Aston martin zebra square gallery

The rare Aston Martin V8 Vantage SA-Spec on the floor of Zebra Square Gallery in Johannesburg. Image: Supplied

Blast from the past: 1983 Aston Martin up for grabs…if you have R12m

From the iconic Shelby Cobra and Ford GT40 tributes to Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley and Porsche, the showroom is a collectors’ heaven reserved for the finest automobiles.

Aston martin zebra square gallery

The rare Aston Martin V8 Vantage SA-Spec on the floor of Zebra Square Gallery in Johannesburg. Image: Supplied

The most expensive and oldest car on the recently launched display at Johannesburg’s Hyde Park Corner centre, is a 1983 Aston Martin that will set you back a cool R12 million.

The Zebra Square Gallery (ZSQG) is Johannesburg’s newest viewing space for international classic and future classic automobiles and opened on Monday 11 January 2021. And parking spaces at the exclusive Zebra exhibition are reserved only for those classics which have earned their stripes in motoring history.

This unique motoring enterprise, which also boasts operations in Dubai, is owned by former Formula 2 racer Klaus Grogor — who has been in the business of collecting cars since 1975.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage SA Spec will cost you R12 million. Image: Supplied

How did it all come about?

“The showroom was actually established due to COVID-19, which restricted me from travelling to Dubai,” explained Grogor.

Asked this week about the Aston Martin on the floor at ZSQG, Grogor revealed that as with all classic cars, “…there was a story that comes with this particular set of wheels.”

“Years ago, Aston Martin asked me to run its franchise in South Africa. But in the 1980s, Aston Martins were just not the flavour among South African motorists. However, after the carmaker invited me to witness the hand-rolling and shaping process of the aluminium panels of their cars, I made them an offer.”

But Grogor’s “offer” was seemingly more like a dare…

He told the Aston Martin team that if they could build him a “Made for SA” high-performance car that would be faster than a Porsche or Ferrari — the fastest production cars at the time — he would take three.

Taking up the challenge, Aston Martin did just that and produced the 1983 Aston Martin V8 Vantage SA Spec, which in turn became the front-runner of the 580X.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage
The interior of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Image: Supplied

World records for Aston Martin V8 Vantage, DBS

Aston Martin kept one of Grogor’s three cars and in 1984, it was put through its paces in Germany to become the fastest accelerating production car of its time. The Vantage achieved 96.5km/h in just 5.2 seconds, continuing on to a maximum of 274km/h.

Another time that Aston Martin — albeit not intentionally — set a world record was during the filming of the James Bond movie Casino Royale. The Aston Martin DBS featured in a crash scene in the film set a Guinness World Record for the most barrel rolls executed by a driven car.

“We were going to be happy with a couple of rolls, maybe three at a push,” stunt driver Adam Kirley was quoted after surviving seven rolls in total…

1958 Maserati 3500GT

Grogor’s classic Aston Martin has 39,000km on the clock and has been in his private collection ever since he bought it back a year after its initial sale.

Zebra Square also revealed that one of the oldest models it had acquired for its all-glass encased showroom floor was a 1958 Maserati 3500GT. Believed to be the oldest Maserati of its kind in South Africa, the vehicle was sold to restorers in Italy in December last year.

The Italian connection

That Maserati is a standout example of ZSQG’s captivating display of automotive collectables which focuses primarily on limited production cars and future classics.

Housing examples of the iconic Shelby Cobra and Ford GT40 tributes to Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley and Porsche models, the gallery serves as both a unique showroom and a collectors’ hub reserved for the finest automobiles.

Testament to the authenticity of Zebra Square’s offering is its partnership with Nicky Pastorelli Cars – a renowned restoration specialist of Italian classic automobiles based in Modena, Italy.