Buy Sir Elton John’s (Surprisingly Understated) Aston Martin
Despite what you might expect, the headlamps are not tinted pink.
This isn’t quite what you’d expect: Sir Elton John’s Aston Martin is up for sale, and it’s quite an understated piece. Ordered new in 1985 at the Aston Martin Showroom on Sloane Street, London, Elton’s V8 Vantage Saloon wears a color scheme of Royal Cherry over white, and boasts a single factory option: detachable headrests. The removable headrests were necessary, we can only assume, to create room for hats.
Befitting a Rocket Man, Elton’s Aston is a fiery beast. Thought the V8 Vantage began life in 1977 with a robust-enough 5.4-liter V8—the model has since been called Aston’s “hot rod”—later iterations sported lumps up to seven liters. This example features that largest engine, plus a strengthened, five-speed gearbox fitted later by Aston Martin Heritage and upgraded AP brakes. Beautiful BBS basket-weaves are included. In a good sign for this beautiful-if-finicky British supercar, the odometer reads a verified 45,000 miles, meaning when Elton John wasn’t hosting exclusive Oscar parties, raising money for AIDS research, undertaking world tours or selling 250 million records worldwide, he was laying down rubber.
We love this. Elton John’s Aston Martin is a racecar, not a show car. The aftermarket options he chose? A bigger engine, stronger brakes, and better shoes. The mileage? Robust, for a model whose square-jawed looks are almost as famous as its unwillingness to reliably start. In this well-kept Eighties Supercar, we catch a glimpse of another Elton—the Knight, the elder statesman, the Brit. Maybe all those feathers are just an act.
