Barn find 1972 Aston Martin DBS up for auction

By: Scott Murray, Photography by: Coys Auctions

Date: 04.03.2015

1972 Aston Martin DBS

1972 Aston Martin DBS

1972 Aston Martin DBS

1972 Aston Martin DBS

A barn find 1972 Aston Martin DBS, the last production DBS, is one of the feature items in the upcoming Coys Spring Classic auction on March 10 in London.

1972 Aston Martin DBS

LOST AND FOUND 

When it comes to desirability, few brands get close to Aston Martin, and the barnfind discovery of one of its legendary models is a coup few people get the pleasure of experiencing. Chris Routledge, managing partner with the Coys Auctions operation in the UK, discovered this dry-stored Aston Martin DBS. By nature, these cars are already rare, but something far more significant was afoot.

It’s still in its original factory Dubonnet Russo and wears the build date September 1972, with the "DBS/5829/R" chassis number detailing it as the very last DBS to come off the production line. Routledge says, "It’s been sitting in a barn since 1980…the windows are broken, the interior trim is missing and it’s rusty, but it’s all there."

There are invoices for minor servicing in 1990, but apart from that, she’s been unused and awaits a restoration, not before going to auction however. With its 40,000-mile odometer reading and an estimate of 25,000-40,000 GBP ($40-80,000 AUD), Routledge expects for sheer rarity and desirability, it could reach higher figures. "This is the ultimate barn find and an important part of Aston Martin’s history, he says. "In its present condition but because of its heritage it could go for an awful lot more than that." Considering it’s got the intact Borg-Warner automatic gearbox, Waso steering lock and Voxon stereo – although the four-litre DOHC straight-six engine would make a much better soundtrack – hitting a figure over 80K is a pretty good bet.

Designer William Towns sculpted the gorgeous DBS shape and, with its De Dion rear suspension setup underneath, the DBS reinvigorated the conventional grand tourer image (especially since AML didn’t get the V8 in the nose in time) when it was unveiled to the press at the London Motor Show in October 1967.

The Coys Spring Classic auction is on March 10, visit www.coys.co.uk/auction.php?auctionID=52&lots=1&itemType=1 for more auction lots.

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