Bonham’s Aston Martin Works Sale, DB3S/5 Unsold
A rare Aston Martin Works team car s/n DB3S/5 which was campaigned in period by such legendary racing drivers as Sir Stirling Moss, Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori, and latterly went on to co-star with Terry-Thomas in 1960’s movie classic School for Scoundrels, was offered at Bonhams Aston Martin Works Sale on 21 May 2016.
Estimated price £6,000,000-7,000,000. The flagship car failed to sell at high bid of £5,000,000 in the room
This historic Aston Martin began life as the personal road car of David Brown, the multi-millionaire industrialist owner of the Aston Martin marque. Under Brown’s reign the legendary post-World War 2 ‘DB’ series of Aston Martin cars were built, including the Atom, the DB2, DB3, DB4, DB5, DB6, DB7, DB9 and the DBS, all named using Brown’s initials.
Aston Martin also built a number of DB3S models for the Works racing team. Following a severe set-back during the 1954 Le Mans 24-hr race, when 3 of the cars were destroyed in a series of crashes, the Aston Martin Competitions Department commandeered David Brown’s personal DB3S – chassis 5 offered here – to replace 1 of the wrecked vehicles, changing its use from high-performance road car, to frontline Works Team race car.
The DB3S originally featured experimental glass fiber bodywork, which was the height of cutting-edge technology for the period. However, after Brown handed it over to the Works team, it was given an aluminum body-shell and upgraded to full Works specification. It never returned to David Brown’s personal ownership, and instead went on to be raced by some of the most daring drivers of the time, in some of the motor sporting world’s most prestigious races.
“Few cars that have appeared in film can also boast an association with so many great names from the heyday of the British racing sports car, but this Aston Martin DB3S does just that,” said Tim Schofield, Bonhams UK Head Motoring. “Drivers who raced it include such legends as Peter Collins, Roy Salvadori, and Sir Stirling Moss, competing at world-class level in such grueling races as the Mille Miglia, the Spa Grand Prix and the Nürburgring 1,000kms.”
“The first time Moss raced the Aston Martin DB3S at Goodwood he won. He could drive anything with a steering wheel
The Aston Martin DB3S later starred in the 1960s British comedy, School for Scoundrels, in which Ian Carmichael battled with much loved Terry-Thomas for the affections of Janette Scott.
The movie is a classic tale of 1-upmanship, and its plot features several notable vehicles, such as the ‘Swiftmobile’, which was in reality a 1928 Bentley 4½-Liter Open Tourer in disguise, an ex-Works Austin-Healey 100-Six, and – of course – the car driven by Terry-Thomas, named the ‘Bellini’, which was none other than this magnificent Aston Martin DB3S.
TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE CARS EVER SOLD AT AUCTION
| Model Year, Make, Model | Price At Auction | Year Sold |
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO |
$38,115,000 | 2014 |
1957 Ferrari 335S |
$35,711,359 | 2016 |
| 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 | $29,600,00 | 2013 |
1956 Ferrari 290 MM |
$28,050,000 | 2015 |
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S NART Spider |
$27,500,00 | 2013 |
1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale |
$26,400,00 | 2014 |
1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider |
$18,500,000 | 2015 |
1954 Ferrari 375-Plus Spider Competizione |
$18,400,177 | 2014 |
1964 Ferrari 250 LM |
$17,600,000 | 2015 |
| 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider |
$17,160,000 | 2016 |
Have a terrific weekend.
Bonham’s Aston Martin Works Sale, DB3S/5 Unsold added by Paul Ebeling on
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Paul Ebeling
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