Footnotes

• Although always intended to house the new Tadek Marek-designed V8 engine, the Aston Martin DBS first appeared with the 4.0-litre ‘six’ of the concurrently produced DB6. Styled in-house by Bill Towns, the beautiful DBS caused quite a stir, Autocar magazine observing that: ‘Without the aid of an Italian stylist the Newport Pagnell team came up with something as modern, handsome and Italianate as anything from the Turin coachbuilders at that time.’ Although less well known as such than the earlier ‘DB’ series, the DBS is yet another ‘James Bond’ Aston Martin, having featured in the 1969 motion picture, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, starring George Lazenby as the eponymous secret agent.
  Beneath its shapely exterior the DBS employed a platform-type chassis with independent suspension all round: wishbone and coil-spring at the front, De Dion with Watts linkage at the rear. Larger and more luxuriously appointed than the DB6, the heavier DBS disappointed some by virtue of its slightly reduced performance, but the Vantage version’s top speed of 140mph and a standing quarter-mile time of 16.3 seconds were highly respectable figures nonetheless. Assessing the virtues of Aston’s new flagship, Autocar judged it superior to the DB6 in many areas, the bigger DBS offering four full-sized seats in addition to transformed handling and roadholding courtesy of the new rear suspension and standardised power steering.
  ‘Turning to matters other than performance, we really were most tremendously impressed by the DBS,’ enthused Car magazine. ‘The interior, especially merits praise not only for its uniquely satisfying aesthetics and superb finish (way, way ahead of any Italian rival in this respect) but also for the thought that has gone into the ergonomics of its layout.’
  Fully restored and completed only a few months ago, this DBS Vantage was originally Azure Blue but had been painted silver in the 1980s. Undertaken by various specialists (see invoices on file) the restoration included a full strip down, replacement of the sills, a re-spray (14 coats plus two of lacquer), reconditioning the original interior and overhauling the instruments. Accompanying bills for parts total some £15,000. Possibly the best DBS Vantage currently on the market, ‘5063/R’ come with an extensive history file of previous-owner documentation and bills, workshop manual, current MoT/tax and Swansea V5.

Auction Notices

• The correct chassis number for lot 226 is DBS/5036/R

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Category: Motoring / Motor Cars

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