1966 Aston MArtin DB6 MK1 Vantage

• One of only 268 Mk1s built in right-hand drive with the desirable Vantage specification
• Originally finished in Fiesta Red and supplied to Eton Motor Group on 15/04/1966 as their dealer demonstrator
• Well presented history in four volumes. Valuations, MOTs, and literally hundreds of invoices
• Hundreds of thousands of pounds invested over the years in engine rebuilds, resprays and restorations
• Fully documented bare shell restoration in 2014 by Classic and Sports Cars Essex
• Now superbly finished in Pacific Blue with Royal Blue carpets and tan leather
• Continuing maintenance and attention (ú16,000 2015/2016) and now as good as it's ever been

According to its Heritage Certificate, this delightful Aston Martin DB6 (#DB6/2613/R) was completed by the factory on 18/03/1966, finished in Fiesta Red with a black leather interior. It was factory-fitted with a Vantage engine, chrome wheels, heated rear window, Three-ear hub-caps, powered aerial, Fiamm horns, and Avon Turbospeed GT tyres. On 15/04/1966 it was despatched to HR Owen Ltd for onward delivery to the Eton Motor Group of Slough who had ordered the car as their demonstrator. The original green logbook records the first registered owner as a John Winter Jackson who hailed from Scunthorpe and signed the logbook on 24/01/1967.

There simply is not space here to attempt to document the next 50 odd years of 2613's exciting life but there are acres of history contained in four, immaculately presented history files which we imagine will take at least an hour to read. We would respectfully suggest that any seriously interested parties go through that process as there is a lot to take in.

The car has been enjoyed by a number of keepers, all of whom appear to have been prepared to invest in this Mk1 Vantage judging by the file. It has had three changes of colour, at least two full restorations, half a dozen partial restorations, several engine rebuilds and lots of mechanical attention with the files neatly displaying hundreds of invoices totalling several hundred thousand pounds. It's worth noting here that DB Astons are much easier than other marques to fully respray as the engine bay, floorpan and boot area are painted black from the start and there is no need to remove the engine, suspension, headlining and trim unless you really want to. Interestingly, DB Astons are one of the few cars that are not affected financially by a colour change, provided the work is carried out to a very high standard.

The two dozen old MOT certificates in the file make interesting reading and suggest that the speedometer head has been changed a couple of times or maybe the odometer was zeroed, presumably to coincide with major restorations. This selection of MOTs will illustrate the point; 20/08/1970 at 45,841miles, 18/05/1977 at 89,650, 11/07/1981 at 13,253 (possibly round the clock), 09/07/2002 at 21,285, 30/08/2003 at 2,367, 11/08/2017 at 19,292 miles. The car spent approximately ten years in Germany (1992-2002) with one owner who, judging by the number of invoices in his name in the file, was incredibly fastidious. The engine appears to have been rebuilt twice and during the first of these was fitted with Cosworth pistons, Carillo rods and the crank was lightened, balanced and nitrided, however, whether that remains the case, we know not.

An invoice from Newlands Motors dated 09/07/2013 (ú15,794) for a gearbox overhaul and various mechanical works includes the fitting of power steering with the power steering kit listed at ú2,750.

However, a substantial amount of this historical information is academic as the only thing that really matters is the condition of this splendid Aston today. In mid-2014, Classic & Sports Car Essex were entrusted with a further restoration of #2613. The car was Olive Green at this point and its owner fancied a colour change to Pacific Blue. It was hand stripped back to bare aluminium, both door skins were replaced, all the panels were freshly aligned as were the bumpers, the engine bay was fully stripped, primed and painted black, the whole body was etch-primed and the car was painted with a number of coats of the chosen colour. A new headlining and new carpets were hand-cut and fitted and sundry other works were carried out including matching seat belts, a Kenlowe fan, stainless steel exhaust, brake master cylinder upgrade, under bonnet wiring, door shut plates and much more. The Webers were rebuilt and set up, not the work of moments. There are a number of photographs of the restoration in file no.3 and a full list of the dozens of new parts used, all of which were sourced from Aston Martin Newport Pagnell. The car was carefully reassembled and when the refurbished wheels fitted with new Michelin XWX tyres arrived back from Turrino Wheels (ú3,079) it completed the transformation.

Since the completion of these works, it would appear from invoices from Excaliber Engineering and Classic & Retro that a further ú15,000 has been spent on ongoing servicing, maintenance and upkeep during 2015/16 and, naturally, full details are in the files. From 2017 onwards the Aston has formed part of a private collection and very lightly used.

Whilst this stunning, matching numbers Aston would make an impressive addition to any international collection and would surely be welcome at the most prestigious classic car events anywhere, we can't help feeling that it's best years are still ahead. Make no mistake, these are now rare cars. The factory only produced 268 Mk1 DB6 Saloons to a Vantage specification and very few of these were fitted with the manual 5-speed gearbox - the ultimate incarnation! This is a significant opportunity to own an important car which, whilst almost certainly a wise investment, is totally usable and a delight to drive.