A V8 bruiser, a V12 flagship and a DB9 with an Italian twist, here are the latest Astons to find new homes...
Between the gorgeous DB6 and the elegant DB7, Aston went through a particularly brutish era of design. The original V8 Vantage was a proper bruiser with muscular looks and devastating performance, while the run-out V600 paired a twin-supercharged V8 with a surprisingly racy chassis. Both cars, book-ending a 21-year production run for the Vantage platform, can trace their roots back to the achingly beautiful DBS, much like the car you see here. This 1970 example is one of the early V8 models, featuring the same 5.3-litre engine that would go on to power a good chunk of Aston Martin's portfolio for decades. Finished in stunning olive green and with just 67,770 miles on the clock, this sublime DBS V8 sold at auction for an impressive £64,320 including the buyer’s fee. A tidy return for the seller, while the buyer drives away in the V8 that started it all.
Goodness, Aston Martin knows how to name a car. Vantage, Valkyrie, Valhalla, even ‘DB’ suffixed with a number is enough to send goosebumps up your arm. But there’s something extra special about Vanquish. While the company now deals in multi-million pound, mid-engine hypercars and luxury SUVs, the Vanquish once marked the absolute pinnacle of what Aston Martin had to offer. That was certainly the case with the second-generation Vanquish you see here, with looks derived from the ultra-limited One-77 and a 5.9-litre naturally aspirated V12 producing 565hp. So beautiful was the second iteration that it's almost impossible to find a dodgy spec, and this pearl white-over-red leather example is certainly not one of them. These were £200k-plus cars back in 2012, but 14 years and 41,119 miles have brought this example down to £62,990. And yet, it still plays Aston Martin’s flagship to perfection.
Oh look, another grey Aston Martin. For good reason, of course. Ian Callum’s designs always look spectacular in silvers and greys, which we all know Bond was rather partial to. However, this is no ordinary grey DB9, because it was specially ordered in Grigio Titanio. That’s a colour straight from the Ferrari palette, if the name wasn’t already a giveaway, and is said to give a slight blue hue in the right light. It’s truly a stunning shade that only accentuates the DB9’s timeless shape. This would have doubtless been an incredibly pricey option when new, having come straight from Aston Martin’s Q personalisation division, and has just changed hands for £29,469 nearly 20 years on. A slight premium over a 'regular' grey DB9, perhaps, but who could resist an Aston Martin in an Italian suit?
Yes, you read that correctly. While this DB4 has all the hallmarks of the later DB5, from the swooping front end to the recessed triple-stacked rear lights, it is, in fact, one of the later Series VI cars in the highly coveted Vantage SS (or Special Series) guise. That means it gets the smoother headlight and nose design from the DB4 GT, which would ultimately make its way onto the DB5, as well as the now-iconic seven-bar grille. Vantages were also more powerful than standard DB4s, though this stunning 1962 example features an upgraded 4.2-litre engine with Cosworth pistons and electronic ignition. Not to mention the extensive restoration work it’s been treated to over the years, and a colour change to Aston’s legendary Almond Green. The original price is hidden behind a POA, but if the going rate of a standard DB4 Series IV is somewhere in the region of half a million, you can be sure a rarer, meticulously cared-for Vantage SS would have commanded considerably more.
If proof was ever needed of how strong Aston Martin’s design language was during the 2000s, the Rapide is it. Remember when Porsche launched the Panamera? It looked like a 911 had swallowed a larger, frumpier four-door coupe. The Rapide, meanwhile, had all the elegance of a DB9 with (just) enough room inside for four occupants and Aston’s tried and true 5.9-litre V12 providing a soundtrack to match. Naturally, this 2010 car was especially popular with bidders, with excellent service history, a superb spec and low mileage all proving mighty appealing to prospective buyers. The final sale price came in at £26,000 including the buyer’s premium, marking a strong result for the seller and leaving the buyer with one of the prettiest four-door GTs ever built.
If you’d like to sell an Aston Martin or any other premium, performance or collectable car, please submit your car’s details here and a consignor will be in touch. Or, if you’d prefer to list your car on the PistonHeads classifieds, you can do so here.
*Auction car prices shown are inclusive of the buyer’s fee, which is 6% of the selling price + VAT, with a minimum of £695 + VAT.
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