Three owners from new, 1970 Aston Martin DBS V8 Sports Saloon

Registration no. VUT 66H Chassis no. DBSV8/10019/R Engine no. V/540/215

Footnotes

"Anyone wondering why Aston Martin bother to make their own vee-8 when so many big American ones are so cheaply available need take only one look at the performance data... for the best explanation in the world. Whatever the undisclosed output of the Aston V8, it is enough to rocket this heavy car to 60mph from rest in exactly six seconds and to 100mph in only 14.7 seconds. Much more than this, we were able to reach 138 mph from rest in a mile and on the Continent record a mean maximum speed of 161.5 mph." - Autocar, 8th July 1971.

Although always intended to house the new Tadek Marek-designed V8, the DBS first appeared with the 4.0-litre six of the concurrently produced DB6. Styled in-house by Bill Towns and introduced at the 1967 London Motor Show, the DBS was the last Aston Martin introduced during the 'David Brown' era. V8 power arrived in 1969, with an estimated 345bhp available from its 5,340cc, fuel-injected, four-cam motor, the DBS V8 could reach 100mph in under 14 seconds, running on to a top speed of over 160mph - a staggering performance in those days and one that fully justified the claim that it was the fastest production car in the world.

"The tremendous levels of performance provided come hand-in-glove with excellent road manners, supreme stability and unmatched braking," declared Autocar. A mere 405 DBS V8s had been built before the model was superseded by the re-styled 'Aston Martin V8' in late 1972. Continuing Aston Martin's famed '007' connection, the DBS was driven by George Lazenby as James Bond in the 1969 film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

This particular DBS V8 was first registered in July 1970 and is remarkable in having had only three owners from new. 'VUT 66H' was first registered to Mike Goddard of Wadkins Machinery, Leicester, who owned the car for 14 years and had it serviced regularly by marque specialist Robin Hamilton. The accompanying copy guarantee form records the original colour scheme as Jamaica Blue with matching Connolly leather trim, while the original engine is listed as 'V540/031'.

Second owner Tony Christie of Classic Engineering, Fareham purchased the car in November 1984, selling it to his friend (the current vendor) in March 2015 after 31 years of devoted ownership. During this time all maintenance and service work was carried out by Classic Engineering, Fareham. While the DBS was with Mr Christie, the body was damaged in a hillclimb accident and replaced with one taken from a car being broken up as part of an extensive restoration undertaken by Tony himself. An article about the restoration was published in Supercar & Classics magazine's September 1991 edition and the Aston has also featured in Thoroughbred & Classic Cars (November 1995). Copies of both articles are on file. Since its restoration the car has covered only some 10,000 miles.

While in the vendor's ownership the Aston has continued to be serviced by Tony Christie and more recently by Tony's former restoration partner, most recently in 2021. Accompanying documentation consists of an original instruction book, a V5C registration Certificate, and sundry parts bills from R S Williams. Ready to drive away, this classic Aston Martin is sure to gain an enthusiastic and appreciative audience wherever it goes.