1968 Aston Martin DB6

This motor car is being sold as part of an overseas collection. It has been imported under the Bonhams temporary admission customs bond and is therefore subject to the lower rate 5% import tax if the car is to remain in the UK & purchased by a private individual. The 5% is calculated on the final selling price. For example, if the car sells for £100,000, then £5,000 is added, making the total amount payable of £105,000.

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.

Lastly, there will be a nominal administration fee of £250 for processing the NOVA application, and payable direct to the shipping company. A completed and processed NOVA will provide you formal proof that all duties & taxes are paid in UK and thus allow you to register the vehicle with the DVLA

In common with the majority of cars in this collection, this vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.

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

The paperwork with the vehicle suggests that this RHD Aston Martin DB6 auto was delivered new to H.R. Owen in Cricklewood on 22.11.67. A hand written note tells us that the car was first registered on 8.1.68.

The car was Dawn Blue with a black interior.

There’s no history of what it was doing until 1976, when we know it voyaged from Tilbury to Long Beach, USA, where it became the property of a man with the splendidly American address of Chuckwagon Rd, Rolling Hills, California.

The car had been bought at a Bonhams UK auction from a Scottish owner.

We know that the car was back in the UK in 1988, at which time it was thoroughly restored in a nut and bolt, bare metal labour of love and expertise by Markdanes Classic Cars and Downwest Automotive, both based in Somerset.

The work done - for which there are itemised bills, invoices and photographs of the work in progress - amounted to around £20,000 in 1988.

Judging by the condition of the car today, 34 years later, it’s safe to say that the restoration was of a very high quality.

In 1997 the car was shipped to the Netherlands. It is next recorded as belonging to a owner based in Lübeck, near Hamburg, Germany, in 1990.

The car was sold at a Bonhams auction in the UK (at Aston Martin’s Newport Pagnell site) in 2006.

On 29.1.08, the car was shipped from the UK to join the current vendor’s collection on static display, where it has resided ever since.

The car’s mileage was 30,142 in 1976, 30,535 in 1988, and 35,370 in 2005.

Today, the odometer reads 35,742.

With the proviso that we haven’t been able to start or drive it, we’re of the opinion that this is a fundamentally sound, low mileage DB6 that has done very little since receiving a high-quality, ground-up restoration in 1988.

It looks good, inside and out, and presents very handsomely from every angle.

In general, the paintwork has held up pretty well over the years and much of it still has a decent depth of shine and lustre to it.

The shut lines are consistent, even and tight. The doors slam home with the reassuringly weighty thud of a hand-built car.

The chrome work is good all round, as are the lights, badging and wire wheels.

The Webasto sunroof has a small tear on the o/s, and is lifting slightly on the leading n/s edge.

The panels are largely free of any dinks, dents, warps, folds or dimples, although there is a crease half-way up the passenger door.

There is a tiny spot of bubbling at the top of the driver’s door and below the rear screen. There is also some kind of mark (we can’t quite tell what it is) at the bottom of the windscreen on the o/s.

The bonnet doesn’t fit flushly at present and the paint on the leading edge of the n/s has worn away where it’s been rubbing up against the bodywork. There are splits to the metal in the flat panel that holds the front registration plate.

The front quarter lights are currently refusing to close. The rubber trim is perished and cracked in numerous places around the car.

The interior condition is entirely consistent with its exterior counterpart. In other words, it’s really pretty good but is showing its age in one or two places and could use some basic TLC.

The black leather upholstery is in very reasonable condition and has a level of creasing that’s far more aligned to the car’s low mileage than its age.

The front seats are comfortable and supportive. The seat section on the rear bench has come loose at the back.

The door cards are in pretty good condition but would certainly thank their next owner for being shown a damp cloth. The carpets and mats look like they could use a deep clean but are otherwise undamaged.

There is a hole and a very small tear in the headlining above the front passenger.

The rubber trim around the inside of the windows has cracked and perished in places.

The gear selector, centre console, steering wheel and instruments are all in decent condition.

We can’t make any claims about the functionality of the knobs, switches, dials, buttons, levers or other electrics as we haven’t been able to start the vehicle.

The boot (and the spare wheel) is in good condition, too. Lifting up the carpets here or elsewhere on this car reveals a superficial bloom of rust dust here and there, but nothing to raise any obvious alarms.

In general, the undersides seem to be well preserved and everything visible seems to us to have a good deal of structural integrity. That said, there is some corrosion in evidence in places and you will, of course, want to see for yourself how superficial or otherwise it is.

The engine bay is clean, dry and doesn’t look like it’s been in use for at least a decade (it hasn’t).

We have turned the engine by hand, so we can attest that it is not seized.

While there is no service history to go with the car and very few bills and invoices, we have found the Bonhams auction listing for the vehicle from their 2006 auction. It reads as follows:

‘In 1976 the car was sold via Bonhams (for £3,480) to an American buyer and was shipped via Florida to Los Angeles, California. In 1988 the car was shipped back to the UK, apparently never having turned a wheel on a US road! Later that same year the Aston was restored at a cost of £16,500 (photographic record available). The car then went to Holland and subsequently was acquired (in 2001) by the current owner in the UK. While in the present ownership it has been kept in dry storage and driven only occasionally. The most recent service was at Ian Mason in 2001, while a reconditioned automatic gearbox was fitted by a local garage in 2006. A Meta alarm/immobiliser and CD stereo system are the only notified modifications from factory specification. Finished in Kentucky Blue with black leather interior, the car is offered with sundry invoices and MoT to November 2006.’

Most of this concurs with what we can see from the (very limited) paper trail accompanying the car.

The car doesn’t come with a service history, an MoT certificate or a current V5.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

With the proviso that we can’t vouch for the car’s mechanical and electrical status, we can provide a positive report on what we’ve seen of the vehicle cosmetically and aesthetically.

We think this is a solid, honest example of both the marque and the model – and one that appears to be in very good condition.

The quality and comprehensiveness of the car’s 1988 restoration, coupled to the fact that the car has covered very few miles since, should give potential buyers a good level of confidence in the vehicle’s integrity.

If the car proves to be dynamically and functionally as strong as it is aesthetically, then it has the potential to be a very special vehicle indeed.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £100,000 - £130,000 plus Bonhams bond payment and £250 NOVA fee.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment 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’.