The Best of British

January 6, 2015 by Bonhams

The 2015 Les Grandes Marques auction on 5 February at the Grand Palais in Paris will be the biggest to date, with around 130 motor cars on offer. The sale will be led by two fantastic vehicles from British luxury marque, Aston Martin.

Synonymous with Britain - and, of course, British movie heroes - Aston Martin has produced some truly iconic motor cars, and arguably none more so than those designed in the David Brown era: the DB4 and DB5. With only 70 produced, the 1962 DB4C is one of the rarest Aston Martin road cars of this celebrated era. Successfully combining style and performance with the delights of open air motoring, it is among the most sought-after and highly-prized motor cars in the world.

Introduced in 1963, the DB5 was a development of the DB4. Classically proportioned, the Touring-designed body established an instantly recognizable look that stood the marque in good stead until 1970. Only 19 left-hand drive DB5 convertibles were ever made, making this offering a very rare find.

Philip Kantor, Bonhams European Head of Motoring, said: 'The duo of Aston Martins offered are perfect examples of the superior design which took hold of the brand in the post-war David Brown era. The cars were driven by the coolest of the cool, and were featured in films of the decade. The DB5 model is synonymous with the James Bond franchise, and the DB4C came to a treacherous end over the alpine cliff edge in The Italian Job.

'Unusually, the pair are both left-hand drive convertibles, making them ultra rare and highly sought-after. They feature beautifully designed Italian coachwork from Touring's Superleggera, successfully crafted on what is otherwise a very British car. At Bonhams we're seeing great demand in the trend for cars of the 1960s, so expect some spirited bidding at our upcoming Paris auction.'

Bonhams Grand Palais Sale takes place in Paris on 5 February 2015. For further information, please visit here: https://www.bonhams.com/departments/MOT-CAR/