• An older restoration
• Manual transmission
• Present ownership since 2009
• On static display since acquisition
• Requires recommissioning

Although always intended to house the new Tadek Marek-designed V8 engine, the Aston Martin DBS first appeared with the 4.0-litre 'six' of the concurrently produced DB6. Styled in-house by 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." Although less well known as such than the earlier 'DB' series, the DBS is yet another 'James Bond' Aston Martin, having featured in the 1969 motion picture, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, starring George Lazenby as the eponymous secret agent.

Beneath its shapely exterior the DBS employed a platform-type chassis with wishbone and coil-spring independent suspension at the front, De Dion with Watts linkage at the rear. Larger and more luxuriously appointed than the DB6, the heavier DBS disappointed some by virtue of its slightly reduced performance, but the Vantage version's top speed of 140mph and a standing quarter-mile time of 16.3 seconds were highly respectable figures nonetheless. Assessing the virtues of Aston's new flagship, Autocar judged it superior to the DB6 in many areas, the bigger DBS offering four full-sized seats in addition to transformed handling and roadholding courtesy of the new rear suspension and standardised power steering.

"Turning to matters other than performance, we really were most tremendously impressed by the DBS," enthused Car magazine. "The interior, especially merits praise not only for its uniquely satisfying aesthetics and superb finish (way, way ahead of any Italian rival in this respect) but also for the thought that has gone into the ergonomics of its layout."

The accompanying build record lists this cars specification in Azzuro Blue with red trim, delivered by H.W. Motors Ltd to a Mr Bock of London and first registered EB 42. "Possibly the best DBS Vantage currently on the market," was what we said about '5036/R' when it was offered for sale at our Goodwood Revival auction in September 2009 (Lot 226). Purchased there by the current vendor, the car has been kept on static display as part of his extensive private collection and will require recommissioning before further use. At the time of cataloguing for the 2009 sale the odometer reading was 89,035, and the current odometer reading is 89,055, showing that the car has seen very little use in recent years since its restoration prior to the 2009 auction. In the 2009 auction catalogue we stated that the Aston had been finished new in Azure Blue, but repainted Silver in the 1980s before being returned to Blue. We stated the car had been "fully restored and completed only a few months ago," and that it came with restoration invoices and an extensive history file of previous-owner documentation and bills. Sadly, all this has since been lost, the only documentation present being copies of the aforementioned build sheet, the 2009 sales invoice and a photocopy of the car's last V5C registration document (registration number DPP 375F).

Please note that this vehicle is only offered with a photocopy of its old registration document, bidders should satisfy themselves as to registration requirements in their own jurisdiction. Please contact the department for further information.

Please note that this vehicle is from outside the UK. Our customs agents, CARS UK, will manage all post sale customs administration. A fee of £350+VAT will be charged on the buyer's invoice to administer both import or export customs movements. If the buyer also chooses to ship with CARS UK, this will be quoted separately. If this vehicle is to remain in the UK, it will be subject to Import VAT at the reduced rate of 5% on the hammer price. This vehicle will not be available for immediate collection after the sale and will only be released on completion of customs clearance formalities. If you have any questions regarding customs clearance, please contact the Bonhams Motorcar Department.