GREAT MARQUES: ASTON MARTIN

The car was bought new in June 1956 from Brooklands of Bond Street by Count Charles de Salis who, together with Captain Gregor MacGregor, entered the following month’s Alpine Rally. The pair came second in class and won a coveted Coupe des Alpes. The Count sold the DB2/4 in 1957 and went on to have a successful motor sport career right into the 1960s.

The next record of the car appears at the London Jubilee Parade and Concours at Alexandra Palace in 1970. After passing through a few owners, from 1983 the car remained laid up until 2015, when it was sold to the current owner as a ‘barn-find project’. The car was in a very poor, semidismantled condition, but was honest and original.

Over 30 months the car was restored by EAB Classics. With meticulous research, helped by the Count de Salis, returned to its ex-factory and rally-ready condition.

A total of just 99 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brakes were built, not only to celebrate the ongoing collaboration between the British brand and the Italian coachbuilder, but as part of Zagato‘s centennial anniversary celebrations.

Registered on May 1 2019, this Zagato Shooting Brake was run-in on the drive down to Brescia two weeks later, before participating in the 2019 Mille Miglia. Andrea Zagato was asked to enter a team of 12 cars in the famous Italian road race, and the owner of this car was fortunate enough to be invited to join his team. A year on, the Shooting Brake has covered 8500 miles touring Europe – or simply doing the supermarket run.

JAN GERRING

This early, very rare left-hand-drive, matchingnumbers DB4 was made for the US market. It recently emerged from long-term storage in America, in which it spent more than 15 years.

Its slumber lasted until late 2018, when the current owner bought it. An 18-month full restoration at Thornley Kelham followed. It carries the appealing styling cues of the second series of the model, with its large hood scoop and ‘cathedral’ rear lights. Only 351 of these were built, the majority being right-hand drive for the home market. This DB4 was supplied new to Sidney Langsam, who was responsible for developing the popular Colorado racing venue Continental Divide.

ASHLEY BORDER/LIGHTFLOW

This is a pristine example of the Aston Martin DBS V12, specified with six-speed manual transmission, 2+0 seating configuration and finished in pearlescent Casino Royale paint; exactly as featured in the Bond film that this special edition was named after.

Only 984 DBS models were built worldwide with the manual transmission, and BHO 1A represents one of only 78 RHD examples in Casino Royale spec. This model – part of the AB Collection – has been immaculately maintained by Aston Martin Works. With 36,000 miles on the clock, it has also been well used and enjoyed by the owner, creating visual and audible pleasure for many an Aston Martin fan.

The Aston Martin One-77 is a two-door, two-seater coupé, first shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. It was revealed in full at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, and deliveries began from the beginning of 2011. The production of this model was limited to 77 cars, forming part of the name One-77.

Fusing advanced technology with stunning design, the 7.3-litre V12 One-77 was revealed as the fastest-ever Aston Martin, with a top speed of 220mph and a 0-60mph time of 3.5 seconds. The One-77 features an immensely rigid lightweight carbonfibre monocoque clad in a seamless bodyshell that’s been handcrafted from aluminium. When introduced, the One-77’s V12 was claimed to be the most powerful normally aspirated engine in the world.

If ever a car was born to be great, the Aston Martin Vanquish was it. Designed by Ian Callum and financed by Ford’s cheque book, this was an Aston Martin that gave the Ferrari 550 a bloody nose. The Vanquish emerged from a pre-war factory in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire. The DB4/5/6s and V8s had all been made there, many years before the very last Vanquish S rolled off the line in July 2007.

Powered by a naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12, good for over 200mph, and trimmed in Bridge of Weir leather and Wilton carpets, the Vanquish really is a ‘brute in a suit’. This car is a 2007 Vanquish S, one of the last to leave the production line. Original in every respect and maintained by Aston Martin Works, it is one of only five cars, from 1086 manufactured, finished in Chiltern Green.

The Lagonda was the star of the 1976 London Motor Show. Clothed in striking ‘razor-edge’ bodywork by William Towns, it used the same long-wheelbase V8 chassis as its Lagonda predecessor, while breaking new ground in terms of digital LCD instrumentation and touch-button switchgear.

This car, 13645, was the final chassis produced. It was completed on May 18, 1990 and sold to The Drambuie Liqueur Company of Edinburgh. In January 1994 the Lagonda was sold to a vendor in Germany with only 200 miles recorded. Safely stored since then within the vendor’s private museum, the car has seen infrequent use, and even now it has covered only 3700 miles from new.

This striking DB9 has run up a number of awards at Aston Martin Owners Club Concours events. These include first in the Gaydon Class at the 2010 Blenheim Palace event, first in the Gaydon Class at the 2010 Chatsworth House event, and second in the Elite Class in the 2011 Althorp House event.

This car is a relatively early model. The DB9 went into production in 2004, having been unveiled at the previous year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The DB9 was originally designed by London Concours Collector Ian Callum, and finished by Henrik Fisker. It was built on the Ford-developed VH platform, with aluminium construction, and powered by the 5.9-litre V12 of its Vanquish stablemate. In 2013 the DB9 was facelifted, and it was eventually replaced in 2016 by the DB11.