Oscar India is not a city on the Asian subcontinent, nor a character in some Bond, James Bond movie. It’s the nickname for a group of 1982 Aston Martin V8 Vantage automobiles, one of which will be offered at Russo and Steele’s Newport Beach auction June 18-21.
The Aston is among a group of four featured vehicles just announced for the sale at the Newport Beach Dunes Waterfront Resort. The others are a big-finned 1959 Cadillac convertible, a 1963 Jaguar XK-E and a 1968 Porsche 911S.
Aston Martin built only 172 of the “Oscar India” versions of its V8 Vantage coupe for 1982. The one being offered at the Russo and Steele sale was one of only four delivered new in Canada, and thus carries a 425-horsepower engine (U.S. buyers got a smog-restricted 245-hp V8).
The cars took their nickname from Aston Martin’s internal code for the vehicle. Oscar India was phonetic alphabet-speak for “October introduction.” The car, otherwise known as the Series 4, was introduced at the Birmingham International Motor Show in 1978.
For the 1982 model year, the Oscar India featured aerodynamic updates to help the car achieve the full potential its engine provided.
The car offered at the Newport Beach sale was purchased by Jack Pierce, wildcatter and founder of Ranger Oil. The car has been owned since new by Pierce or his family.
The ’59 Series 62 Cadillac convertible marked the end of Harley Earl’s reign over General Motors design and featured the now-iconic tail fins with bullet-style lamps. The black car being offered at Russo and Steele is propelled by a rebuilt 390cid V8.
The 1968 Porsche 911S is from the final year of the first-generation of the 911 and has a factory sunroof as well as its high-performance engine. None of the first-gen 911S were imported officially into the U.S. market, which means that are even more highly sought after by Porsche-driving enthusiasts.
The ’63 E-type is a Series I model that reportedly was owned by a member of the Le Mans-winning Ecurie Ecosse racing team.
