1969 Aston Martin DBS 6 Sports Saloon

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-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 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 via triple SU carburettors.

This particular DBS was delivered new to Lazenby Garages Ltd, Leicester for their customer, Wood, Bastow & Co Ltd of Selston, Nottinghamshire. The accompanying BMIHT Certificate shows that the DBS was originally finished in Oyster Shell with red interior trim and that it left the factory in January 1969 equipped with Borg Warner automatic transmission, power assisted steering, and a Radiomobile radio.

Our vendor is the owner of a car restoration business and having purchased the DBS in 2007 he had it restored by his own team of craftsmen over a five-year period (2007-2012). Needless to say, the process involved very close attention to detail and a high-quality final Olive Green paint finish. Repairs to the body/chassis included new radius arm mounts and box sections, new inner and outer sills, new boot floor, new lower wing sections, and new door skins. New window glass was installed and the bumpers replaced with new items. In addition, the dashboard was recovered, the Webasto sunroof renewed, and new carpets and door trim panels fitted. Mechanical works undertaken included overhauling the transmission (torque converter, gearbox, and rear axle), re-coring the radiator, reconditioning the brake servos, and rebuilding the carburettors. New wheels, shod with Avon tyres, were fitted also, while the provision of GAZ shock absorbers at the front and conversion to telescopic dampers at the rear are the only notified deviations from factory specification. The original rear radius arms come with the car. The car is also accompanied by paperwork consisting of restoration invoices, a current MOT, a V5C document, and the aforementioned BMIHT Certificate.

This matching-numbers car (confirmed by the certificate and inspection) drives and performs well, with good engine oil pressure. DBS 6 models are finally achieving the recognition they richly deserve, and this competitively guided car opens the door into a very exclusive club of Aston Martin ownership. Now ready to be enjoyed by a new owner, this is one not to be missed and has the potential to be a shrewd investment.