1968 Aston Martin DBS

Produced with more than a year’s worth of man hours in labour, these cars wear hand-beaten aluminium bodywork over the marque’s first fully independently suspended chassis. And on this car those panels have all been removed to allow the structure beneath to be checked and expertly repaired as necessary by Alan Smith Motors, a well-renowned Aston Martin specialist.

This DBS was first registered on 12/9/1968, with the registration number VLW 953G, chassis number DBS/5130/R and engine number 400/3819/S (3995cc straight six engine). It was supplied new to Mr Albert Barker, of Barkers and Sons Shoes. The car was originally supplied in Platinum White with Blue Leather, and with an auto transmission, but the previous owner planned to replace this with a modern, manual five speed unit. As such the car comes with the correct manual pedal box, with clutch pedal assembly, but the gearbox itself will need sourcing. Kits with all the necessary parts are available off the shelf these days. The owner of this DBS has had the car for around 20 years and has progressed the restoration of the car to a point where the outer body panels require stripping back to bare metal and refinishing, at which point the car’s reassembly can commence. The underside of the vehicle has been stripped of all underseal and the sills, outriggers, radius arm points and jacking points have all been replaced by Aston Martin Specialist Alan Smith Motors of New Romney in Kent, who also carried out a few minor chassis repairs at the same time.

The owner says: "There is no rust requiring replacement on the chassis, and the alloy body has had the bottom of its wings repaired, again by ASM. There is no other body corrosion requiring welding, the body now just needs final stripping and painting."

‘The original registration number will be returned to the vehicle on its completion (Aston Martin Owners Club) if required.’

All the mechanical parts are with the vehicle apart from the gearbox. The original engine with matching number is present and was running when removed from the vehicle. The carburettors were overhauled and have not been used since.

The white paintwork will need stripping from this shell as it’s the original finish applied at the Aston Martin factory. That said, this is a car that’s easy to inspect, as all the chassis and body repairs are easily visible.

The bonnet is already stripped to bare metal, as are lower areas of the wings, where repairs to the aluminium have been carried out. These repairs have been completed to a very high standard.

The car’s front bumper is missing so the buyer will need to source a replacement part. The rear bumper is on the car and looks straight and undamaged, but it will require re-chroming. The windscreen trim and corresponding parts around the other glass areas look to be in good shape.

The DBS sits on its original wire wheels, which will also require refurbishment, and we imagine the tyres are well past their sell by date. Nonetheless, this is a rolling shell so it could be loaded on to a car trailer with relative ease.

The car’s very striking blue leather interior was apparently removed many years ago and has been stored separately from the shell. It looks as though it’s in good condition, and with some hide food should hopefully be reusable without any major refurbishment required. The car comes with a full set of new Wilton carpets, complete with the boot set.

Inside the shell the driver’s side dash panel is fitted, along with the major gauges. The floorpans are exposed and look sound.

The 4-litre straight six Aston Martin engine is out of the car. We’re told it was in running order when removed back in the 1980s, and at the very least it’s clearly received some cosmetic tidying at some point, as its clean, with repainted cam covers and accessories.

The repairs to the car’s chassis are easily visible underneath and, as you’d expect with the work being carried out by an experienced and prominent Aston Martin specialist Alan Smith Motors, they look very well executed.

The owner says:

‘This DBS was supplied new to Mr Albert Barker, of Barkers and Sons Shoes. He owned it until August 3rd 1973, when it passed to Mr Keith Brinsden, who I think was the then Aston Martin Owners Club area rep for the Reading area.

‘Mr Brinsden owned the car into the late Eighties, when he sold it to Mr Rodger Martin of Chippenham, in non-running dismantled condition. I purchased it in the same dismantled condition in approximately 2000 or 2001.

‘It has Aston Martin works service history up to 14/8/72, the last recorded mileage was 24,645 when it passed to Mr Brinsden. I suspect the mileage showing now is correct as it has not turned a wheel since the mid to late 1980s.

‘It was originally supplied in Platinum White with Blue Leather, and with an auto transmission. The original leather interior is in very good condition as it’s been stored out of the car for many years. The automatic gearbox has been discarded and a manual gearbox was going to be sourced, but this has not been done. But there are now five speed manual gearbox conversion kits available – the correct pedals for a manual gearbox are supplied.

‘The underside of the vehicle has been stripped of all underseal and the sills, outriggers, radius arm points and jacking points have all been replaced by Aston Martin Specialist Alan Smith Motors of New Romney in Kent, who also carried out a few minor chassis repairs at the same time.

‘All the mechanical parts are with the vehicle apart from the gearbox. The original engine with matching number is present and was running when removed from the vehicle. The carburettors were overhauled and have not been used since.

‘The chrome work less the bumpers is still in very good condition, the rear bumper is straight but will need re-plating. The front bumper is missing.

‘The original chassis plate is supplied with the original keys, some service papers, handbook, build sheet and the last tax disc from September 1976.

Have you often dreamt of owning a classic Aston Martin? If so, this could well be the project for you. It’s particularly appealing because it looks as though all of the really heavy lifting – the structural and bodywork repairs – has been done to a very high standard. This means what’s left is essentially a kit form DBS, just requiring reassembly. In addition, the fact that this car is matching numbers can only enhance its appeal.

This is obviously slightly more complex than a piece of Ikea flat pack furniture, and there is no baffling sheet of Swedish pictograms to confuse the constructor, but the rewards could be enormous, and the finished car will obviously be worth more than the sum of its parts. And there’s no nasty MDF involved either.

Our estimate for this car is £32,000-£42,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK. To arrange an appointment to view this car 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, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.