1999→1999 Roos V8 Vantage V600 Shooting Brake

In 1999 Roos Engineering built what they considered the “fastest and strongest estate car of the world.” They converted a special model of Aston Martin’s V8 Vantage known as the V600. With its capable 600 bhp supercharged engine, this Aston created its own market segment in 1999.

Roos Engineering was no stranger to Aston Martin in 1999. Beat Roos had already been in the business of selling and repairing them in Switzerland for 20 years. After two years of work they finished their first V600 which was their first of three coach built cars.

And Aston Martin was no stranger to Shooting Brakes either. The company made its own Virage Shooting Brake and Radford converted the DB5 into Aston’s first Shooting Brake.

To convert the V600 into a wagon, Roos Engineering comprehensively reviewed the model and spent 1800 hours on the car. Several key modifications included an entirely new roof, chassis strengthening and the new rear door. Each of these was done by hand and to the highest standards available. Furthermore, the fuel tank was relocated underneath the body from its usual position between the rear seat and the trunk.

With more open space, Roos had to fabricate several interior panels. Furthermore, they redesigned the rear seats which could be folded down. To maintain craftsmanship the entire upholstery and carpets were redone.

Once Roos was done they added about 60kg more bulk into the car which did little to stop the V600’s potential. Acceleration to 100 kph was quoted at 3.9 seconds.

Since the V600 was delivered new to Germany, many German magazines wrote about the car. At the time the price was about 850,000 CHF or $500,000 USD. Afterward they completed a four-door version called the LWB.

This article was made with the kind assistance from Beat Roos and Simon Petrig of Roos Engineering.