Half century of Astons at Bonhams' Newport Pagnell sale

By Greg MacLeman

| 2 May 2014

A mammoth 49 Aston Martins will go under the hammer during Bonhams' Newport Pagnell sale on 17 May.

Leading the estimates is a 1961 DB4GT Zagato recreation, which is expected to cross the block for £8-900,000. Originally starting life as a standard DB4, its transformation bagan in 1998. It was treated to a lightweight aluminium body by Bodylines of Olney, while the engine was built by Crosthwaite & Gardiner.

The car was completed in 2010 and was sold to an enthusiast in New York before being moved on to a collector in Tokyo, where it remained for two years. It has recently been repatriated to the UK.

Next in line is a 1970 DB6 Mk2 Volante, which is expected to fetch £7-800,000. The two-owner car has been in the vendor's care since 1971 and is one of only 38 examples built. The less common Mk2 model can be differentiated from earlier examples by its flared wheelarches, while it was also fitted with power-assisted steering.

1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mk2 Volante

A 1966 DB6 Vantage is a more affordable alternative, estimated at £170-200,000.

The Aston had ben neglected before coming into the previous owner's collection 15 years ago. Following a partial restoration over the past five years, it is now described by the vendor to be a reliable and highly rated example.

1966 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage

Much more of a project is a 1961 DB4, which is estimated at £120-150,000. The car was bought to restore in 1980 and, aside from some work to the interior plus a respray and a replacement engine in the 1970s, has had little work completed. It has been dry stored for the past 34 years and is sold with twin stainless-steel exhaust boxes and a factory workshop manual.

Not for the faint of heart or shallow of pocket.

1961 Aston Martin DB4

A 1952 DB2 rolls back the years further. The left-hand-drive model was originally sold via Autos Europeos in Mexico, where is has passed through three owners' hands since. It is expected to fetch as much as £90,000, though it's worth noting that, if it were to remain in the UK, the buyer would be stung by local import taxes amounting to 5% of the sale price.

1952 Aston Martin DB2

Also from the same era is a '58 DB MkIII with coachwork by Tickford. The attractive saloon is the property of Hollywood actor Orlando Bloom, who bought it two years ago. Prior to that it had been in the collection of the late Sydney Benson, who owned the car for 40 years. It is expected to acheive £120-150,000.

1958 Aston Martin DB MkIII

Similar money – £100-150,000 – will get you into a 1964 DB5 project. The car was delivered to its first owner via Brooklands of Bond Street before being involved in a front-end accident in the 1970s. It was then completely dismantled and dry stored, with sporadic restoration work being carried out including the renewal of the brake pipes. It is sold with a DB5 front end and an older, damaged DB6 assembly.

1964 Aston Martin DB5

Fans of the TV series The Persuaders! will be drawn to a 1970 DBS, the personal car of the series' star Lord Brett Sinclair, played by Roger Moore. The car was built for the programme and featured prominently in all 24 one-hour episodes.

Finished in Bahama Yellow, the six-cylinder GT sports all the external fixtures and fittings of the V8 version; the role called for the latest top-of-the-range model, but Aston Martin couldn't offer a finished car in time for the start of filming.

The car is offered on the open market for the first time in its 44-year history and is slated to cross the block for as much as £550,000.

1970 Aston Martin DBS The Persuaders

A DBS V8 from the same year offers much more performance for your money; the 6-litre competition saloon boasts 570bhp and a pre-sale estimate of just £65-85,000. It is believed to have been tested by Gerry Marshall and has been campaigned with some success in the AMOC Intermarque series.

1970 Aston Martin DBS V8 Competition

Also expected to generate much interest is a 1954 DB2/4, which has been with the same family since 1972. Despite once sharing a garage with a DB5, DB6 and DBS, it hasn't turned a wheel since 1998 and the engine was last started in 2004. It is sold as a restoration project and could be yours for £30-50,000.

1954 Aston Martin DB2/4