Friday 20th May 2005

Special Aston goes up for sale

AM Virage owned by boxing champion to be auctioned

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Lennox Lewis' 1995 AM Virage

Bonhams is to sell Lennox Lewis' 1995 Limited Edition Aston Martin Virage, a car the world heavyweight boxing champion has owned from new. The Virage – one of only nine models made to this specification – comes directly to the sale from Lewis and will be sold at Bonhams’ annual Aston Martin sale at the company’s Works Service Headquarters in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire on 4 June 2005.

Lewis ordered one of the final nine Virages to be built which incorporated subtle changes to the bodywork, engine and interior, and he had a new – and very powerful – sound system fitted. Other features requested by Lewis include TV, satellite navigation and seat alterations to accommodate his six-foot four-inch frame. The car has been maintained by Aston Martin and has covered only 33,000 miles.

About Lewis

Born in London in 1965, Lewis was brought up by his mother who moved with him to Canada. At high school he excelled at all sports, but his talent for boxing shone through and by 1983 he had already claimed the world amateur junior title.

Described by George Foreman as, "beyond doubt the greatest heavyweight of all time", Lennox Lewis was certainly the undisputed world heavyweight champion between 1999 and his retirement in 2004. His record speaks for itself: 41 wins (31 of which were by knockout), two losses and one draw. Throughout his fighting career he gained, regained and retained WBC and

IBF heavyweight belts – the most prestigious in the world. In 1999 he was awarded an MBE and was voted Sports Personality of the Year. In 2002 – the year he defeated boxing giant Mike Tyson – he was awarded a CBE.

When out of the ring, Lennox Lewis, while shunning the celebrity lifestyle, enjoys the finer things in life, and has had a life-long love of Aston Martins. This 1995 Limited Edition Virage is a car he has chosen to own and drive throughout the 10 years that saw him rise to the top and become heavyweight champion of the world. Bonham's estimated sale price is £30,000 – 40,000.

[will_t]

Why sell it, £30 to £40k must be pocket money to LL.

Cheap bit of motoring/celeb history ?

What's the "book" price ?

Will

[dinkel]

I'm more into the older AMs . . . But the Virage looks like a nice one to have. Bad picture btw.

Better but too big:

http://automobile.2405.com/wallpaper/Aston_Martin/Virage/atticus_virage_04_lr03.jpg

It is off course a breathtaking designed piece of UK automotive history.

[britten_mark]

I always think it's well dodgy buying a car on the basis of who owned it, after all fame is fleeting for many, and it all gets even more tenuous when these wealthy stars own dozens of vehicles. I think my mate mentioned that his car had been owned by Mohammed Al Fayed, but obviously as part of some large collection or "investment", doubt he actually drove it.

The one that made me shake my head in disbelief was that old BMW M3 that went for crazy cash on Ebay just because Beckham owned it.

[vetteheadracer]

I met LL in Jamaica in 1994 and he is a genuinely nice guy and in enourmous

He was on holiday at the same place as me and he was also at the poolside bar watch the World Cup footy. we was proudly wearing his England shirt (eventhough England didn't qualify for 1994 WC) as he had been given the shirt by the team.

Somewhere I had a photo of me and LL

[Marki]

vetteheadracer said:

I met LL in Jamaica in 1994 and he is a genuinely nice guy and in enourmous

I met him in Atlantic City on the night of George Foremans last fight , he is a very nice guy i aggree and as you say hes a giant .

Good weekend , milling about in the hotel lobby before the fight meeting folks like Larry Holmes ,Tommy Hearns , and even getting to meet and shake hands with Big George himself after the fight
these guys are so assesable and all were very open and friendly

[anniesdad]

A classic, the right car in the right colour. Is £30-£40K not the cars value anyway? meaning the buyer's not really paying for it's celebrity status. I confess to knowing nothing about Aston secondhand values.

[summit7]

I bet if the car is mint that it beats the estimate easy. Lennox has been TOP sportsman for Britain for years. I agree to earlier posts that too many 'celebs' are not that but I think Lenox has been the man and that is that. On the car front when the Virage was launched I thought it looked too soft compared to the traditional AMV8 fastback shape but now I think it's great - for £30 - £40K this is surely a steal.