This Aston Martin DBS Has Lived in a Barn Since 1986

BOLD RIDE

 

Copyright © 2016 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell 

                               

                        

 

For a moment, think of every major event that has occurred in your life since 1986 (if you’re old enough, of course). Many birthdays have come and gone, children have grown to become adults, and we went from listening to “Rock Me Amadeus” to well… Justin Bieber. 
 

In a nutshell, things have changed quite a bit, but not for everything.

In 1986, this Aston Martin DBS was rolled into a barn and locked safely away from prying eyes, and for the last 30 years, that is exactly where it has remained, until now. The dusty yet gorgeous Aston will cross the Silverstone Auctions block in May, where it’s expected to fetch upwards of £60,000 (about $87,000). New in 1968, it would have cost about £4,470.

Few words can describe the emotional weight of these barn find images, but “haunting” seems to fit. The Aston’s three decades of shed isolation have written their story across its fastback bodywork, which now comes layered thick with dust, dirt, and a spot of bird dirt or two. Peer beneath the grime though and the DBS still wears its original coat of Mink Bronze paint.

Inside the grand tourer’s cabin, time has stood equally still, however the elements have been a bit less fair. The rich leather front seats and upholstery have grown grey and mottled with age.

And while no one has sat in the back seat of this DBS for ages, it would appear critters haven’t long given up roost there. Even so, it’s utterly jaw-dropping to see in its untouched state.

According to the auction house, the Aston Martin was sold new on November 5th, 1968, to its first owner in Surrey, England, who held onto it for a little under two years. In April 1970, the DBS passed to its second owner—a ‘Mr. Pasqua’—who relocated the car to the island of Jersey (the largest of the UK’s Channel Islands).
For the next 16 years it would accumulate a scant number of miles before getting tucked away in a barn on the island, and to this day, the odometer reads just 30,565 miles driven. Then again, how far can you really drive on an island that’s only five miles wide and eight miles long.

As for its model history, the DBS was the rather radical successor to the storied and much more sweeping Aston Martin DB6. It arrived new in 1967, intended to receive a new V8 engine, but it wasn’t ready in time for production so the first series housed the firm’s lauded twin-cam straight six.

On May 20th the Aston Martin DBS will find a new owner, but the question is this: do you restore it to like-new condition, or keep it as is… and untouched?