THE SUMMER OF ’69 We take a step back in time at The Classic Motor Hub
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t’s the Summer of 1969 and a group of friends get together at The Classic Motor Hub. They try out the Aston Martin DB6, the bright red Jaguar E-Type and the Henri Chapron Citroen DS21 Décapotable. These were very much cars of their moment in the 1960’s. Now jump forward 52 years and it’s the Summer of 2021 and all three of these exceptional cars are currently for sale at ‘the Hub’ - with the DB and the DS already on the website - and the E-Type ‘coming soon’! www.classicmotorhub.com The 1969 Aston Martin DB6: In Silver Birch with black interior, this specific example has and upgraded 4.2-litre straight-six-engine and a Harvey Bailey suspension kit. The fabled bloodline of DB4, DB5 and DB6 represents many enthusiasts’ idea of the archetypal Aston Martin. The blend of Italian styling and British engineering make them among the most recognisable and coveted of all classic cars. The Aston Martin DB6 being offered for sale by The Classic Motor Hub left the Newport Pagnell factory on 14 February 1969 and was sold via the HR Owen dealership. Chassis number DB6/3550-R was fitted with engine number 400/3969, and when new it would have cost its first owner the princely sum of just over £4,000 including taxes. Originally supplied in black with matching trim, the DB6 was fully restored during the early 2000s. As part of that extensive process, which is documented in the history file, the car
was stripped to bare metal and repainted in the iconic Aston Martin shade of Silver Birch. The Borg Warner automatic gearbox with which it had left the factory in 1969 was replaced with a genuine S5/325 ZF five-speed manual unit, while in the cabin the headlining was replaced and a full set of black Wilton carpets fitted. Further work was carried out in 2009, when a Harvey Bailey suspension kit was fitted in order to improve the car’s roadholding. The upgrades comprised new springs and dampers all round, including the adjustable Armstrong Selectaride rear dampers that had been
optional extras on the DB4 and DB5 but were standard on all DB6s. The DB6 was then sold by Oselli Classic & Sports Cars in 2015 and was treated to further restoration work by the same company. The job list included a respray – once more in Silver Birch – as well as rechroming the brightwork, replacing the windscreen and fitting all new rubbers and seals, a complete retrim, and a rebuild of the front suspension. The steering geometry was reset at the same time. A modern high-torque starter motor dramatically improves starting performance, and the original engine has
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