BOLD RIDE
Over its long and storied 103 year history, the Aston Martin marque has prided itself on bringing peerless British luxury and performance to its exclusive car-buying clientele.
Leading off the multi-million dollar sale is the car pictured below—a stunning 1954 Aston Martin DB3S, which was campaigned at the Mille Miglia, Spa, and the Nürburgring, and even driven by racing legend Sir Stirling Moss.
It’s estimated to command between £6 and £7 million at the gavel’s drop, or around $8.5 to $10 million at current exchange rates.
According to Bonhams, this DB3S was originally built as a road car for Aston Martin owner David Brown, who regularly drove the sports car. However, that all changed following the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans, when a series of crashes retired three DB3S race cars. To remain competitive, Brown’s personal DB3S (chassis DB3S/5) was nicked and converted to racing-spec.
It would never return to Brown’s ownership, but oddly enough it did go on to greater fame with a starring role in the ‘60s comedy School for Scoundrels. The rarified DB3S isn’t the only jaw-dropper in attendance, either. The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible (pictured top) is also scheduled to cross the block, estimated to bring between $1.1 and $1.2 million.
Hailing from the famed DB5 lineage, this maroon convertible is said to be one of just 84 built in right-hand drive configuration, and one of the highly coveted examples outfitted with a ZF five-speed gearbox. Its past was somewhat troubled—a stop-start tale of unfinished restorations—though it now presents itself as a supremely well wrought example.
It’s not all mid-century classics either. This 2000 Aston Martin Vantage V600 Le Mans Coupe will cross the block (pictured above), and it’s just about as loony as Aston would go with a road car in the late ‘90s and early 2000s.
While the standard Vantage was no slouch, Aston offered a V600 upgrade package in the late 1990s which supercharged the car’s 5.3-liter V8 up to 600 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque, adding special wheels, suspension, and brake components to boot.
This particular car is the ninth of 40 “Le Mans” coupes built, and since its birth 16 years ago, it has covered just 2,637 miles. It’s expected to sell for between $460,000 and $600,000.
Looking to bid? Raid the piggy bank. These classic British sports cars take to the auction block on May 21st.
Photo Credit: Bonhams
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