Description
H&H Classic Auction @ The Imperial War Museum, Duxford/ Cambridgeshire
9th October, 2024 13:00
1968 Aston Martin DBS 'V8 Prototype'
Ex-Nigel Dawes Collection, fitted with a Lola Aston Martin V8 Development engine in 1970
Estimate
£120, 000 - £150, 000
Registration No: AS 1917
Chassis No: DBS/ 5173/ R
MOT: Exempt
Documented on works records to have been fitted with its current Lola Aston Martin V8 Developmental engine in 1970
Formed part of the Nigel Dawes collection for a number of years
Supplied with extensive history and featured in Aston Martin books
Recently subject to much sympathetic restoration work
Introduced at the October 1967 Motor Show, the DBS broke important new ground for Aston Martin. Although similar to that of the concurrent DB6, its steel platform chassis used a longer wheelbase, repositioned front crossmember and wider track to arrive at perfect 50:50 weight distribution. Further enhanced by the adoption of de Dion rear suspension located via a Watts linkage and with standardised power steering, the newcomer was widely praised for its polished ride and handling. Styled in-house by William Towns, with clear transatlantic and Italianate overtones, the aluminium-bodied four-seater exuded a road presence that few rivals caught in its quad headlights could match. The DBS was considered so stylish that it was chosen as the star car for the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service which controversially starred George Lazenby as 007 in his only appearance in the role.
Although intended to be the first V8-powered Aston, a series of teething troubles with the new powerplant meant that the DBS initially went into production with the proven Tadek Marek-designed 3995cc DOHC straight-six inherited from the DB5 and DB6. It would take Newport Pagnell a further two years to get the eight cylinder ready for customers, and the DBS V8 was launched in September 1969, but it wasn't until Spring 1970 that deliveries took place.
The Aston Martin V8 engine had been in development by Tadek Marek since 1963 and initially was designed with a single overhead camshaft per cylinder bank, but finished development in twin-cam form. Initially fitted to Marek's own DB5 in 1965 with crossover intake manifolds with a pair of twin-choke sidedraught Weber carburettors, it was used extensively and proved its performance values well. By this period, Aston Martin had disbanded its Works Racing Team, so it was decided to trial the new V8 in racing form by supplying it to Lola for the T70 Mark III. This engine unit would be extensively reworked during this period due to previous issues with lubrication in the crankshaft area, which caused the Aston Martin - Lola to only last a mere 25 laps at Le Mans in 1967. However, after extensive redevelopment and the fitment of the V8 into two DBS prototypes during 1967, the future was starting to look brighter.
Chassis DBS/ 5173/ R is understood to have been first delivered as a six-cylinder, five-speed ZF specification DBS by AJ Beal Ltd to the prolific car collector, Nigel Dawes, on the 23rd October 1968 and was registered with Mr Dawes' personal registration number '1230 ND'. According to works records supplied by Aston Engineering of Derby to the vendor, DBS/ 5173/ R was fitted with a new ZF gearbox on the 25th September 1969, and it is believed this was in preparation for the fitment of the ex-Lola developmental V8 engine that was to be fitted in March 1970. The Lola-Aston engine, numbered 'V500/ 013/ P' ('P' for Prototype) came complete with four sidedraught twin-choke Weber carburettors on crossover intake manifolds plus two steel airboxes, the height of which necessitated enlarging of the bonnet scoop and strengthening of the aluminium structure with box-section steel which is still present today. Production variants of the DBS V8 would utilise fuel injection instead of caburettors, meaning that the larger bonnet scoop would not be necessary. It is therefore believed that DBS/ 5173/ R was the first privately owned DBS V8, as the production cars wouldn't be delivered until some months later.
Little is known of the onward history of this one-off Aston Martin, as the car was sold off by Mr Dawes' family due to his ill health and little information is available other than the works records and editorial information available in Aston Martin V8s by E. Wilson McComb and Aston Martin DB - 70 Years by Andrew Noakes, and copies of both publications accompany the DBS' history file to the sale. It is however understood that the Aston was sympathetically restored some years ago into its original scheme of Lagoon Blue over its very original but hardly worn Black Leather interior, and the vendor has advised that a full fluids service was performed in 2023 plus a wheel refurbishment and fitment of new Weber carburettors at the same time - and has been cherished since then as part of his extensive private collection as a static, yet running exhibit. The vendor has described the overall condition of the exterior as 'very good' to 'excellent' and the running condition as 'very good' only because he feels the car will need a good run to 'clear it out'. One area that he feels will need addressing is a crack along the nearside bottom corner of the rear window which will necessitate new glass, which he has promised to try and rectify prior to sale.
The perfect opportunity for any Aston Martin collector, DBS/ 5173/ R is a true one-off and offers serious bragging rights for any potential new owner.
