1968 Aston Martin DBS

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 Italian 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 chassis with independent suspension all round: wishbone and coil springs 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 road holding 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 initially fitted with the legendary four litre twin-cam DB6 engine producing 282bhp at 5,500rpm through triple SU carburettors. A total of just 787 DBS' rolled off the production line from 1967-1972.

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.

This right-hand drive Aston Martin DBS is a true barn find. The original factory build sheet confirms it was delivered on the 5th November 1968 to its first owner in Surrey. Factory options included Motorola Radio, Borg Warner DBS, power assisted steering, fog and spot lamps, and air conditioning. It was subsequently purchased by a Mr. Pasqua and registered in Jersey in April 1970.

In regular use in Jersey until 1986, the previous owner decided to put it away in his barn and that is where this DBS has stayed ever since. The speedometer is showing just 30,565 miles and although not warranted, one must consider that in the 18 years it was on the road, most of the miles were carried out on a very small island.

The original 6-cylinder engine number reads 400/3728/S and is mated to an automatic gearbox. The car is essentially complete and is in highly original condition. The original Mink Bronze paintwork is still worn by the car today and the Red Connolly interior is all original. On the face of it, this iconic motor car appears to be in close to original condition, and would make a worthy project. Nevertheless, the whole car is offered in need of a complete restoration. The mechanical condition of the car is unknown. Sold strictly as seen, this DBS '6' represents a fantastic opportunity to acquire a desirable early car, which is prime for restoration or a rebuild to your very own specification.