Lot 137: 1968 Aston Martin DBS Saloon

Although always intended to house the new Tadek Marek-designed V8 engine, the Aston Martin DBS first appeared with the 4.0-litre ‘six’ of the concurrently produced DB6. Styled in-house by Bill Towns, the beautiful DBS caused quite a stir, Autocar magazine observing that: “Without the aid of an Italian stylist the Newport Pagnell team came up with something as modern, handsome and Italianate as anything from the Turin coachbuilders at that time.”
Beneath its shapely exterior 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. Larger and more luxuriously appointed than the DB6, the heavier DBS disappointed some by virtue of its slightly reduced performance, but the Vantage version’s top speed of 140mph and a standing quarter-mile time of 16.3 seconds were highly respectable figures nonetheless. Assessing the virtues of Aston’s new flagship, Autocar judged it superior to the DB6 in many areas, the bigger DBS offering four full-sized seats in addition to transformed handling and roadholding courtesy of the new rear suspension and standardised power steering.
Restored over the past 12 years, this example benefits from a rebuilt engine and chassis, re-wired electrics and a bare-metal repaint. A change of transmission type from manual to automatic is the only deviation from factory specification listed, and the vendor advises us that all information relating to the rebuild, including a photographic record, will be supplied within the comprehensive file accompanying the car. Finished in dark silver (anthracite) with blue interior, the vehicle is offered with sundry invoices, road fund licence to April 2006, MoT to December 2005 and Swansea V5 registration document.