5,340cc DOHC V8 Engine
Fuel Injection
310bhp at 5,600rpm
5-Speed Manual Transmission
4-Wheel Independent Suspension
4-Wheel Disc Brakes

*Original left-hand drive example
*Delivered new to Switzerland and in the USA from 1974-2008
*Well optioned with Coolaire air conditioning and more
*Desirable early car in series

THE ASTON MARTIN DBS V8

Bigger and more luxuriously appointed than the DB6, whose 4.0-liter straight six engine it shared, the heavier DBS disappointed some by virtue of its slightly reduced performance, but there were no complaints when the V8 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 160mph - a staggering performance in those days and one which fully justified the claim that it was the fastest production car in the world. Even in automatic transmission form the V8 could reach 100mph in around 15 seconds and 145mph flat-out.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This stunning and beautifully understated Aston Martin is a highly desirable left hand drive manual 5-speed transmission example which can boast a well tracked history from new, and a series of long-term custodians, the most recent being for the last dozen years.

The production DBS V8 chassis number sequence commenced with '10001', making this the 51st example of this landmark model built. According to the copies of factory records on file, as new, the car was delivered in the striking livery of Platinum paintwork, with a Terra Cotta interior of leather and carried a plethora of extras including air-conditioning, Voxsom Stereo, Fiamm Horns, Immersion heater, fog and spot lamps and a single wing mirror. It was destined straight for Switzerland, being supplied there through Importateur Perrin to its first owner. Interestingly, it would migrate early on in its life to the US, when it was acquired by the original owner's banking partner who was based in Southern California, arriving there in 1972. A couple of years passed before it arrived in a triple decade stint of ownership, right through to 2008. On file are entertaining anecdotes from its true enthusiast owner, one recalling "I often drove it from Las Vegas to Carson City. The sales brochure said all day cruising for four at 160mph plus. I didn't cruise at quite that speed, but close enough"! In the last half of that custody, it was stored in Nevada, by which time its odometer showed 97,000 kms and was thought to be original.

In 2008 it was purchased by noted collector of the marque Anthony Moody, who exercised considerable expenditure to bring the car back to its original looks, the car being stripped to bare metal and painted in a gunmetal hue, Mercury Silver, while at the same time it was mechanically recommissioned. After a pair of years, the car was sold by him at a public auction in Monaco, where it was purchased by the current owner.

Returning to the USA for sale, and unused for a number of years it would be sensible to recommission the car carefully prior to road use, but based on the work carried out only a couple of years prior to this ownership, it may well be a straightforward exercise. The last 12 years have seen its refreshed paintwork sink a little in places, but generally the car has an appealing balance of newer exterior and original interior, while beneath the car it seems to have never been fully restored.

An undeniably handsome and desirably spec'd DBS V8.