1971 Aston Martin DBSV8

This RHD auto car is silver with green interior trim.

This car comes with no paper history or service records whatsoever. We have, however, found some notes dating from the occasion of its sale to the vendor in 2012 - which read as follows.

“This Aston Martin DBSV8 was the fiftieth car manufactured and believed to have been supplied to the Channel Islands, first registered in the United Kingdom in June 1973, and is finished in silver with black leather interior and fitted with the iconic four head lights and large full-width grill. This original car is showing 53,900 miles. This car is fitted with the 5.4 litre, four overhead camshaft engine married to the Chrysler Torqueflite automatic gearbox.”

Aside from incorrectly stating that the interior colour was then black (it is clearly green in the 2012 photographs we’ve seen), we have no reason to doubt the veracity of this description. 

The odometer today reads 54,063 miles. On the occasion of its 2006 MoT, the mileage was recorded as being 51,347 miles. 

So, it seems pretty safe to assume that this is a genuinely low mileage car.

The vehicle takes power to the dashboard but the engine doesn’t currently turn over or start. We've tried to hand turn it, and it does move several millimetres back and forth, but we haven't done anything further than that. So, as we haven’t driven the car, our appraisal of it is entirely based on its cosmetic appearance. 

IMPORTANT: This motor car has been imported under the Bonhams’ temporary admission customs bond. In addition to the ‘hammer’ price, the winning bidder must pay a bond release fee (£350) and also import tax/duty: 5% on the final selling price (if purchased by a private individual. If a company is buying this car will always pay 10% duty + VAT as well as VAT on the ‘hammer’ price).

The winning bidder will receive a receipt for the final hammer value, and proof that HMRC fees are paid. If the car is subsequently exported abroad within 30 days then these fees are refundable upon proof of customs/tax payment in the other country.

The bond release fee (£350 payable direct, post-auction, to the CARS shipping company) will produce a NOVA from HMRC, this document is formal proof that all duties & taxes are paid in UK. 

The vehicle is not registered anywhere. You must register the vehicle with the DVLA. Upon request, Bonhams|Cars Online can suggest some companies who can help with this process. There is a photocopy of a Middle Eastern title document, which (along with the NOVA letter) will be sufficient to register the car with the DVLA.

We have not tried to start or drive the car so cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is strictly sold ‘as seen’.

It is available for viewing by appointment only, we are open weekdays 10am-4pm, and we advise you (or your appointed engineer) to inspect it at our HQ near Abingdon in Oxfordshire.

This good-looking car has what appears to be very decent bodywork. Certainly, there are no dinks, dents, ripples, folds, creases or other significant aberrations that we can see. 

The shut lines and panel gaps are pretty consistent and even, and the doors press home with plenty of weight and certainty.  

The chrome work remains very presentable, as do the lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings.

The GKN wheels look to be in reasonable condition, although two are missing their centre caps – one of which is currently on the floor inside the car.

The rear valance is looking a little bashed about and slightly out of whack.

There are one or two spots of blistering at the rear of the bonnet, and beneath the windscreen and the rear screen.

There is a little bubbling to be seen at the base of the o/s/f wheel arch and the base of the driver’s door.

Leaving the carpets aside for a moment, it’s fair to say that the interior, although showing some signs of wear in places, has held up fairly well.

The green leather upholstery, unsurprisingly, looks rather less worn in the rear than the front.

The front seats have clearly been used, and they could do with a good clean, but only the outer bolster on the driver’s back-rest has any significant wear to show for its years of life.

The headlining is OK and the leather aspects of the door cards are decent.

The gear selector, steering wheel and controls look to be in good order, although we can’t couch for their efficacy as we haven’t driven the car.  

The carpets - on the floor, at the base of the door cards and in the footwells - have been well and truly ravaged by some ferociously ravenous moths.

The boot is intact and contains a spare wheel with a punctured tyre. 

This car is fitted with the 5.4 litre, four overhead camshaft engine married to the Chrysler Torqueflite automatic gearbox.

The engine and engine bay look a little dry and dusty but everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

The undersides of the car seem to have a good deal of structural integrity although, clearly, you’ll want to reach your own conclusion.

The car doesn’t come with any history or service records. 

The Aston Martin Heritage Trust (AMHT) tell us they have the original build sheet, and some service data from Sept'70 to Apl'72. They believe the original registration number was DME 157J, and add "we think we have four previous owner names up to 2008". The winning bidder will be able to acquire this paperwork from AMHT for a modest fee.

Currently, it has neither an MoT certificate nor a V5. It must be registered in the country of your choice and you will need to contact the appropriate vehicle licensing agency for instructions on how to do this. 

The HPI report (published in the gallery) refers to an insurance claim in 1996 but it was not recorded until Oct'21, which is confusing, as the car was in the Middle East in 2021. You'll have to figure that one out for yourself.

It does have an online MoT trail and an old tax disc showing it also had registration number RBV 999J attached to it.

We can see online evidence that the car was on the road and running when it was MoT’d in March 2011 prior to being sold and exported a year later in March 2012. 

The car was also MoT’d in 2006 & 2007 and covered over one thousand six hundred miles in the five years leading up to 2011. 

We also note the auction listing from where the previous owner bought this car in 2012: https://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2012-02-18/car/1973-aston-martin-dbs-v8/.

It has since spent the time sitting in a private collection in the Middle East.

Provided that the car’s engine and mechanicals are amenable to recommissioning, we think this a good example and one that would seem capable of recapturing some, most or all of its former glory without too much time, cost or effort. 

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £40,000 - £60,000, plus Bonhams bond payment of £350.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the 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’.