The lead car for the Bonhams Aston Martin Works 2019 sale is a 1963 DB4 Series V convertible (estimate £680,000 – £750,000).
Bonhams is offering 70 Aston Martin and Lagonda cars for its 20th annual Aston Martin Works Sale on 19 May 2019. The lead car is a 1963 Aston Martin DB4 Series V convertible (£680,000 – £750,000). The sale will also feature several models that were used in James Bond movies including an iconic 1965 Aston Martin DB5 (£620,000 – £680,000). The oldest car in the sale is a 1952 Lagonda 2.6-litre Drophead Coupé designed by W.O. Bentley The Zagatos will be on offer, the odd “project”, automobilia, and a tractor.
Bonhams Aston Martin Sale 2019
The 20th edition of the Bonhams Aston Martin Works Sale, dedicated to the Aston Martin and Lagonda marques, will be staged for the first time at the Wormsley Estate in the Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire, on Sunday 19 May 2019, home of a world-famous cricket ground, in conjunction with the Aston Martin Owners Club concours.
Top Cars at Bonhams Aston Martin Sale 2019
Nearly seventy years of British automotive history will be offered at the 2019 Bonhams Aston Martin Sale, from a 1952 Lagonda to a 2019 Vanquish Zagato shooting brake, with every decade of production represented. This includes the top lot, a 1963 Aston Martin DB4 series V convertible, one of only 70 ever made.
This example bears the ‘Gold Standard’ certificate of the Aston Martin Assured Provenance, a bumper-to-bumper inspection to assess the originality, condition and historical significance of the company’s Heritage cars. It has the sale’s top estimate of £680,000 – £750,000.
Bond Aston Martins at Bonhams 2019
Naturally an Aston Martin sale would not be complete without a line-up of ‘Bond’ cars and this sale features examples of models which have appeared with 007 on the silver screen. Unfortunately, none that were actually used in the films, which is good news for price-conscious buyers.
The most iconic of these is, of course, the DB5 which famously featured in Goldfinger, Thunderball and Goldeneye,as well as Casino Royale and Skyfall. A 1965 example, estimated at £620,000 – £680,000, is offered in the classic cinematic finish of silver birch paintwork and black leather interior. Subject to a comprehensive restoration last year, the DB5 is “ready to delight its next custodian”.
In 1969, a DBS sports saloon starred alongside George Lazenby as the secret agent in the sixth Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Bonhams is offering an original UK market, right-hand drive example from the same year, estimate £100,000 – £120,000, fitted with desirable ZF five-speed manual transmission.
By the late 80s, Timothy Dalton had taken on the role of 007, driving a V8 Vantage in the 1987 film The Living Daylights. The sale features two examples from that year, both finished in metallic ‘Chichester blue’: the first, one of only 131 genuine originals ‘X-Pack’ Sports Saloons, has covered 78,000 miles from new and comprises an ‘exceptional’ history file. Estimate £320,000 – £360,000.
The second is an X-Pack V8 Vantage Volante (£300,000 – £350,000) which at the time was the world’s fastest convertible, achieving cruising speeds well in excess of 150mph. This car is one of only 109 ever built.
Aston Martin Zagatos at Bonhams 2019
The Bonhams sale also features three Zagato models, designed by the renowned Italian coachbuilding firm or ‘Carrozzeria’, which is celebrating its centenary this year and whose relationship with Aston Martin dates back to the 1960s, with the introduction of the DB4 GT. (Bonhams sold one of them – the 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, chassis 0183/R, registration number 2 VEV – for $13,315,899 at the Goodwill Festival of Speed 2018.)
The more modern Zagatos offered at Wormsley include the most recent edition, a 2019 Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake (£625,000 – £750,000), the 68th of only 99 built, featuring a 580bhp 6.0-litre V12 engine capable of 0-62mph acceleration in just 3.5 seconds.
This example of the Gran Turismo supercar with its renowned ‘double bubble’ profile, features a unique specification and is one of only three believed to have the bronze front and rear grilles. Finished in lava red metallic paintwork, with contrasting black leather with red stitching, including the ‘Z’ motifs, this Zagato has covered a mere 43 miles from new.
One of only 27 right-hand drive, manual transmission cars of a total production run of just 52, this very low-mileage (circa 4,200 miles from new), 1986 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato Coupé (£420,000 – £480,000), is presented in its original colour scheme of Lightning Silver with Burgundy interior trim and features the registration number VZ 268. Arguably the pinnacle of the V8 era, the V8 Vantage Zagato Coupé now forms the centrepiece of many important Aston Martin collections.
The roadster DB AR1 was born of the favourable reception given to the DB7 V12 Vantage-based coupé, which recalled the sublime looks of the original DB4 GT Zagato. This 2004 DB AR1 Roadster, number 39 of 99, has covered just over 2000 miles from new. Estimate £300,000 – £350,000.
Further Aston Martin 2019 Sale Highlights
A few further interesting lots at the Bonhams Aston Martin 2019 Sale include:
1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 3.0-Litre Sports Saloon
With the introduction of the ‘2+2’ DB2/4 in October 1953, Aston Martin extended the DB2’s appeal to the increasingly important market of ‘sports car enthusiasts with a family’.
Practicality did not compromise performance as, powered by the 3.0-litre 140bhp ‘VB6J’ engine, the DB2/4 was one of the fastest cars then built in Great Britain – with 100mph achievable in third gear and a maximum speed of around 120mph. This 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 3.0-Litre Sports Saloon (£100,000 – £120,000) is eligible for the Mille Miglia.
1959 DB MkIII Sports Saloon Project
The first and only Mark III Sports Saloon with automatic transmission was delivered new to California and is now offered as a restoration project. This left-hand drive example, 1959 DB MkIII Sports Saloon (£85,000 – £115,000) would be the ideal basis for restoration. A dismantled 3.0-litre engine is included in the sale, together with a Borg Warner automatic transmission and a David Brown manual gearbox, giving the new owner the option to fit their preferred transmission during the transmission.
1952 Lagonda 2.6-litre Drophead Coupé
The oldest car on offer on 19 May was originally designed and engineered by W.O. Bentley, who was responsible for the 2.6-litre, six-cylinder, twin-overhead-camshaft engine. The elegant lines of the 1952 Lagonda 2.6-litre Drophead Coupé with their Italianate flair, fashioned by Frank Feeley, may have been a nostalgic nod to the pre-war Lagondas, but the car featured the advanced all-round independent suspension. Estimate £70,000 – £80,000.
Automobilia at the Bonhams Aston Martin 2019 Sale
As ever, the Aston Martin sale will also contain fascinating examples of automobilia associated with the marque, including:
- A fine Javan Smith 1:8 scale scratch-built model of the 1963 Monza-winning Aston Martin ‘DP214’– est £2,000 – £3,000
- A rare ‘Agents for Lagonda Cars’ enamel sign – est £1,300 – £1,800
- Pre-war tool roll for 1.5Litre Aston Martin – est £500 – £800
- A plethora of ‘Bond‘ related items including several photographs of the various 007 cars, signed by the actors, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig et al.
Finally, of interest to the ‘gentleman or gentlewoman’ farmer or keen Aston Martin collector, is the 1970 David Brown 990 Selectamatic Tractor. This remarkable piece of agricultural machinery was produced by the family firm of the former Aston Martin owner, with ‘David Brown Ltd’ being one of the UK’s largest post-war tractor manufacturers. Estimate £7,000 – £10,000.
As with most million-dollar-plus cars, prices for top Aston Martin cars have been weaker recently than a few years ago. Top cars rarely achieve million dollars laterly and usually sell for just below the mark. However, interest in the marque remains strong. Not only is Bonhams Aston Martin sale in its 20th version, but RM Sotheby’s announced a third Aston Martin-only day to its annual Monterey sale scheduled for August 2019.
