To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Monterey event, 15 - 17
August 2019.
Estimate:
$1,350,000 - $1,500,000
- Believed to be the 1963 Earls Court Motor Show car
- Factory demonstration model and recorded history from new
- Fully restored by Aston Martin Works
The Aston Martin DB5 is easily one of the most recognizable cars in
the world. Seeing one calls to mind the image of Sean Connery
casually leaning against the Silver Birch example that propelled
Aston Martin to the height of international acclaim. The DB5's
association with the gentleman spy ensured the model's instant
success�indeed, over 1,000 were produced during the two-year model
run. Equipped with a soft top that was perhaps more Dr. No than
Goldfinger, the convertible version of the DB5 was released shortly
before the movie reached audiences. Described as "extremely elegant
and completely practical," the new convertible lacked none of the
successful features of the saloon�excepting those superspy
gadgets.
Just 123 convertibles would be built before production ceased, of
which 85 were right-hand-drive, though this was not due to lack of
interest. Priced at �4,490, the convertible cost well above the
average house price of the time, assuring that only a privileged
few were able to afford one. The epitome of British elegance and
class, celebrities snapped them up�Peter Sellers, Beryl Reid, and
even HRH Princess Margaret could be spotted in a DB5 convertible.
The passing decades have only added to the allure of the DB5. With
continued cameos in the most recent James Bond blockbusters, the
DB5 has become more than just an accessory and is now afforded as
much attention as the stars of the films themselves. Far from being
the car driven by aging British gentlemen, the DB5 convertible has
been the mainstay of young thirty-something stars and easily drops
jaws wherever it is seen.
The DB5 convertible offered here is a particularly special example.
Just the fifth convertible chassis ever numbered, DB5C/1255/R was
allocated the role of selling the new model as an Aston Martin
Works demonstrator. Specified in its current color combination of
Caribbean Pearl over Dark Blue Connolly leather, the car was fitted
with an overdrive four-speed gearbox, chrome road wheels, and a
Motorola radio and power aerial. The car was registered CMV 1A. It
is also believed to be the very same convertible that was displayed
at the 1963 Earls Court Motor Show�the very one models Barbara
Roscoe and Honor Blackman are pictured fawning over. Undoubtedly
the car was presented to numerous potential buyers and journalists
during the first year of its life, and we know that in 1964 the car
appeared again at Silverstone for demonstration purposes.
After being used by Works, the convertible was fully reconditioned
and sold to its first private owner, Mr. G.B.R. Gray, Esq., of East
Lothian. In November 1965, having covered a mere 21,400 miles, the
car returned to the factory for a replacement engine. In the early
1970s the car changed hands several times with apparently only
light use from each owner. In June 1983 the car was purchased by
Mr. Greaves, and a new chapter would begin in the car's life.
Mr. Greaves would go on to own the convertible for close to 25
years, and it is believed that he researched and collated the
extensive history of the car, which is available on file. It is a
testament to his care that the car came to be sold to its current
owner in generally good condition in 2007, having covered a mere
19,246 miles in the 24 years of his ownership.
During its current ownership, chassis 1255/R was sent to Aston
Martin Works at Newport Pagnell for a full body-off restoration to
their exacting standards. Every element of the car was restored,
and the car returned to its original factory specification of
October 1963. This restoration is recorded in a photographic file
that accompanies the car. In 2019 the car was awarded Best of Show
at the Techno Classica in Essen in recognition of the high quality
of the work carried out.
This stunning DB5 convertible is ready to be fawned over once
again, just as it had been 56 years ago.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo19.
