1968 Aston Martin DBS Saloon

3,995cc DOHC Vantage 6-Cylinder Engine
3 Dual-Throat Weber Carburetors
282bhp at 5,500rpm
3-Speed BorgWarner Automatic Transmission
4-Wheel Independent Suspension
4-Wheel Disc Brakes

*Delivered new to Erie, Pennsylvania
*The 100th DBS built
*Well optioned with air conditioning, power steering, and more
*The last Aston Martin under Sir David Brown's leadership

THE ASTON MARTIN DBS

Introduced in 1967, the new DBS was the successor to the DB6 – it represented a new, very modern look for Aston Martin. Styled in-house by William '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."

The DBS was wider and had a lower profile than its predecessor, giving a more aggressive look and offering more cabin space. The engine was placed further back in the chassis, behind the front axle, resulting in an almost 50/50 weight ratio. Using a de Dion rear axle, the DBS exhibited excellent handling characteristics. 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. The engine was the 4.0-liter 'six' of the concurrently produced DB6; an all-aluminum dual overhead cam unit, producing 282 horsepower at 5,500 rpm. A high-performance Vantage version of the legendary motor was also available. Trimmed with triple Weber carburetors, the Vantage-spec engine made 325 horsepower at 5,750 rpm, and would propel the luxurious Aston Martin to over 140 mph.

The interior was as usual luxuriously appointed with the finest Connolly hides available in best Aston Martin fashion. James Bond approved as well, using a DBS as his motorcar of choice in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and again in the next Bond film Diamonds are Forever where a DBS sits in Q's famous workshop getting prepared for action. A superb expression of the automotive design its era, the Aston Martin DBS has become an icon of the marque, and also marks the last model produced under Sir David Brown's leadership at Aston Martin.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

According to copies of factory records, DBS/5100/LC was ordered new by Frank Zurn. Zurn's family business, Zurn Industries, one of the premier plumbing and environmental controls manufacturers, afforded him the means to buy his Aston, and the taste to specify all the right things. Finished in Platinum over Blue Connolly hides, Zurn ensured he'd arrive at work looking cool thanks to an air conditioning system. In addition to that, he'd be up-to-date with the news care of a Bosch New Yorker radio, safe thanks to front seat lap belts, and unruffled care of power-assisted steering. Delivered in the fall of 1968, little further history is known about the car. The current owner acquired it about a decade ago and it has been on static display since. Some recommissioning is recommended prior to active touring and use.