Aquila 8C 1953
One of the most luxurious and fastest GT cars on the market.
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Introduced in 1953 was Arion’s Aquila, a luxury GT car which seats 4 adults comfortably whilst being sporty and performance driven. It was offered with two trim grades; Touring: The more snug and softer tuned suspension version with a smooth 2-gear automatic & Sport: The 4-gear manual with harder dampers and tweaked for performance.
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The Aquila features a full cast iron 5 litre V8 outputting maximum power of 213.2hp @ 4900RPM and peak torque of 284.8lb-ft @ 2.900RPM. Given enough space it was estimated to go all the way to 150mph and a bit more still.
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Buyers could opt from an array of eight colours at the time, even having optional two-tone colour schemes. Not only was the styling quite extravagant, but the Aquila was one of the first cars of the time to have indicators and fog lights front and rear, as well as a reversing light.
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Buyers wanting even more from their already exquisite purchase could opt to having a Phonograph installed with two of the highest quality speakers front and rear for exceptional audio performance.
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Whilst being a successful car in terms of sales, it was also used in official racing. There was few used in touring car racing, but some were used for rally events, being lightweight when stripped down of luxuries and equipped with racing gear the Aquila was certainly a racing machine not to be taken lightly.
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Specifications
Arion Aquila 8C Touring {EM} '53
Chassis: Galvanised Steel Monocoque with Aluminium panels (1,190kg - 57F/43R)
Drivetrain: Front Longitudinal RWD
Gearbox: 2 Gear Automatic
Suspension: Double Wishbone (F&R) Standard suspension and Twin-Tube Damping with Passive Sway Bars
Engine: Cast Iron 5.0L V8 16-Valve OHC producing 213.2hp @ 4,900RPM & 284.8lb-ft 2,900RPM with 5,000RPM redline
Economy: 16.7mpg combined (13.5mpg City and 19.9mpg Motorway)
Performance: 0-62mph in 10.3s & 152mph top speed
Wheels: 15 inch Steel rims on radial medium compound (P130/90C15 92Z)
Brakes: 300mm 2LS Drum front & 275mm SLS Drum rear
Exterior layout & Interior: 2 door coupe - Hand Made 4 Seater & Luxury AM Radio or Phonograph Entertainment
Price: For sale starting at 6,000GBP before paint and accessories in '53
Arion Aquila 8C Sport {EM} '53
Chassis: Galvanised Steel Monocoque with Aluminium panels (1,189kg - 57F/43R)
Drivetrain: Front Longitudinal RWD
Gearbox: 4 Gear Manual
Suspension: Double Wishbone (F&R) Standard suspension and Twin-Tube Damping with Passive Sway Bars
Engine: Cast Iron 5.0L V8 16-Valve OHC producing 213.2hp @ 4,900RPM & 284.8lb-ft 2,900RPM with 5,000RPM redline
Economy: 16.8mpg combined (14.1mpg City and 19.5mpg Motorway)
Performance: 0-62mph in 10.0s & 157mph top speed
Wheels: 15 inch Steel rims on radial medium compound (P130/90C15 92Z)
Brakes: 300mm 2LS Drum front & 275mm SLS Drum rear
Exterior layout & Interior: 2 door coupe - Hand Made 4 Seater & Luxury AM Radio or Phonograph Entertainment
Price: For sale starting at 5,900GBP before paint and accessories in '53
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