1969 Aston Martin DBS Vantage Sports Saloon
CHASSIS NO. DBS/5445/LAC
ENGINE NO. 400/2000/SVC (see text)

3,995cc DOHC Vantage 6-Cylinder Engine
3 Dual-throat Weber Carburetors
325bhp at 5,750rpm
5-Speed Manual Transmission
4-Wheel Independent Suspension
4-Wheel Disc Brakes

*Originally delivered to Switzerland
*Well optioned with Coolaire air conditioning, power steering, and more
*Long time Swedish owned car
*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

This fabulously spec'd DBS is the spiritual successor to the '5s and '6s that preceded it carrying both the most popular color of all for its forebears, the Silver Birch so timelessly associated with James Bond's Astons, offset with a dark blue interior, and desirable manual transmission too. It is precisely the scheme with which it was delivered new and certainly in terms of its interior, it appears to remain a particularly original example.
Its path over the last 50 years can be charted through a solid file of history, which begins with its factory build sheet, that document confirms that it was built to Vantage Saloon specifications for the Swiss market, including air conditioning, power assisted steering as well as having octagonal wheel nuts, a Bosch European Radio and one head rest, for the driver. Accordingly, it also had Swiss specification headlamps. On this document, its engine number is listed as 400/4253/SVC, which today has been replaced by an earlier unit, most likely from a late DB5 from its sequence number 2000. Its chassis plate has been updated to reflect this, and it still carries a triple Weber setup, suggesting that its performance would remain to Vantage levels.

The original Swiss ownership appears to have ended in the late 1970s when it began a series of different sojourns with Swedish enthusiasts. Scanning through a series of copies of what appear to be registration and/or transaction documents, owners in succession appear to have included: Gosta Bergqvist (1975), Sven Andersson in Lindome (1978), Roland Gotblad in Lidkoping (1979), Stig Johnsson (1989), Rydsgards Industrie Aktiebolag (1989), and Jorgen Fjallman (1991). More recent documents do not appear to state further custodians, until September 2007, when it was acquired by the current owner. A Sportvagnsklubben Goteborg sticker on its rear quarterlight further attests to this time in Sweden.

Viewed today it has the appearance of a very honest and original example, the driver's seat is certainly well worn, but elsewhere and particularly for the rear seats its condition is remarkably good. Nothing is known of its mechanical order, and it is advised that a thorough servicing be carried out prior to exercising its 5 speeds, 4 liters and triple carbs.