Aston Martin DBS PROTOTYPE

PROTOTYPEThe Aston Martins that followed the DB6 were very obviously from the pen of a different designer. They took their aesthetic cues from the design zeitgeist of the 60s and 70s, not the 40s and 50s. They also tipped an unapologetic and undisguised nod to America’s muscle cars – the Ford Mustang in particular. After the DB6 came the DBS, still with a six-cylinder engine and patiently awaiting the arrival of a V8 that promised to give the car the grunt to go with the grace. Although the esteemed design house Carrozzeria Touring of Milan had been commissioned to pen the new Aston, the two prototypes it made were deemed to be disappointing, old-fashioned and lacking the impact demanded of a Newport Pagnell product. Initially launched in 1967 with a 4.0 litre straight-six engine, the muscular fastback grand tourer developed 280 bhp. A factory option Vantage engine, fitted with special camshafts and triple Weber carburettors, increased this power output to 325 bhp. It was another two years before the Tadek Marek 5.3 litre V8 was ready and, although power was slightly down on the Vantage-spec 6, the DBSV8 was for a time the fastest four-seater production car in the world. No stranger to either the silver or small screen, the DBS gained fame transporting George Lazenby’s 007 in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ and later cemented its celebrity as the car of Roger Moore’s aristocratic Lord Brett Sinclair in ‘The Persuaders’. Both six-cylinder and V8 powered models were produced until 1972 when, no longer under David Brown’s control and so dropping the DB reference, the company went forward with a single restyled variant marketed as the Aston Martin V8.This extremely important and ultra rare Aston Martin DBS has recently undergone a sympathetic thorough restoration which included a bare metal respray in metallic Lagoon Blue, new carpets throughout and has had four new Weber 45 DCOE carburettors fitted and has had its wheels refurbished which now look fabulous as does indeed the rest of the car. This car was once owned by the prolific car collector Nigel Dawes, who had one of the most desirable classic car collections in the world. In 1969 a new gearbox was fitted. Although, it was whilst in Nigel Dawes ownership in January 1970 that the present engine was installed and is shown on the chassis plate that the letter P is after the engine number denoting ‘Prototype’. This engine was known as the Lola Aston Martin V8 engine, which was subsequently utilized in Eric Broadley’s Lola Sports Car entry to Le Mans in its coupé sports car and owing to its physical size, the bonnet had to be reshaped to incorporate it within the engine bay. This Aston Martin DBS was the first privately owned car to achieve the performance for which it was designed and also, this actual car is featured in two important books; “Aston Martin V8s” by E.Wilson McComb and “Aston Martin DB - 70 Years” by Andrew Noakes, showing it photographically and with editorial. The car’s documented history of works carried out between 1968 and 1970 can be seen in the history file and was provided by Aston Engineering of Derby to our client. This is a fantastic opportunity to acquire a piece of Aston Martin history which was good enough for one of the world’s greatest classic car collectors and would sit proudly in anyone’s collection, museum or simply enjoy on the road.
This 1968 Aston Martin DBS PROTOTYPE Coupe is currently available for £180,000 in Surrey with Petrol engine and Manual gearbox. For more information or to arrange a viewing, click here to send us an email using form below.