Aston Martin prices reach new heights at Bonhams auction, including 007 items

All things Aston Martin were in huge demand on Saturday (12th May 2007) at Bonhams’ eighth annual Aston Martin sale at the Works Service facility in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire. The sale realised over £2.3-million with 94% of all lots selling - reports CarPages.

Collectors and enthusiasts travel from around the world to attend this sale, and an overwhelming desire not to go home empty-handed led to bidding battles that pushed prices for cars and automobilia up to record levels.

The 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mk2 Volante Convertible made top price, selling for £430,500. This was double the pre-sale estimate and a world record price for the model. The immaculate and highly desirable car had recently been restored at the factory by a hand-picked team of eight people with over 100 years of Aston Martin experience between them, providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that the new owner was not prepared to miss.

Other strong prices were achieved for:

* 2000 Aston Martin SWB Vantage Volante Special Edition - offered with less than 13,000 miles recorded, this was the last of only nine cars built to a unique specification - sold for £238,000

* 1965 Aston martin DB5 Convertible - another well presented car, with the unusual feature of power-assisted steering, sold for £221,500

* 1989 Aston Martin Vantage Volante ‘Prince of Wales’ - sold for £128,000 (estimate £90,000 - 100,000)

* 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Saloon - this handsomely presented example of the DB6, considered by many to be the last ‘real’ Aston, made over double its estimate - selling for an extraordinary £120,300

* 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Saloon - also exceeded expectations, selling for £63,100, against a pre-sale estimate of £28,000 - 32,000

Prices achieved for items of automobilia once again drew cheers and spontaneous applause, as rival bidders fought over manuals, models and James Bond memorabilia.

Two workshop manuals for the DB4 and DB4GT sold for £12,650 each - the price of many a new car, while other manuals for the same models fetched four-figure sums.

An original 1994 Aston Martin bicycle from the Ulrich J Schödel collection sold for £9,775.

Topping the bill for the Bond items was an Aston Martin gear lever knob with ejector seat button from the special effects DB5 car used in ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Thunderball’, fitted after filming when the car toured as an exhibition piece. In 1968 the car returned to the factory to be rebuilt as a standard DB5, and the gear knob was removed and retained by an employee at Works Service. An estimate of £1,500 - 1,800 turned out to be more than a little conservative - the final price paid for the ultimate DB5 accessory was £41,100.

Other James Bond items fought over included a signed photograph of Sean Connery with the DB5 which sold for more then ten times its estimate (£13,800) and a scale model of the DB5 signed by ‘Pussy Galore’ actress Honor Blackman, estimated at £150 - 250, which fetched £7,475.

James Knight, Group Head of Bonhams Motoring department said:

“ The single marque sales concept that Bonhams pioneered continues to be popular with our motoring clients. Sales figures for our Aston Martin auction increase year on year and world record prices continue to be broken. Bonhams’ multi-million pound sales totals during the last fortnight are strong indicators that the market is healthy.”

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