• The rarest series production Aston Martin convertible model ever made
• One of only 37 examples of the coveted Short-Chassis “interim” built
• Believed to have been supplied new to the USA; presented in left-hand drive
• Enjoyed in the possession of the consigning owner for over 10 years
• Powered by Aston Martin’s celebrated all-alloy, twin-cam straight-six
• Retains its matching-numbers engine

Come late 1965, the arrival of the new DB6 left Aston Martin with a surplus of DB5 chassis built to a shorter wheelbase. Rather than simply putting those spares to one side, the Newport Pagnell factory conceived an “interim” convertible that combined the sporting proportions of the outgoing car with the latest styling flourishes adorning the DB6, including split bumpers and special chrome finishers for the taillights. They retained Touring’s patented Superleggera construction technique, which wrapped handcrafted alloy panels around a lattice of small-diameter steel tubing to create light but rigid coachwork.

Just 37 of these so-called DB Short-Chassis cars would be built to make it the rarest-ever series production Aston Martin droptop. New lettering on the boot lid also signified the marque’s first use of the “Volante”—Italian for “flying”—nomenclature that remains a fixture six decades later. The early example offered here is believed to have been delivered new to North America, constructed in October 1965 in an even rarer configuration, with only 11 Short-Chassis believed to have been finished in left-hand-drive form. The car is believed to have been built with an automatic transmission and, according to an accompanying British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate (available to view on file), the Aston Martin left the factory finished in Goodwood Green with a Black interior and hood.

Understood to have been registered for the road in July 1966, the car’s earlier years in the United States are not documented. By 1996, the Aston Martin had been purchased by a German collector, who acquired the car from the esteemed enthusiast, Herr Hartmut Ibing, alongside a DB6 Shooting Brake. Shortly afterwards, the Aston Martin was sold to a French broker, at this point painted red and in need of restoration.

A purchase invoice (available to view on file) records that this example was later traded through London-based marque specialist Nicholas Mee and was then sold by the Autosport Designs exotic car dealership of Long Island, New York to the consigning German owner in January 2012. Thereafter, the car has been registered in Germany. Today, it is presented in red over cream hide and cream roof. The car has most recently been subjected to German roadworthiness tests in 2019 and 2021 before being issued with its latest TÜV certificate in March 2023. The car is accompanied by a Vehicle Heritage Certificate issued by Aston Martin Heritage Trust in July 2024, which confirms that the DB Short-Chassis retains its matching-numbers engine.

Near-mythically rare, beautifully designed, and with sporting character thanks to the DB5’s more agile underpinnings, this Short-Chassis would be equally suited to classic grand touring events as it would drawing the attention at concours gatherings
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/tc24/.