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New 665hp Aston Martin Vantage Roadster Revealed
Join Paul for a delve into the details of the new Aston Martin Vantage.
January 15, 2025
Join us as we go window shopping for the best rare, quirky and appreciating supercars on the market right now.
Whether you're looking at spending £100,000 or £500,000 on a modern supercar, the likelihood is that it will depreciate, and you'll see dozens of other examples if you venture to Secret Meet. And that's fine, you own the car for you, and whatever money you lose will hopefully be a small price to pay for the enjoyment you had and memories you made.
That said, there's definitely an allure to owning something quirky, something seldom seen that man maths can justify as an investment. "It shouldn't devalue darling, so I might as well", "Honey, I'd be silly not to buy it, it'll be a great investment!", are just some of the things petrolheads have been convincing themselves and their spouses with for years, and long may it continue with this list of automotive rarities you might not have considered on the market right now.
2019 (19) | 3,300 Miles | £419,995
A fairly non-left-field choice to start with, admittedly, but a very rare car indeed. Whilst the 488 Pista Piloti is largely a speccing exercise by Ferrari’s Tailor Made division, just 40 were produced worldwide to celebrate Ferrari’s 2017 World Endurance Championship win, and were sold exclusively to Ferrari racing drivers, so there’s a great story behind the exercise, and the rarity has kept values strong.
The Italian tricolore is incorporated almost everywhere it can be in the racing-inspired livery, and exclusively to the Piloti, the rear deck is finished in exposed carbon fibre. You’ve also got £30,000 of carbon fibre wheels to elevate your perspiration levels at the mere sight of a kerb.
There are no mechanical changes over the regular Pista, so I imagine people will be divided on this one. Is owning one of these just a flex, or is it looking after an important piece of Ferrari’s recent racing history? Either way, it’s a stunning bit of kit, and technically speaking, the rarest car here.
2009 | 7,955 Miles | £399,995
The SL65 Black Series is an unashamed brute which has, in some ways, become a little forgotten, but that’s probably because it’s just so darn rare! Just 350 were produced worldwide, but it seems like fewer because the bulk of them are sadly hidden away in collections never to see the light of day.
Far more than just an SL with a remap, the Black Series has bigger turbochargers, revised engine components and a new exhaust (as well as a remap!), taking power to 661hp and torque to an Earth-turning 1,000Nm. AMG also reduced the car’s weight by 250kg thanks to carbon fibre composite panels and replacing the regular SL’s folding hardtop for a fixed roof. There’s also fully adjustable KW coilover suspension and suitably massive brakes. Fun fact, its top speed was limited to 199mph.
These are far from cheap, but given how rarely they come up on the market and that there has never been another V12 Black Series, if you want one, you've got to pay to play!
2002 (52) | 7,169 Miles | £259,950
I’ve always had a soft spot for the BMW Z8. Some people don’t get it, and sure, they’re not cheap, but those who own them love them, and say you have to drive them as the seven tenths car they are, rather than expect an out-and-out sports car. Alpina knew that way back in 2002 and took the Z8’s grand tourer capabilities up a notch with the Roadster V8.
Based on the Z8, the Alpina model ditched the 5.0-litre V8 from the E39 and replaced it with their own 4.8-litre V8 based on BMW’s M62 motor. Bizarrely, it had 30bhp less than the standard Z8, but a smidge more torque and more of a lazy torque curve. To further GT-mize the car, the six-speed manual gearbox was swapped out for a five-speed automatic. Sounds like sacrilege, but Alpina understood the purpose of the Z8 and played to its strengths.
The Z8 is rare and unique enough to start with, and the Alpina Roadster takes it to another level with just 55 produced worldwide, and you’re hardly ever likely to see one up for sale (apart from now, obviously).
2019 (19) | 900 Miles | £399,950
Italian coachbuilders Zagato are known for taking already beautiful cars and elevating them. Sometimes they make them even more beautiful, sometimes just more interesting, but they’re always rare and special machines.
in 2019, Zagato took the Aston Martin Vanquish S and put their own spin on it with three different body styles constructed with carbon fibre. There was the Coupe and Roadster, shapes you could get from Aston anyway, or the radical Shooting Brake. Just 99 Shooting Brakes were produced, and this is one of 48 right-hand-drive examples.
As with the Pista Piloti, there are no mechanical differences over a regular Vanquish S, but the totally unique carbon fibre coachwork does make more of a difference than a paintjob. Does that make it worth four times a regular Vanquish S. As ever, that’s up to you and your wallet!
2004 (54) | 27,800 Miles | £274,990
The SLR wasn’t strictly limited and 2,157 were produced, 1,262 of which were the original Coupe. That said, perhaps because of lofty running costs or the fact they’ve ended up in private collections, the SLR is a rare thing these days and values have been steadily rising over the past few years.
According to How Many Left, just 32 SLRs are registered in the UK, and I’m going to once again say they are undervalued for what they are. This is a carbon-tubbed hypercar with development input from McLaren that took the fight to the Porsche Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo, albeit in a relaxed, continent crushing sort of fashion.
The five-speed auto definitely lets the side down, but the V8 bellow from those side pipes accompanied by the whining supercharger makes for an effortless way to do long journeys, very quickly, oozing with cool.
2002 (02) | 12,540 | £143,995
The 996 GT2 is an old-school brute of a car. No traction or stability control, no rev matching, rear-wheel steering. ABS is about all you get over and above three pedals, a stick and a wheel, and that’s just fine by me. 462hp is probably way underselling just how fiersome these things feel, and they have quite the reputation in the wrong hands.
Some say they understeer and are then too snappy, but others say the car’s initial dynamic shortcomings are rectified with a decent setup and set of tyres. They’re a rare car to start with, with just 1,287 produced worldwide, but Clubsport cars like this are much more so. Just 70 Clubsports were made and only 16 ever came to the UK.
It isn’t flashy, it isn’t refined, it isn’t the kind of car you drive to impress anyone, but if you know, you know, and it’s incredibly cool. Drive one of these and expect an admiring nod from fellow petrolheads, comending you for your driving heroism.
2006 | 338 Miles | £374,990
Here’s a car that was never limited, and at one time was a fairly popular sight on the streets of Knightsbridge, but when was the last time you saw a Murcielago? It’s like they’ve all disappeared into hiding and you’re lucky if you see one a year outside Secret Meet.
How Many Left tells a similar story, with 82 licensed and 98 SORN in the UK, but that’s lumping every Murcielago model including the LP640 and LP670 SV together, and there are likely only a handful of original 6.2-litre Roadsters hanging around, most of which will spend the vast majority of their time enjoying retired life wrapped up warm, telling stories to its stablemates of how it could do over 200mph back in its day.
The Murcielago is a legend, a proper Lambo, you might say, full of intimidation and drama, even if the dynamics didn’t invite you to take on a twisting road quite like an SVJ, and tackle a twisting road is something this particular car has likely never done, as it’s a super rare opportunity to own a near-20-year-old piece of Lamborghini history with just 338 miles on the clock, but you’ll sure pay for it!
