30 years ago Aston Martin released a 550 hp, twin supercharged V8 Vantage called the V550. It featured two M90 Eaton superchargers feeding the Vantage’s 32-valve 5.3L V8 engine which usually developed 330 hp on its own. The extra air being forced in helped unleash an extra 220 hp and take the peak torque output up to 553 lb-ft. With a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 4.6 seconds, nearly as quick off the line as the mid-engined Ferrari F355 (4.5 seconds).
Only 239 were produced by Aston with each one taking around 1,200 hours to build at a rate of two per week at best. Buyers even had the option of getting the V600 Le Mans upgrade that upped the power output to 600 hp, but had to endure a complete strip down and rebuild from scratch.
