1966 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage

This factory Vantage was built for the home market on 10th February 1966 and despatched to its first owner via H.R. Owen Limited.

It left the factory with a Silver Birch exterior and Dark Blue interior trim, Vantage engine, chromed wire wheels, heated rear window, three-eared wheel hub spinners, Motorola radio and a powered aerial.

The chassis number - DB6/2506/R - tells us that this very early DB6 was the 155th of 1,788 built and one of just 270 factory Vantages.

Eagle-eyed sleuths among you will have noticed that the car’s V5 suggests that it was first registered in the UK in 1989.

Well, not quite.

We understand that the car was initially registered in the UK with the registration JYN17D. That number is no longer in use but may still be recoverable through the DVLA if you ask them nicely.

We also understand - and this is almost certainly the reason for the V5 confusion - that the car was exported to Sweden in the mid 1970s. It stayed in Sweden until 1988, when it was repatriated to the UK and issued with a new registration number in 1989.

At some point during its life the car was resprayed in a different colour.

We know this because there is a record in the car’s service history of a glass-out respray to its original Silver Birch in 2000, with the work carried out by G&M Motors.

This, along with a great deal of other work, was conducted during the tenure of the vendor, who has owned the car since 1992 and has been resolutely diligent in his fastidious curation of this outstanding example.

We have driven the car and can attest to the fact that it is clearly in very decent mechanical and dynamic health.

It feels properly screwed together, expertly fettled and thoroughly in command of its 325 horses.

It picks up pace enthusiastically, handles with oodles of poise and balance, and does everything in its considerable power to make the driver feel very special indeed.

This, more than any other DB6 Vantage we’ve encountered, illustrates just why it was the supercar saloon of its day and was rightly regarded as being a phenomenal piece of British automotive engineering and craftsmanship.

The car presents exceedingly handsomely from every angle and is a strong visual reminder of just how well-proportioned and classy the DB6 undoubtedly is.

In our opinion, Federico Formenti and the rest of the design team at Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera really knocked it out of the park with the DB6.

The panel gaps and shut-lines are as crisp, consistent and even as you can hope and expect of a car that was hand-built in some Newport Pagnell sheds by chaps called Fred and Albert.

That’s to say, they’re very good, but probably slightly different from those you’d find on any other DB6.

This car has been used and enjoyed.

It’s not a museum piece, it hasn’t spent its life in a hermetically sealed display case, and it’s neither claiming nor pretending to be in concours condition.

So, while the bodywork is largely very straight and true, and the paintwork is mostly vibrant and shiny, there are one or two cosmetic deviations from perfection if you look closely.

Well, we have looked closely (that’s our job), and all we could find to moan about are the following pretty insignificant blips and blemishes.

There is some paint peeling just above the front number plate; a few small dents, scratches and scuffs at both ends of the front bumper; some pitting in evidence on both bumpers; a small patch of bubbling just below the offside headlamp; a scratch and a chip or two on the o/s/f wing and the driver’s door; a small dent above the driver’s door handle and another on the roof above the driver; a small dent near the filler cap on the o/s/r wing; a couple of spots of bubbling at the bottom of the boot lid and a chip adjacent to its offside edge; a small dent beneath the handle on the passenger door; a more prominent scratch on the n/s/f wing by the headlamp; and a few minor stone chips here and there on the windscreen.

The chromed wire wheels look very tidy. All 5 are shod in 185 VR15 Pirelli Cinturato rubber that dates from May 2019.

It’s a very similar story of good curation, quality and preservation on the inside, where the overall condition is a tribute to the quality of the craftsmanship, and the quality of the materials, that people rightly expected when they bought a car as expensive as an Aston Martin DB6 Vantage.

But, as it’s all largely original as far as we can see, and the car is now 60 years old, it has acquired an entirely appropriate level of patina.

Yes, there are some creases and signs of wear to the outer bolsters of the front seats, but they look good, feel good and are as supportive as they are comfortable.

The leather trim elsewhere is following a similar script in terms of condition, as are the carpets and mats, door cards and headlining.

The delightfully analogue dashboard, binnacle and centre console are all in decent condition for the car’s age and use and, as far as we’re aware, all buttons, knobs, switches, dials, levers and instruments do what they’re supposed to do without hesitation, deviation or repetition.

We noticed that the rev counter seems a trifle erratic.

We understand that the car is now on its 5th odometer/speedometer due to the failure of previous units in May ’92, October ’00, May ’01 and September ’05.

Tadek Marek’s fine engine takes centre-stage in the engine bay and everything on and ancillary to it looks present, correct, clean, dry and orderly from what we can see.

The car’s undersides also look sound and solid to us, and nothing we’ve seen has given us any cause to frown, tut or otherwise question the car’s integrity, character, motives or personal hygiene.

It all looks good to us.

The car’s most recent full service was carried out by Cross Lanes Classic Cars Ltd in January 2026 and included replacing both brake servos, replacing both gearbox mounts, replacing both front anti-roll bar D bushes, replacing the engine damper, replacing the engine oil cooler, replacing a faulty passenger-side lift motor, carrying out a carburettor rebuild, and removing and refitting the starter motor.

Evidently, there was additional work in May 2026 aimed at rectifying the reasons for its MoT failure.

The car passed its MoT resit exam with flying colours and now has an MoT certificate that’s valid until 10th May 2027.

The car comes with a typed-up list of all works carried out since 1989. We have seen no history that predates that year.

The list is a veritable Who’s Who of the great and the good in the world of Aston Martin maintenance and repair and includes RS Williams, Tyrrell Engineering, RG Bate Engineering, Aston Engineering, The Aston Workshop and, on numerous occasions, Aston Martin Lagonda themselves.

The irony today, of course, is that although the DB6 was a better car than its DB5 predecessor in almost every measurable way, even very average examples of the latter are worth double a concours example of the former – all thanks to the enduring appeal of a fictional character who never actually owned or drove a DB5 in any of Ian Fleming’s novels.

All of which means, however, that although a DB6 Vantage as good as this is never going to be a cheap car, it is without doubt exceptional value when compared to the eye-watering prices commanded by any DB5.

We have seen a few DB6s in our time and we can say with some certainty that this is the best one we’ve driven so far.

It is a fabulous car and we fully expect it to attract the strong bidding it so clearly merits and deserves.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £160,000 - £180,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.