1973 Aston Martin V8 Saloon

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 bought by a private individual and to remain in the UK. The 5% is calculated on the final selling price. For example, if the car sells for £50,000, then £2,500 is added, making the total amount payable of £52,500.

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’.

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.

This manual 1973 Series 3 V8 was built for export as a LHD car and first shown to the world at the 1973 Paris Motor Show. We believe it may then have been sold to a buyer in Lebanon.

It was first registered in the UK on 5.9.2008.

It has one MoT from 2008, at which time the car had covered 58,544 kilometres, and an old tax disc which was valid until 28.2.09.

The car has spent the intervening years on static display in the vendor’s collection.

Today, the odometer shows 58,553 kilometres.

Finished in ‘Oxford Blue’ with an ‘Off-White’ interior, this car presents very well and is in generally very good condition.

We haven’t been able to start or drive it so we can only attest to its cosmetic qualities and visible condition.

This low mileage, highly original, dry-stored example appears to be a solid, sound and honest example of both the model and the marque.

It will, we think, be able to regain much of its former appeal through recommissioning and the judicious application of soap, water, elbow grease and a little TLC.

The rich, deep Oxford Blue paintwork has withstood the ravages of time and use remarkably well. The finish retains an impressive depth of lustre and shine and, save for the odd blemish, chip, swirl or smudge here and there, is in very good overall condition.

The panels and shut lines are consistent and even. There are very few dinks, ripples, dimples or dents to speak of. There are a few stone chips on the front valance, around the headlights and on the leading edge of the bonnet.

The chrome work and badging, too, is good, although there is a little rust dust under the chrome in places on the windscreen and rear screen chrome surrounds. The GKN wheels are largely good but there is some flaking paint and rust dust in evidence.

The doors slam shut with a heavy metallic certainty that reflects the car’s hand-built pedigree and quality.

The sunroof fits snugly (but we haven’t been able to test it) and there are no signs of any rust around it.

Although there are no signs of bubbling or corrosion that we can see on the bodywork itself, there is rust in evidence where the sills meet the wheel arches.

This may or may not be superficial.

Either way, it will have been largely held in check by the car’s dry storage over the last decade.

There are a few minor scuffs and chips to the paintwork on the edges of the doors and the twin fuel filler caps.

Some of the rubber trim around the windscreen is starting to show its age.

The interior condition is every bit as impressive as its exterior counterpart. It’s a bit dusty in places and could use some TLC, but it’s in very strong condition for its age and has little more than a very agreeable patina to show for its 49 years of existence.

The off-white leather upholstery, black dashboard and almost royal blue carpets combine to make a very attractive interior in the typically macho way of these Newport Pagnell muscle cars.

Like the rest of the car, the interior is highly original and entirely of its period.

The leather upholstery is in fine condition. 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, although the former is sagging in places. The sun visors have succumbed to age, or heat, or both, and feel as if the foam inside has turned to dust.

The vibrant blue carpets have lost little of their vigour and are in fine overall condition.

The steering wheel is good. The lockable (an optional extra from new) storage box between the front seats is undamaged

The dashboard and instruments, all black, show few signs of wear and are broadly in fine fettle.

The leather above the air con control unit has peeled away beneath the air vents. The gear lever gaiter has worked itself loose, as has the gaiter on the handbrake.

The rubber trim around the driver’s door has parted company from the rest of the car and is dangling free.

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

The boot (and the spare wheel) is in good condition, too, although there is some staining on the carpets and rust on the metal plate beneath the (missing) battery.

Lifting up the carpets here or elsewhere on this car reveals a superficial bloom of rust dust here and there, but nothing to raise alarms as far as we can see.

In general, the undersides seem to be fairly well preserved, although much of the undersides are hidden from sight under protective trays and shields.

That said, there is some flaking rust visible in a few places, but we can’t assess either its extent or severity.

The engine bay is clean and dry but looks decidedly dusty and unused (for about a decade). There is superficial rust in evidence in various places.

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

We know it was up and running in 2008 when it last had an MoT certificate. And we know it’s barely moved a wheel since.

Currently, this car has neither an MoT certificate nor a 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.

The car has just over 58,553 kilometres on the clock from when it left the factory in 1973.

We haven’t been able to start or drive the car so our understanding of it is somewhat limited. That said, from our observations, we can say that that this appears to be a solid, sound, original, low mileage example of an iconic Aston Martin V8 muscle car.

We think the condition of what we’ve been able to see and assess is generally very good, both outside and inside, and we think this car has the potential to more than repay the time and effort its next owner will want to spend on it.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £50,000 - £60,000, plus 5% Bonhams bond payment.

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’.