Six-cylinder ‘DB’ Aston Martins set new levels at Bonhams latest sale at Newport Pagnell. The much talked-about DB 4 ‘Garage Find’ setting the saleroom gasping with an almost quadruple estimate £78,500.
Amid much speculation of what the car would sell for (most people picking a figure between £30 - 40,000) it was clearly several determined bidders that pushed the price to an eventual hammer of £70,000 (that equates to £78,500 with buyer’s premium). A nice complete car it will nevertheless require at least another £100,000 spending on it to bring it back to ‘as-new’ condition. So in this context, the £144,500 achieved for the California Sage green 1960 DB4 Series 2 that was in absolutely mint (if not exactly original - and there is a difference) condition was spot-on.
The 1963 DB4 Convertible looked good in its silver paint and sold well for £166,500, while the other restoration project, a partly incomplete 1965 DB5 sold for double its estimate, £58,700. Of the convertible DB6s, the green 1967 Vantage Volante went abroad for a reasonable £117,000 while the red 1966 Mk I Vantage Volante was bid to £100,000 but failed to sell.
 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Sold for £122,500 |
 1952 Aston Martin DB2 3.0 Litre Sold for £46,050 |
And neither did (as we write, although a post-sale is always possible) the utterly gorgeous 1961 DB4GT with later Coachwork by Carrozzeria Zagato. Bid to £650,000, it was probably a (very expensive) whisker away from its reserve - and still £200,000 over the value of a conventionally bodied 4GT. The Zagato-bodied 2003 DB7 did sell for £95,000, and now sets a benchmark price for these underrated cars. The 1987 V8 Zagato 7.0 Litre also sold, at £82,900.
Of the other V8s, nice Volantes are always popular, as shown by the 1987 car selling for £58,700 while the 1989 V8 Vantage Volante sold for £84,000. Another (late entry LHD) Vantage Volante failed to find a buyer, although bid to £68,000.
 1965 Aston Martin DB5 'Sports' Sold for £79,600 |
 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante Sold for £41,100 |
The three DB2s did well, the 1952 DB2 3.0 Litre selling for £46,050, the 1954 DB2/4 for £39,450 and the 1952 DB2/4 DHC for £63,100. The 1954 car being particularly nice having had just on owner from new and carrying the UK registration plate ‘OXO 13’.
Finally, in our preview we mentioned the awesome 1994 Virage 7.0 Litre Turbo. Someone was indeed ‘brave enough’ to put their hand up and buy the car that has had a multi-six-figure-sum spent on it for £44,400. Well done that man (or woman).
Prior to the Motor Car Sale, Toby Wilson auctioned over 100 lots of Automobilia, a highlight of which must be the ‘Three signed Sean Connery and Aston Martin DB5 Photographs’, estimated at £350 - 450 going for £9,200.
Please CLICK HERE to see the full results.
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Bonhams Motor Cars Dept.
101 New Bond Street London W1S 1SR UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7468 5801 Fax: +44 (0)20 7468 5802 Email: [email protected] |
Text - Steve Wakefield
Photos - Classic Driver
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