1972 Aston Martin DBSV8

This motor car is being re-offered with the following improvements & additions: it is now fully UK registered, taxed, has a new battery and starts & runs. It drives as you'd expect one of this vintage to drive. Some cosmetic enhancements have also been made, namely a repair to the front splitter, and black-painted grille and wheel centres.

This manual LHD car is badged as a DBSV8. It left the factory in 1972 as a right-hand drive. We don't know when the conversion was done, but we do know it wasn't by Aston Martin.

It was first registered in the UK on the 9th of May 1972.

But, in April 1972, the DBSV8 became simply the Aston Martin V8, a change signalled by the adoption of twin halogen headlights, a mesh grille and Bosch fuel-injection rather than the Weber carburettors of the DBSV8.

We believe that this car may be one of the first 34 of a total of 288 Series 2 (as they became known) Aston Martin V8s to roll off the production line.

These first 34 had the new headlight configuration, the mesh grille, the fuel injected engine…but retained the badging from the DBSV8.

Aston Martin DBSV8 chassis numbers (April 1970 - May 1972) run from DBSV8/10001/R to DBSV8/10405/RCA.

Aston Martin V8 chassis numbers (April 1972 -July 1973) V8/10501/RCA to V8/10789/LCA (Bosch injection).

This car’s chassis number is V8/10519/RCA.

If we’re right (and we are happy to defer to better informed enthusiasts), then this a very rare car indeed.

We have been able to start and drive the car but it comes with virtually no history, we can say that this striking vehicle appears to be an honest example.

Yes, we know.

This is definitely not a car for the shy or retiring.

Not least because it is as orange on the inside as it is on the outside.

We actually rather like it.

Others may hold a different opinion.

When it was bought for the current vendor on the 4.3.10, the car was described by the seller as being brown with green leather upholstery.

At some point between then and now it has had the treatment you see here.

We don’t know when, why or by whom.

Today, the odometer shows 69,592 miles.

We don’t know when the car was given the orange paint job, but the condition of it suggests that the car has seen very little action since it was done.

The finish is bright, shiny and gloriously vibrant.

There are very few scuffs, blemishes or marks to report aside for a few stone chips here and there.

The shut lines are tight and even. The panels are reassuringly free of dinks, dents, ripples, nicks, warps or creases.

The GKN wheels are in fine condition.

The chrome work is free of any dents to speak of but is pitted and scarred in places on the bumpers.

There are signs of corrosion underneath but the bodywork itself is good, there is some evidence of remedial work inside the wheel arches too.

The spaces for fog lights (under the front bumper) are currently unoccupied.

Brace yourself.

This interior of this car is really extremely well done, from what we can see. The acres of top-quality leather have been very well assembled and stitched together. This was clearly the work of experts, not just an enthusiast.

Given the car’s funky aesthetic vibe, it seems entirely appropriate that the 8-track cassette protruding from the player is the work of American psychedelic soul band The 5th Dimension.

Groovy.

With the exception of the carpets, which are an oatmeal colour and are in fine condition, everything else in here is a full-on orange assault on the senses. In fact, even the oatmeal carpet is piped in orange.

The steering wheel is orange. So is the dashboard. And the roof lining. And the handbrake gaiter. And the speakers.

It’s all charmingly bonkers.

The leather upholstery is in fine condition, front and back. We can only imagine that the interior was finished shortly before the car entered storage and has seen little or no wear.

The front seats are supportive and comfortable, with very little creasing and no rips, tears or marks. The rear seats look entirely unused.

The headlining and door cards are in good condition, as are the carpets, the steering wheel, the dashboard and the handbrake and gear lever.

The only things that appear to be missing are some of the chrome covers that would normally fit over the hinges on the front seats. Only one of these is currently present.

The rubber trim around the windows has seen better days and has perished or crumbled away in places.

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

The boot (and the spare wheel) is in fine condition albeit the tyre is flat with a rip in it.

Lifting up the carpets here or elsewhere on this car reveals a superficial bloom of rust dust here and there, there is a small rusty hole in the floor pan.

The car has just had a general 'health-check', it had a new injector fitted and now runs on all eight cylinders. It sounds glorious.

A lot of the undersides are hidden from sight under protective trays and shields. The sills are rusty and have seen better days.

The engine bay and engine are clean and dry and look to have been given some restorative attention prior to the car’s long-term static display. We have no idea if any work done extended beyond the cosmetic to the mechanical.

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

It has a new V5. It's not required to have an MoT.

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

We haven’t driven the car beyond just a few miles, so we can't make any unfounded claims, but we can say that that this appears to be a sound, original, low mileage example of a very rare 1970’s Aston Martin.

It’s rare because it is bright orange, of course.

And it’s rare because we think it is one of the initial handful of V8s to roll off the production line still carrying DBSV8 badging.

Either way, it’s quite a statement.

We think you’re unlikely ever to find yourself parked next to an identical one in the car park at Waitrose.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £50,000 - £80,000.

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’.