Aston Martin DBS Vantage

THIS CAR HAS NOW BEEN WITHDRAWN DUE TO A MECHANICAL FAULT

Introduced at the October 1967 Motor Show, the DBS was the successor to the famed Aston Martin DB6, although the two ran concurrently for three years. Styled in-house by William Towns, the aluminium-bodied four-seater had a sharper, more Italianate look than the curvaceous DB6 but still exuded road presence and looks mighty impressive even today.

Longer, wider and more luxurious than the DB6, 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. Autocar judged it superior to the preceding DB6 in many areas, offering four full-sized seats in addition to transformed handling and roadholding courtesy of the new suspension and standardised power steering.

Originally designed to accept an all-new V8 engine, this was not ready in time for the car's launch so it was fitted with the legendary four-litre DB6 engine instead. As with the latter, the twin-cam engine was available in standard or Vantage tune - the former producing 282bhp at 5,500rpm via triple SU carburettors, the latter 325bhp at 5,750rpm with triple Webers and hotter cams.

A five-speed ZF gearbox was standard with three-speed automatic transmission optional as was Brico fuel injection. Performance was not quite as rapid as the DB6, the new car carrying extra weight, but the DBS was still no slouch: in its road test of a DBS Vantage, Motor recorded 141mph with 0-60 and 0–l00mph reached in 7.1 and 18.0 seconds respectively.

Production of the DBS stretched between September 1967 and April 1972 during which time just 787 examples were produced. Continuing Aston's famed 007 connections, the DBS was used by George Lazenby's James Bond in the 1969 film 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.

First registered in June 1972, this particular DBS Vantage is finished in metallic blue with a dark blue leather interior and chrome wire wheels. The car was restored in the late 1980s early ‘90s including new inner and outers sills and an engine rebuild (records on file). The car was then used until 2006 when it was put into storage. In October 2011 the car was recommissioned for sale including a fresh MOT and an engine tune at Aldon Engineering which involved the Weber carbs being rebuilt.

The vendor states that “the car drives exceptionally well with positive steering, very good brakes, and surprising performance considering its age and weight." He describes it as “a very usable Aston which can be driven as is and improved over time if desired.” The car is now MOTd and taxed until October 2012 and can be driven away today.

With Aston-Martin values reaching stratospheric levels of late, the DBS represents perhaps the last chance to acquire one of these iconic machines at an affordable price. This one looks a tempting prospect at the guide price suggested today.