1968 ASTON MARTIN DBS SALOON

Lot 11
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Estimation :
120000 - 140000 EUR
1968 ASTON MARTIN DBS SALOON
Serial number DBS5139R Nice restoration condition Equipped with a Vantage engine Important file of invoices Preservation of the original registration card French collector's registration At the end of the 1960's, Aston Martin's spearhead, the DB6, was suffering from the effects of the years in the face of a modern and powerful competition coming from Italy. Indeed, the British GT remained largely based on the 1968 DB4, so the range had to evolve towards more performance and modernity, both aesthetic and technical. At first Touring was called in to bring the DB series' offspring to life, the prototypes presented in 1966, although aesthetically successful, could not reach series production for technical and practical reasons. Touring then went bankrupt and the task was given to in-house designer William Towens and engine builder Tadek Marek to develop the new Aston Martin. A V8 was initially on the agenda, but deadlines could not be met, so the inline six was initially retained, producing between 282bhp in the basic versions and 325bhp via the Vantage option with three twin Weber carburettors. The new Aston Martin, called DBS, was launched in 1967. It was equipped with a V8 from 1970, in parallel with the six-cylinder engine still available, but the power did not change much, as the 5.3L V8 only developed 320 hp, less than the 4.0L six-cylinder engine and its 325 hp in the Vantage version. Above all, the weight is affected and increases by 200 kilograms. Where the DBS completely renews the Aston Martin range is in its design, which is much more modern, much more Latin, even American via the fastback line. If it was difficult to seduce the aficionados of the brand, it was a great media success because driven by 007 in Her Majesty's Secret Service, but especially by Roger Moore as Lord Brett Sinclair in Amicalement vôtre! In total, only 1259 DBS were built, including 857 six-cylinder cars and 402 V8 cars. The present example was delivered new in England on September 30th 1968 to Mr Wyatt in Hampshire in its original Red colour and "Natural Connoly" interior with its Saloon 400/3862/S engine in English configuration with right-hand drive. As an option, the first owner chooses a 5-speed ZF manual gearbox, power steering, a quick de-icing system, and a one-year extendable warranty. After various owners in the UK, the DBS flew to Holland in 1984 and then to Belgium where it was fully restored and the original Saloon engine was replaced by a Vantage 400/2343/VC fed by 3 SU carburetors. Today the car is presented to us in an elegant plum colour with a sand leather interior completely redone in every detail. An important file of invoices and many expenses were engaged by the current owner to make the car very functional, pleasant to drive and beautiful. A complete and extensive rebuild of the engine block was carried out in 2019 to check the interior of the block, repaint the engine compartment, clean the carburetors with ultrasound, sandblast and microblast the interior of the block all for an amount of nearly 12,000 euros. The clutch, flywheel and brakes were also overhauled and replaced in 2016 for 6,200 euros. The meters were changed in 2017 with a dyno run; the invoice shows that the car had 53,500 miles. The suspensions were also checked in Glasgow in 2018 during a trip of the owner overseas. The car also underwent a number of other works such as the power steering, starter and silent blocks being refurbished. During our test drive, we could notice that the car was very sound to drive and that you quickly got your bearings despite the right-hand drive. With enough power, the conversion of the Weber carburettors to SU allows for greater flexibility at low revs and therefore easy use in town. The 4.0L inline 6-cylinder engine has two faces: on the one hand, a smoothness and silence that would make the most beautiful English limousines pale, and on the other hand, strong rear-end thrusts accompanied by an intoxicating rock sound. Be sure to keep an eye on the speedometer because legal speeds are often far behind. With a fastback body inspired by the American production, the DBS is often referred to as the British Muscle Car. Give yourself the opportunity to play the secret agent in one of the DBS's cor
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