1967 Aston Martin DB6
- Matching-numbers, sympathetically restored car
- Presented in original shade of Dubonnet Rosso
- Comprehensive file with history from new
- Retains its beautifully patinated original upholstery
| YEAR | 1967 |
| MAKE | Aston Martin |
| PRICE | £225,000 |
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
This superbly presented Aston Martin DB6 has had only four owners from new and is a highly original, matching-numbers car that has been very well cared for in recent years.
First registered on 3 April 1967, chassis number DB6/3004/R was originally supplied by dealer Arnold Wilson Ltd in Leeds to a Mr Heaton of Heaton Fluids Ltd. He soon put some serious miles on his new grand tourer, with service records showing that it had covered just over 24,000 miles by July 1969.
By the time the DB6 was put through the MoT test in December 1978, it was showing 89,038 miles. At the end of the following year, it was acquired by Harry Hennis, who was based in the north-east of England. After running the Aston for a short period, Hennis parked it in his parents’ garage – and there it stayed for more than 25 years.
In the mid-2000s, Hennis – who was an engineer – brought the DB6 out of storage and started a thorough restoration. He stripped down the car to a bare shell and used various marque specialists as and when required, but didn’t keep many of the receipts because he didn’t want his wife to know how much he’d spent!
The work was completed by 2007 but Hennis couldn’t bring himself to drive the Aston because he knew that, if he did, he wouldn’t be able to part with it. He was reluctantly forced to sell it only because he was retiring to a cottage in Scotland and there was no room to store it.
The DB6 was therefore acquired by its third owner in September that year and trailered back to his home in Hereford. After he had put about 2000 miles on the car, he entrusted it to marque specialist Four Ashes in Stratford-upon-Avon so that an extensive check-over and service could be carried out. The work totalled more than £4000 and included a replacement radiator, reconditioning of the brake servos, and the fitment of electronic ignition.
In 2015, the same owner had the DB6 stripped to bare metal and resprayed in the same shade of Dubonnet Rosso in which it had left the factory almost 50 years earlier. The Aston retains its original engine (400/3017) and even its original black leather upholstery, which is now beautifully patinated.
Subsequent work included having the front bumper rechromed, the left-hand window motor replaced, and a new headlining fitted.
The comprehensive history file includes Esso service sheets going back to 1969, the instruction book, workshop manual and parts manual, and a copy of the original brochure. Now being offered for sale, this Aston Martin DB6 is ready to be enjoyed by its next custodian, and is an extremely usable example of this iconic 1960s British GT.
MODEL HISTORY
The DB6 was the ultimate development of a bloodline that began in 1958 with the DB4 and which, for many enthusiasts, still defines the classic Aston Martin. Although it retained the basic Touring styling of the DB4 and DB5, the DB6 featured an extended wheelbase and a higher roofline in order to provide more room in the rear.
It also introduced a redesigned rear end, with a Kamm-style ‘cut off’ and a spoiler that reduced lift and gave the DB6 a link to Aston Martin’s Project 215 racer.
The Tadek Marek-designed 3995cc straight-six engine was carried over from the DB5, witheither triple SU carburettors or as the triple-Weber Vantage. A Powr-Lok limited-slip differential, chrome wire wheels and automatic transmission were offered as no-cost options.
Beneath the skin, there was rack-and-pinion steering and independent front suspension, with a live rear axle and Watt linkage. Girling disc brakes were fitted all round, and a five-speed manual gearbox was standard fitment.
The DB6 was launched at the 1965 London Motor Show and was offered in both coupé and open-top Volante forms. At just under £5000, it was more expensive than the DB5, but Motorbegan its road test of a Vantage by stating that it was ‘superior in every way’ to its predecessor. The magazine recorded a 0-60mph time of 6.1 seconds and a top speed of147mph.
A Mk2 version was introduced in 1969 with wider wheels and optional fuel injection, and the DB6 remained in production until late the following year. As Aston Martin once put it, ‘Each car is an individual achievement of dedicated men; hand-built with imagination, skill and superlative craftsmanship.’