Aston Martin DBS Vantage Sports Saloon, 1970
Aston Martin DBS I
Aston Martin DBS I•
•20 مشاهدة
Chassis No.: DBS/5685/R
Estimate: £120,000 - £150,000 GBP
- Landmark Aston Martin model
- Believed in single ownership from new until 1998
- Present ownership since 2004
- Maintained regardless of cost by Trinity Engineering
- Restored by Trinity Engineering in 2017
Styled in-house by Bill Towns, the beautiful DBS was Aston Martin's first all-mew model for many years and caused quite a stir on its arrival in 1967, 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 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. This well proven engine was available in standard tune, producing 282bhp or, as a no cost option, to Vantage specification with triple Weber 45DCOE carburettors, special camshafts and a higher compression ratio, in which form its maximum was raised to 325bhp.
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. Larger and more luxuriously appointed than the DB6, the DBS was, inevitably, heavier 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
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."
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.
It is believed that this DBS Vantage was owned from new by a Mr Dixon until
circa
1998 when it was acquired by a member of the Forbes family. (There is a six-month period in 1973 when it appears to be registered in another name but it reverts to Mr Dixon.) The present owner purchased the Aston at a UK auction in 2004, since when it has been meticulously maintained regardless of cost by Trinity Engineering with all bills (totalling £150,000) on file, including those relating to its restoration in 2017 at a cost of £102,000.
This fine, manual example of a fast appreciating Aston Martin is offered with an old-style logbook, current MoT, a V5C Registration Certificate, and the aforementioned Trinity Engineering bills.
