7:27 am, June 5, 2021
Specialist Aston Martin dealer Nicholas Mee & Co has put up for sale a unique collection of three Aston Martin DB5 Vantages.
The three cars – a DB5 Vantage Coupe, a DB5 Vantage Convertible and a unique DB5 Vantage Shooting Brake – are described as the ‘ultimate Vantage collection’, and being offered to the market for a cool £4m.
Aston Martin, under the helm of David Brown, only built 1,021 DB5s between July 1963 and September 1965, before the car was replaced by the cam-tailed DB6.
But the Vantage models were rarer still. Aston took the standard DB5 and enlarged its 3.7-litre straight-six engine to 4.0-litres, and hiked power from 282bhp to 322bhp, cutting the 0-60mph to just 6.5 seconds. Fewer than 70 DB5s with the Vantage specification were made.
The DB5 Coupe in the collection is finished in Silver Birch with a black leather interior – a combination made famous by the DB5 used in the James Bond films. It’s one of the 60 Vantage specification Coupes made.
The Convertible, meanwhile, is rarer still and is one of five drop-top DB5 Vantages built. It’s finished in Caribbean Pearl Blue with a White Gold hide interior and a matching hood.
The Shooting Brake is a one-off, however, and was reputedly first built to accommodate former Aston Martin chairman David Brown’s gundog and polo equipment.
The more practical estate version of the DB5 proved so popular that 11 customers requested the new design.
The unique car offered for sale by Nicholas Mee & Co was commissioned by dealers Cyril Williams of Wolverhampton, and is the only Vantage example to have left the factory.
With a hand-built aluminium body built by London based coachbuilders Harold Radford & Sons, this Shooting Brake was delivered to its first owner in 1966 and is finished in California Sage over Red hides.
All three cars are fully restored and were collected over a 12-year period.
Company founder Nicholas Mee said: ‘In the 40 or more years I have been dealing in Aston Martin cars, I have never been more excited than to offer this fabulous collection of iconic DB5 Vantages.
‘Each one of them extremely rare, they are all in a beautifully restored condition and we are delighted to bring to market, this once in a lifetime opportunity for a collector to invest in this unique DB5 Vantage collection.
‘The DB5 is the most iconic Aston Martin model ever produced during Aston Martin’s 108-year history, of building cars. This collection of DB5 Vantages, covering every body style manufactured, I feel sure, will forever be recognised as the ultimate Vantage collection.’
The trio will be on display to the public for the very first time at the annual London Concours event, being held in the grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company’s HQ in the City of London, over three days starting on June 8, 2021.
