THE 18TH ANNUAL ASTON MARTIN SALE, HELD AT ASTON MARTIN WORKS IN NEWPORT PAGNELL AND HOSTED BY INTERNATIONAL AUCTION HOUSE BONHAMS, ACHIEVED OVER £5 MILLION LAST WEEKEND
15 May, 2017, Newport Pagnell.- One of the surprise stars of the show was a 1996 Aston Martin V8 Sportsman Estate Car, one of only three created, originally converted to its shooting brake format at Aston Martin Works. The rather unique and bespoke Aston Martin sold for an incredible £337,500.
Another highlight was a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, which took £561,500, making it the top lot of the day. The iconic car drew many bids and eventually went to a telephone bidder who now owns a piece of automotive history. Other early ‘DB’ models proved popular: a 1961 DB4 ‘Series III’ 4.2-Litre Sports Saloon achieving £399,100 and a 1970 DB6 Mark 2 Vantage Sports Saloon selling for £382,300.
The 2017 Aston Martin Sale also celebrated more modern cars. A 1989 V8 Vantage Volante ‘X-Pack’ 7.0-Litre, achieved £387,900 after a long bidding exchange between two keen bidders whilst the 1997 Vantage V600 Coupé realised £253,500 and the 2000 Vantage Le Mans Coupé sold for £309,500.
Aston Martin President and CEO, Dr Andy Palmer said: “We are very proud of our heritage at Aston Martin so it is fascinating to hear about the histories of the cars that come up for sale at these auctions. Some of our cars have led extremely interesting lives.”
Tim Schofield, Head of Bonhams Motoring Department added: “Even in our 18th year at Aston Martin Works, we are seeing a continued interest and enthusiasm for our sale. Bonhams prides itself on the breadth of its offerings at auction, and despite its single-marque status, this sale is no different. With lots ranging from a barn-find projects to race-ready lightweight competition cars, this sale had something for all admirers of the Aston Martin and Lagonda marques. We look forward to continued success at our Festival of Speed sale on 30 June.”
New cars haven’t been built at Aston Martin Works since 2007 when production moved to Gaydon. Aston Martin Works devotes unrivalled skill and experience to preserving Aston Martin’s heritage but this year that is set to change. It was announced late last year that the iconic DB4 G.T. would be brought back to life by Aston Martin Works, making it the first Aston Martin to built at Newport Pagnell since 2007. Just 25 track-only continuation cars will be built.
Source: Aston Martin
Photograph: Max Earey/Aston Martin
