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The Hunter Green Collection were commissioned in the late 1980's during the
boom in the classic car market. The concept was hatched in 1987 to build a
full set of V8 models to commemorate 21 years of V8 production in 1990. One of each model available during that era was built to exactly the
same coachwork and trim specification and once completed, received
sequential registration numbers. The coachwork was finished in Hunter
Green; both difficult to describe and photograph accurately. It was not a
standard AM colour, but taken from the palette available for the Zagato models;
a lighter metallic alternative to Buckinghamshire Green. The interiors were
trimmed in tan leather but without contrasting piping; carpets were dark green.
All were built with the 5 speed ZF gearbox with the exception of the automatic
Lagonda.
Before the cars were even completed, the set may have changed hands for a
significant profit as the market for such cars was buoyant beyond belief. The
first real owner must have had their fingers burned as by 1990 the market had
collapsed and the cars would have been worth a fraction of what was paid. Once
of the nice touches was that the first owners commissioned a set of prints
depicting each car plus a poster of the full set which were promoted in car
magazines at the time. But apart from this, the cars went into hiding.
They came to the market as a set in 1994 and I believe they were sold as a
full collection to an Aston Martin collector from Kent. Sadly, with so may
cars in the collection, they each got used too infrequently which is not
good any car and Aston Martins in particular, so the owner reluctantly put
them all up from auction. The Hunter Green Collection was finally broken up
at the AM/Bonhams auction in June 2005. |