', the French word for 'corner', was chosen by AML Chairman Victor Gauntlett from a list of suggestions submitted by owners and enthusiasts.
By the time production got fully underway in 1989 demand was strong as this was the first new Aston Martin for almost 20 years. But recession gripped the world in the early parts of the 1990's; big, expensive and thirsty cars such as the Virage had fallen out of favour and production neared 400 before the axe fell in 1994. The last few cars were designated as a limited edition V8 coupe in an effort to find just a few more customers.
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