Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Blades Edition

The Blades Edition was a five-car Aston Martin Cambridge commission created by Q by Aston Martin around the British aerobatic team. Its V8 Vantage S foundation, aircraft identifiers and coordinated silver/orange presentation connected the cars with a special 2016 handover. Factory confirmation of five delivered cars supports the original customer-series count.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Blades Edition at a glance

A regional Q commission with a specific aviation partner

The factory Wings retrospective identifies the Blades Edition as a V8 Vantage S aviation project and confirms delivery of all five cars at Sywell Aerodrome. Cottingham dates the original Cambridge commissioning to late 2015 and the handover to April 2016. This makes the inventory’s 2016 reference useful while retaining the preceding order history. The edition is a coordinated commission rather than a blanket name for every bespoke Vantage with orange accents. Its historical identity depends on the customer programme and original specification, not simply on the presence of an aviation emblem or a later personalized finish.

Rarity: five completed customer cars

Aston Martin’s retrospective confirms that all five Blades cars were delivered to customers. That statement supports a completed original customer-series total, distinct from an unfilled allocation announcement. This profile keeps the standard V8 Vantage S family outside the count and does not add later aviation commissions to it. Small numbers make the individual record especially valuable, but they do not establish current ownership or condition. A car’s aircraft identifier belongs to its original specification history, while the chassis identity remains the link between the physical vehicle and the five-car programme.

Lightning Silver, Gulf Orange and the shared visual theme

The specialist account describes Lightning Silver with Gulf Orange accents, black contrast areas and orange cabin details. The coordinated arrangement makes the edition immediately useful in a discussion of how a Q commission can express an external partnership. A uniform visual theme does not erase the individual identity of each car. Before repainting or replacing a detail, compare the original order, early photographs and any prior work. If a component was changed, record that history plainly. The collector’s question is how the surviving vehicle relates to the original commission, rather than whether a current image reproduces a publicity photograph exactly.

Aircraft identifiers connect the cars without replacing chassis identity

Cottingham describes each car carrying an aircraft identifier, with related detail inside the cabin and on exterior components. Those identifiers help explain the commission’s narrative, but they are not a substitute for the vehicle identification number. A photograph may show the theme without making a specific code legible or independently authenticating it. Retain the relationship between code, chassis and delivery documents where evidence supports it. This approach also prevents aviation inspiration from becoming an unsupported claim about the aircraft’s operational history or original material. The car celebrates the team; it does not inherit the provenance of the aircraft represented.

The V8 Vantage S engine reference

The manufacturer’s 2016 range brochure identifies V8 Vantage S with a 4.7-litre V8, 430 bhp and 490 Nm. These are period programme figures rather than a present measured result for the pictured Blades car. The S foundation is important when comparing the edition with the V12 Spitfire 80 commission: shared aviation themes do not mean a shared engine. The brochure also helps keep the underlying sports-car role clear. A collector should establish original and current fitted specification through the chassis records before treating a badge or historical rating as proof that an individual assembly remains unchanged.

Sportshift II and the reported delivery configuration

The dedicated factory S brochure explains Sportshift II as a seven-speed automated-manual transmission. Cottingham reports that all five Blades owners selected it. That is an attributed edition-level configuration finding, kept distinct from the wider V8 Vantage S family’s options. A modern sale description using automatic should explain the actual system rather than imply an unrelated torque-converter gearbox. For an individual car, use original delivery and service records to establish what was installed and what work occurred later. The purpose of this distinction is clarity for readers, not a claim that one transmission label by itself proves better condition or greater collecting merit.

A cabin and accompanying archive shaped by the team

The specialist account describes aircraft-related embroidery, a propeller detail in the controls, a parachute-silk cover and a photographic album. These pieces make the delivery archive relevant to the car’s story, especially where they can be tied to the same chassis and aircraft identifier. Document replacements and later acquisitions separately. A loose album or themed cover should not authenticate another Vantage merely because the design looks correct. Retained material can be interesting even when incomplete, provided its connection is explained. This gives another collector a useful account of what accompanied the original delivery and what was added afterward.

The Sywell handover as part of the original brief

The manufacturer’s retrospective describes a customer day at Sywell that included an aerobatic flight experience. It shows how the commission paired a road car with an organized aviation occasion. That historical event is not a promise that the same experience or support arrangement transfers to a subsequent owner. A delivery album can document the original occasion, while the vehicle’s later use requires its own records. The distinction keeps the edition’s narrative vivid without inventing present benefits. A collector can appreciate the connection between car and team while assessing today’s vehicle and accompanying equipment on their actual evidence.

Comparing Blades with the Spitfire and Centenary Vantages

The Spitfire 80 is the closest related commission, with eight customer cars and a V12 foundation. The V8 Vantage Centenary explores a different anniversary programme containing multiple derivatives, while N420 provides a motorsport-themed comparison. Those connected profiles help readers understand the differences in purpose, population and equipment beneath a familiar Vantage shape. The edition’s low count can define a collecting theme, but the choice between examples should also consider original specification, condition and documentation. A coherent comparison explains those factors directly instead of extracting the smallest number from each source and treating it as a complete ranking.

The credited Blades Edition subject photograph

The bundled image is source-identified as a V8 Vantage S Blades Edition photographed in April 2025. The silver/orange presentation provides useful visual context for the commission’s theme, with linked photographer, Commons source, licence and resizing disclosure. The caption does not independently assign the aircraft identifier or chassis serial. Those findings should be added only when car-specific evidence supports them. A later public photograph can illustrate the edition while remaining distinct from its original handover archive. Preserve the credit and that limited scope whenever the picture is reused, rather than turning an event appearance into a permanent custody or condition claim.

Frequently asked questions

How many Blades cars were completed?

Aston Martin’s retrospective confirms all five were delivered to customers.

Why are 2015 and 2016 both relevant?

The specialist dates commissioning to late 2015 and customer handover to April 2016.

Was it based on the V12 Vantage S?

No. The Blades commission used V8 Vantage S; Spitfire 80 was the separate V12 programme.

What transmission is reported for the five cars?

Cottingham reports all five owners selected seven-speed Sportshift II, an automated manual.

Explore related Aston Martin profiles

• Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Spitfire 80 Edition
• Aston Martin V8 Vantage Centenary Edition
• Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 Coupe

Sources

• Aston Martin 2019 Wings Series retrospective: eight Spitfire owners and five delivered Blades cars
• Tim Cottingham: Blades Edition commissioning, aircraft identifiers and April 2016 delivery
• Aston Martin 2016 model-range brochure: DB9 GT and period V8/V12 Vantage specifications
• Aston Martin V8 Vantage S brochure: 4.7-litre engine and Sportshift II architecture

Historical claims follow the linked manufacturer, archive, specialist and catalogue records, with disputed findings retained. Inspection and collecting guidance is editorial analysis. Catalogue condition and custody statements remain dated to their sources.

Photography and credit

Source-identified V8 Vantage S Blades Edition photographed in April 2025. No aircraft identifier or independent chassis authentication is assigned. Photo: Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia thumbnail resized from original; no cropping or colour changes.