Footnotes

• 'I have driven most of the Aston Martin models that have been produced, from the racing twin-cam 1½-litre of the 1920s onwards. For years my favourite has been the DB3S sports-racer, but now my allegiance is wavering. There can be little doubt that the DB6 is the best Aston yet and it is a credit to British engineering.' - John Bolster, Autosport, 21st October 1966.
  
  Last-of-the-line models are always sought after by discerning collectors and few are more highly prized that the final flowering of the glorious 'David Brown' six-cylinder series, considered by many to the last of the 'real' Aston Martins. Culmination of this long-running line of 'DB' sports saloons, the DB6 was introduced in 1965, updating the DB5. Recognisably related to the first of the series, Touring-styled DB4 of 1958, the DB6 abandoned the Superleggera body structure of its predecessors in favour of a conventional steel fabrication. The wheelbase was now 4" longer than before, resulting in an extensive restyle with more-raked windscreen, raised roofline and reshaped rear quarter windows. Opening front quarter lights made a reappearance but the major change was at the rear where a Kamm-style tail with spoiler improved the aerodynamics, greatly enhancing stability at high speeds. Although taken for granted these days, such aerodynamic devices were mainly confined to the racetrack in the 1960s and to integrate one so successfully into an existing design was quite a triumph for Aston Martin.
  
  Race tested in the DBR2 before its production debut in the DB4, the Tadek Marek-designed six-cylinder engine had been enlarged to 3,995cc for the preceding DB5, and remained unchanged. Power output on triple SU carburettors was 282bhp, rising to 325bhp in triple-Weber Vantage specification. Borg-Warner automatic transmission was offered alongside the standard ZF five-speed manual gearbox, and for the first time there was optional power-assisted steering.
  
  The Motor magazine concluded its road test by declaring that the DB6 was one of the finest sports cars it had tested: 'The DB6 with its longer wheelbase and better headroom makes an Aston Martin available to the far wider four-seater market, and the design is in every way superior to the previous model. A purist might have thought that the longer wheelbase would affect the near-perfect balance of the DB5, but if anything the DB6 is better.'
  
  An automatic transmission model, this 'Mk1' DB6 was purchased new by the current owner's mother in 1967 and used by her until 1992 when it passed to the vendor. In 2010 Silchester Garage completed a two-year restoration at a cost of circa £80,000 (bills available) and the car remains in commensurately good condition. Currently displaying a genuine total of 78,300 miles on the odometer, 'PLE 538E' is finished in green with matching interior trim and beige leather upholstery. The car is offered with restoration invoices, a quantity of expired MoTs, current road fund licence, Swansea V5 registration document and MoT to July 2013.
  

Auction Notices

• The engine has a knock and will require attention, our preliminary thoughts are that it has run a big end bearing. The revised estimate is £70,000-90,000

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Category: Motoring / Motor Cars

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