1973 Aston Martin V8

This lovely example has a thick file of older receipts, invoices and bills, AMOC records and old MoT certificates. It was Cricket White when it left Newport Pagnell.

One of those old MoT certificates tells us that the mileage was 46,212 in 1983.

We know that it was bought by a Middle Eastern Sheik by his Swiss agent in 2010, at which time it was showing 57,835 miles on its odometer.

Today, nearly 14 years later, the figure has advanced by just 15 miles to 57,850.

Our perusal of the paperwork has revealed that the car’s gearbox and torque converter were rebuilt and refurbished in 1984, the engine was rebuilt in 1988 and, for reasons that are not immediately apparent (at least to us), the entire car was pretty much disassembled, refurbished and reassembled at about the same time.

There are various pieces of correspondence between the then owner and Hyde Vale Aston Martin, much of which seems to involve the former expressing his displeasure with the latter in sundry and manifold ways.

We further believe that the car was resprayed and re-chromed in 1995 or thereabouts.

The car is ‘Azzurro Blue’ with a dark blue interior. 

Keen observers will have noted that the car is wearing DBSV8 badging. This is a familiar anomaly associated with the DBS V8/AMV8 overlap and largely reflects Aston Martin’s desire to get their money’s worth from any parts or badging still hanging about on the shelves at Newport Pagnell. 

We have started the engine briefly, and all 8 cylinders seem to run okay (you can see/hear it running briefly at the end of the video).  Since it has stood for so long in a private collection, we have not tried to drive it far, as many sensible things (new tyres all round for example) will need to be addressed first.  So, our appraisal of it is largely limited to its cosmetic appearance, which we think is really pretty impressive all round. 

There’s no denying it – this handsomely macho car is very well-served by its Azzurro blue paintwork and presents extremely well from every angle. 

The 50 year-old bodywork is in very reasonable condition, and there are no dinks, dents, crumples, creases, ripples or other aberrations of any significance that we can see. 

The panels, panel gaps and shut lines appear to be consistent and even, and the doors close with all the weight and precision you’d hope for.

The bonnet is rather less exact in its fit with the surrounding bodywork and there are scuffs visible where the leading edge has been catching on the bodywork. 

There’s also a small spot of bubbling to be seen on the bonnet’s front edge, plus a scallop of paint chipped off where it's rubbed the body upon opening.

There are some scuffs at the rear of the driver’s door, a little bubbling at its base, and some further bubbling at the base of the wing behind it.

There are also some tiny spots of bubbling at the top and base of the nearside ‘A’ pillar, and on the bodywork around the bottom of the rear screen. 

Aside from that, a few random scuffs and stone chips can be found at the base of the front valance, next to the boot lock, and on the rear wings where they wrap around under the car. 

There is a ‘bullseye’ chip at the top of the windscreen on the driver’s side.

The wheels are in decent shape, although there’s some oxidising to the alloy here and there and they’d no doubt benefit from professional refurbishment. 

The chrome-work is all very good, as are the car’s lights, lenses, badging and other external fixtures and fittings. 

If you can bring yourself to ignore the carpets, the inside is in very decent condition and is far more an indication of the car’s low mileage than its age. 

The blue leather upholstery has a few signs of use and some entirely tolerable creasing, but the overall effect is one of warm and appropriate patina, not excessive wear and tear. 

The headlining looks decent.

So too, do the steering wheel, gear selector, handbrake, centre console and dashboard.

The parcel shelf is intact and looks fine, as do the parts of the door cards that are not carpeted.

Ah…yes. The carpets.

Given that there’s barely enough pile left on the Wilton to justify calling it ‘carpet’, we can only assume that the moths responsible for this carnage were filled with furious hanger after being deliberately starved for several months. 

The carpets in the boot, for some reason, have escaped the attentions of any ravenous members of the order Lepidoptera. 

The engine (No: V/540/626) is a 5.3 litre Bosch fuel injected unit that purports to put out over 300 bhp. Not bad for a motor over 50 years old. 

The engine bay is dry and everything is in its right and proper place. Work was carried out in February 2024 to fit a new head gasket as we didn’t want to sell it without the engine running.

The undersides look to have plenty of structural integrity. You must come and see for yourself and reach your own conclusion.  If you are unable to visit, then please send a mechanic, and if you don’t know one then we can suggest some independent vehicle inspectors who’ll do a report for you.

This car comes with some good paper history, but little recent service records. What we have can be seen in the photo gallery.

The Aston Martin Heritage Trust tell us it was owned by the following people during its life:

• F.G Murray 1979 - 1980
• J.A.S. Campbell 1983 - 1987 (’86 Vantage Spoiler)
• J.A Bradley 1988 - 1989
• C.C. James 1990 - 1991
• M.A.J. Woodcock 1994 - 1998
• [T.Berger for private collector] 2010 - 2024

There is also a Heritage certificate.

All seems to suggest that this is a good-quality, low-mileage example. 

Depending upon what you want from it, a certain amount of recommissioning is required (new carpets for a start). You must inspect it in person thoroughly, and decide for yourself what it needs to get it to the standard you require. 

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

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. We are open weekdays between 10am – 4pm and 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’.