See this Aston Martin? It’s a 2003 V12 Vanquish roadster. Now you might be thinking, “but Aston Martin didn’t make a convertible version of the old Vanquish,” and you’d be right. But that’s the least of what makes this car special.
The drop-top in question belongs to one Pedro Martinez, who (as Motor Authority points out) is one of the greatest pitchers ever to throw a fastball. He played for five Major League teams between 1992 and 2009 – including four years with the Montreal Expos and seven with the Boston Red Sox – winning the World Series with the latter in ’04 and inducted by almost unanimous acclaim into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015… the same year the Sox retired his number 45.
In 2003 he lead the league in ERAs for the fifth time, and apparently celebrated by buying this Vanquish – Aston’s flagship model at the time. He ordered it with a red leather interior to salute the team for which he played, and at some point had a rather unfortunate set of chrome rims fitted (with 45-numbered hubs).
Notwithstanding a Zagato concept the following year, Aston didn’t offer the V12 Vanquish as a convertible – so Martinez apparently had it chopped for him. He’s owned it ever since, keeping it at his home in Miami. But now he’s selling it to raise money for his charitable efforts in his native Dominican Republic.
Valued at $75,000, bidding for the the star-powered roadster currently stands at $55,005, with another week left to go. Place the winning bid and Pedro will even hand (or toss) you the keys himself and pose for a photo, which would be enough for this Expos fan to seal the deal.
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