1971 Aston Martin DBS V8

This manual DBSV8 comes to us with, we think, more history than we’ve ever seen accompany pretty much any car we’ve seen.

Every one of its 52 years is documented and accounted for in forensic detail.

We know where it’s been, what it’s been doing, who’s done what to it, what they did, and how much it cost. 

Here’s the potted version.

We believe that this was the 133rd DBSV8 to roll off the production line. 

We further believe that the now green car was a one-off shade of ‘Circassian Blue’ when new.

We understand that it was delivered new to Lord Kadoorie in Hong Kong, a billionaire industrialist whose family had done more than perhaps any other to transform Hong Kong from a steamy swamp to a commercial powerhouse.

Among many other properties and assets, the family owned the Peninsular Hotel.

The car was sold in around 1975 to an English solicitor in Hong Kong, then to a Chinese jeweller, also in Hong Kong.

At around this time, the car was resprayed white.

In 1981, when the car had 30,455 miles on the odometer, it was bought by a Captain Hewitt (no, not that one) and shipped to the UK, where it was put into storage for a decade.

The Captain (who later became a Major) spent over £25,000 on a 7 month ground-up, nut and bolt restoration of the car, including a full engine rebuild.

All of this work is documented.

The car was then sold to a Mr. Tweedie of Scotland, prior to being auctioned and bought by the current vendor in 2002 - at which point the mileage had increased to 34,913.

While in the current vendor’s ownership the car has had money and time lavished upon it as necessary, as evidenced by countless bills, invoices and receipts for work done, including having the engine rebuilt by Aston specialist Tim Bissett in 2003/4 and much other work carried out by, among others, ‘Enginuity’ of Acton.

Today, the mileage is just 43,631.

The car starts, runs and drives perfectly well and was last serviced in January 2023.

We struggled to turn the heater off and soon found ourselves breaking into a light sweat while driving the car. It’s more than possible that the fault lies with us, not the car. 

We don’t know.

From a few feet away the car presents well and is, to our eyes, a very fetching shade of metallic green.

The panels are broadly decent and the shut-lines and panel gaps are pretty crisp and consistent. 

Get a little closer and you’ll start to see a few cosmetic issues here and there.

There are some small dents around the base of the aerial on the o/s/r wing and there is bubbling to be seen in both front wings and the doors.

There is some spilt and cracked paint, plus a little bubbling, on the nearside ‘A’ pillar.

There is some blistering to the paint beneath the windscreen (which has a big crack in it), some stone chips on the bonnet and ‘nose’ of the car, various scuffs and scratches on the passenger-side flank, a few scratches on the roof, a small crack and some rust at the forward base of the o/s/r wheel arch, and some paint has chipped away where the rear edge of the boot lid has been rubbing on the twin fuel filler flaps.

The front and rear valances are pretty scruffy and are missing some paint.

The wheels, chrome and badging are pretty reasonable.

The interior is following more or less the same script as its exterior counterpart inasmuch as in good in parts, less so in others and in need of a little help here and there.

The tan leather upholstery is actually in really quite impressive condition, front and back, and the seats are comfortable and supportive. 

The door cards are showing some cracks to the leather but are not by any means beyond salvation. 

The headlining is rather grubby and is coming away at the rear.

The back board to the driver’s seat is making a bid for freedom from the rest of the seat.

The leather trim on the inside of the nearside ‘C’ pillar is frayed and unattached.

The footwells and the passenger-side of the transmission tunnel are missing their allocated black carpeting, and the handbrake gaiter is ripped and frayed.

We couldn’t find a way to open the glove compartment (you may fare better).

The radio is missing.

We didn’t tweak every lever, press every knob or flick every switch on the dashboard, but those we did tweak, press and flick did as they were told without delay or complaint (except for the ‘off’ switch on the heater, which seemed reluctant to obey our commands). 

The boot, which contains a spare wheel, is decidedly scruffy.

The engine bay is clean, dry and tidy. 

Everything appears to be in its right and proper place, and it looks like an engine that’s only covered 43,000 miles.

The car’s undersides look to have a decent amount of structural integrity, as far as we can tell. 

Clearly, you’ll want to see for yourself. 

As we said earlier, we don’t recall seeing a car of this age with quite such a complete and comprehensive history.

From its earliest servicing and maintenance in Hong Kong right through to January 20023, it’s all covered, documented, accounted for and recorded.

It’s really quite extraordinary. 

Its current MoT certificate, which is valid until 19.1.24, comes with no advisories. 

Yes, there are a few jobs to be done to help this pedigree Aston Martin recapture all, most or some of its former glory.

But the epic history shows us that this car has been thoroughly restored (twice) and had its engine rebuilt (twice), and also that no-one has thought to cut corners or make compromises in the car’s care, curation and upkeep.

With that in mind, we’re confident that the underlying quality, and low mileage, of this splendid vehicle will make the time and effort required to get it back to its best more than worthwhile.

We are happy to offer this fine car for auction with an estimate in the range of £40,000 - £50,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.