2009 Aston Martin DBS

Delivered to JCT600 Aston Martin in Leeds in December 2008 and first registered on 2 January 2009, we like to believe that the purchase was influenced by the premiere of Bond’s performance in the DBS just a couple of months before.

It is fitted with the Touchtronic 2 6-speed automatic transmission - which works well enough in normal or sport mode and can be overridden by the paddle shifters.

With a genuine mileage of only 4,375 miles it is still in near spotless condition, thanks to a strict storage regimen (with OEM cover) and “fine weather only” usage, the car has had just 3 registered keepers.  It has three keys: your 'every day' one, the spare 'emergency key in the wallet and the lovely 'crystal' one (which is unblemished and in its leather pouch).

The exterior paint colour is called Lightning Silver, and if you’ve never seen this Aston Martin finish it is unlike any ordinary silver. The metallic flakes in the coating really catch the light and give off an almost luminescent blue-white glow - it is quite extraordinary. The vendor thinks this paint was the official colour.

Whilst the body and paintwork is no longer perfect, there are very few flaws and those that can be found are small. There are a couple of tiny chips at the front, a light scratch on the driver’s door handle, slight bubbling in front of the passenger door mirror stalk and door handle, and a small flake of chrome has lifted off the boot trim.

For a 12 year old car, that’s pretty good going and those mere trifles aside, the car is immaculate. The carbon fibre on the front splitters, door mirror stalks and rear diffuser looks in good order and there are PPF panels protecting the nose and the leading edges of the bulging rear wheel arches.

The car sits on its original and unmarked 20-inch lightweight 10-spoke aluminium wheels, just like those fitted to Mr Craig’s ride, and all four still have their factory-fitted Pirelli PZero tyres developed especially for the DBS to optimise its ride and handling. There is a small chunk taken out of the side of the offside front rubber but the wheel itself appears undamaged.

The interior of the car is decked out in a dark grey/black leather with red contrast stitching and Merlot-red alcantara seat facings and door panel inserts. There are also touches of carbon fibre, aluminium and stainless steel across the interior and a lightweight weave carpet with grey alcantara headlining.

It is a very comfortable place to be and in top condition, befitting the extremely low mileage. The only thing we could find fault with was the sprung-loaded Lamy Pico pen missing from the centre console.

The sound system specified by the first owner was the premium audio (i.e. hideously expensive) Bang & Olufsen option, which was designed and tuned to the car’s interior and as you would expect it sounds utterly phenomenal.

Under the bonnet, the 6.0-litre V12 and its enormous intakes pretty much fill the space, leaving precious few gaps for the ancillaries. Everything looks in good order though with no sign of any rust or corrosion around the engine bay. It won’t be quite as good as when Barry Griffin gave it the final sign off at Gaydon over 12 years ago but it’s not far off.

Underneath the car, most of the surfaces are covered by the protective (and aerodynamic) undertrays but what is visible appears in good, undamaged condition. There’s a little bit of surface rust on some of the suspension and steering parts but largely the undersides are very clean and tidy. The factory exhaust was upgraded with a performance stainless steel system in 2010.

Inside the boot - which of course has room enough to hold the odd stray member of the Quantum/Spectre organisation - the carpet and linings are very clean and intact. Inside is a warning triangle and the car’s fitted indoor cover.

The vendor also says he has the original exhaust (which he'll give to the winning bidder).

The car has a current MOT valid until August 2021, which it passed with no advisories, exactly as it has at every inspection since its first in January 2012. But then again, with only 4,375 miles on the clock, what could be amiss?

The car comes with its original Aston Martin DBS owner’s manual and folder, including the stamped service history booklet, which shows the following service history:

Dec 2008 - 26 miles PDI - JCT600 Leeds

Jan 2010 - 2,317 - Derby Motor Services (Aston Specialist)

Oct 2011 - 3,016 - Derby Motor Services

(in dry storage)

Sep 2018 - 3,656 - Aston Martin Leeds

Sep 2019 - 3,998 - Aston Martin Leeds

Aug 2020 - 4,301 - Aston Martin Leeds

The DBS comes with a battery charger/conditioner, indoor cover and two keys, one of which is the ‘Emotional Control Unit’. However, the cherished plate will be removed and in fact the car has already reverted to its original DVLA registration of YJ58 MBY.

We include an online HPI report run at the auction start which shows no finance outstanding and no insurance markers for theft or damage.

As luck would have it (it wasn’t luck - he begged!) the writer putting this description together had the chance to drive this DBS and oh boy, what a car! From the dramatic start-up fanfare and roar, the V12 continues to growl even at idle, and when pushed it strikes up again - sounding like two tigers fighting in the back of a transit van.

It is everything you would expect a bad-boy Bond car to be, even with the Touchtronic automatic transmission rather than a stick shift ‘box. It drives exceptionally well although the ride is deliberately rather hard and you feel every change in the road surface.

A lightweight, carbon fibre, V12-engined, 200mph Aston Martin with a two-time Bond starring role is always going to be a special thing - and this is one of the most special we’ve ever seen. One of only around 3,400 sold worldwide, and having covered only 360 miles a year on average from new, this is a very special example with a cast-iron provenance.

Previously an Aston Martin DBS would change hands just above the six-figure mark, but prices have softened in recent years making them so much more affordable than they used to be.

How affordable? Well, we expect this brutally beautiful British beast to sell for between £79,000 and £95,000. Still a lot of money, but it’s a helluva lot of car with an enormous amount of performance and the sub-zero cool of a Tom Ford tailored suit.

Viewing is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), 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’.