All change at this year’s all-Aston sale: K500 insider’s preview

By Steve Wakefield

22nd May 2018

The overall set-up might be similar but Bonhams’ 2018 one-marque auction has a new location – a marquee at Englefield House, some 35 miles west of Heathrow – a date in June and a slimmer catalogue.

What, no DB3S, 4 GT or Zagato? No, the big guns haven’t fired at the traditional Newport Pagnell venue for some years now. The Bond St house has kept ‘2 VEV’ and a modern historic racing DB4 GT for its blue-riband Goodwood Festival event in July. Nor do pre-War cars feature in the 104-page catalogue, down from 149 last year.

At a glance:

* 36 cars (2017, 42)
* Auction headliner: £850k to £900k 1965 DB5 Convertible (pictured, top)
* Mid-estimate average: £200.75k (2017, £255.75k)
* Number of cars at No Reserve: nil (2017, 1)
* 154 lots of automobilia (2017, 170)

An older restoration, this is a £120k to £140k, LHD DBS/6. Original-spec Roman Purple a plus

Ten years late to the party? In 2010 this barn-find would have flown. In 2018 it won't be so easy...

The event is still associated with the Aston Martin Owners Club’s Spring Concours but, after 18 years, it’s no longer the ‘Aston Martin Works’ sale. The world moves on and, after strong growth from 2008 to ‘peak Aston’ in 2013, when the £3.25m Bertone-bodied DB4 GT 'Jet' topped a £10m sale in which 96% of the cars sold (59% above top estimate), the market has reached the point where more discerning buyers wishing to spend retail money… also buy from retailers.

And British Club members – the bedrock of the event – now have additional financial priorities: pensions, school fees, helping children onto the property ladder. So only four entries’ upper estimates break the £500k mark this year and the catalogue is loaded with more affordable cars, mostly V8s around the £150k to £200k mark, cars such as the comprehensively restored 1972 V8 saloon (£150k to £200k, pictured below) and the £150k to £180k 1979 V8 Volante.

The two ‘DB’ straight-six Volantes are retail money, while the Platinum DB5 Convertible – three owners from new, a replacement block, white with its original red leather – will be a bellwether of today’s market. There is only one DB5 saloon, a restored car updated with modern conveniences such as a/c and power steering, for £600k to £700k: showroom pricing, like so many cars in the catalogue, according to a marque specialist we spoke to this week.

Buyer's rule No. 1: let someone else pay for the restoration. This early fuel-injection V8 has had all the work done to it from 2015 to 2017

Look out for the ‘David Holland’ DB Mk III Drophead Coupé. Bright red might not appeal to all, but the DB Mk III is the pick of the DB2 family, this car is well-known in Club circles and, with its 195bhp semi-comp’ DBD engine, it's got some get-up-and-go. Estimated at £300k to £350k, it makes the barn-find, left-hand-drive 1954 DB2/4 Mk I DHC (£200k to £250k) look expensive.

So, a new venue, an abridged catalogue offering more accessible but still ‘proper Newport Pagnell’ Astons – interesting times ahead. Rely on K500 to give you the low-down on the day of the sale.

Photos by Bonhams