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. Cars less than 30 years old will pay 10% duty + VAT as well as VAT (a company buying the car will always have to pay VAT on the hammer price, as well as duty + VAT).

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 £350 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.

The car will require recommissioning prior to full road use and is sold ‘as seen’. We cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality.

It is available for view and inspection at our HQ near Abingdon and we will be delighted to show the car to you and/or your appointed engineer.

The car’s chassis number is DB6/3406/R and the engine number is 400/3540.

We believe it entered the vendor’s collection in 2013.

The mileage today is 53,995.

On the occasion of its 2006 MoT, the odometer reading was 52,562 miles.

In common with most cars from the vendor’s collection it comes to us with no history or service records.

That said, we do have the notes from the occasion of its sale at Bonhams’ 2009 Goodwood auction, which are as follows.

“First registered on 8th April 1968, the car we offer was delivered new via HWM to its first owner, one Leopold Annett of London W1. The factory record notes that its specification included Borg Warner automatic transmission, power steering, two seat belts, chromium plated road wheels, heated rear screen and three-ear hubcaps. ‘3406/R’ remained in Mr Annett’s ownership for several years and was purchased on 23rd February 1973 by Alan Steeden of Putney, from Guy Salmon, the purchase invoice recording the odometer reading as 27,020 miles.

There is a most comprehensive history file with the car containing Mr Steeden’s hand-written letters noting the subsequent sale of the car to a Mr Lewis of Weybridge. Curiously, that is the only reference to this Mr Lewis, whose name does not appear on any of the car’s registration documents, while there is a very short gap in the history from that ‘sale’ to him and the car’s acquisition by the current owner in September 1990.

The latter’s first act was to re-commission the Aston properly, recruiting the services of a specialist and purchasing over £4,000 worth of parts from Aston Service Dorset (see bills on file). Work undertaken at this time included an engine rebuild, and this fastidious approach characterises the enthusiast vendor’s careful, painstaking and passionate ownership of the car, which surely will provide its fortunate new owner with a lot of pleasurable motoring for many years to come. Finished in red with black leather interior, ‘3406/R’ is described as being in generally good condition and offered with current MoT/road fund licence and the aforementioned file of extensive history.”

Unfortunately, none of the documentation, certification and history mentioned above is with the car today.

We do however, concur with the notes inasmuch as the car we have with us now very much accords with the good condition described in 2009.

The car’s bright red paintwork fair beams with shine, lustre and vibrancy and, although unlikely to be the original 1968 paint job, it looks to have been done to a high standard.

The bodywork is equally impressive and appears to be largely devoid of any dinks, folds, nicks, dimples or creases of note.

The panel gaps and shut-lines are consistent and even and the doors slam home with all the hand-built weight and authority you would hope for.

The wire wheels are also good, as is most of the chrome work, badging and other external fixtures and fittings.

There are one or two scuffs on the side of the n/s/r wing and a couple of scratches on top of the same wing.

If you look very closely, you’ll see a patch or two of very fine micro-blistering on the roof.

The quality and condition of the interior is every bit a match for its exterior counterpart and is really quite hard to fault.

Save for a small hole in the driver’s seat cushion, the black Connolly leather upholstery has nothing to show for its use and the passage of time other than a few creases that are pretty much in keeping with the car’s age and expected patina.

Front and back, the seats are supportive, comfortable and functional.

The headlining is fine, as are the door cards, parcel shelf, carpets and mats.

We can’t make any claims about the functionality of switches, knobs, levers, toggles, buttons, dials or other electrics as we haven’t started or driven the vehicle.

The boot seems to be in good order. Lifting up the carpets in here or elsewhere on this car reveals nothing to set any alarm bells ringing, as far as we can see.

Judging from the 8-track cassettes in the glove box (Gene Pitney, Smokie, The Beach Boys and, erm, The Glitter Band) this car really doesn’t appear to have done very much since the end of the 1970s.

The engine and engine bay are clean, tidy and everything looks to be in its right and proper place.

The undersides seem to have plenty of structural integrity although you will, of course, want to come and judge for yourself.

The car doesn’t come with a service history or any record of work done.

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.

Any paperwork shown in the gallery is a copy, and in no way constitutes any kind of licensing or registration certification.

We haven’t tried to start or drive the car so our understanding of it is somewhat limited.

That said, provided the car’s engine and mechanicals are in proper working order and amenable to recommissioning, we think this fabulous, low mileage 1968 Aston Martin DB6 is a very special example of both the marque and the model.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £100,000 - £150,000, plus Bonhams bond payment and £350 NOVA fee.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, 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’.