1965 Aston Martin DB5 Coupe

In the late 1950s, Aston Martin was still a small, highly exclusive car manufacturer that produced less than 250 hand-built cars per year. Their clientele was an exclusive base of discerning connoisseurs of grand touring motor cars, many who were attracted to the company due to its successes in sports car racing. The cars cost roughly twice that of a new Jaguar E-Type, adding to the exclusivity even further.

Aston Martin unveiled their DB4 model in 1958 at the Paris Auto Salon. It was a new car in virtually every regard, and built on a new steel chassis with four-wheel disc brakes and fitted with a newly developed alloy, twin-cam inline six-cylinder engine designed by Tadek Marek. The engine was similar in its design and construction to the Lagonda engine designed by W.O. Bentley and found in earlier Aston Martin DBs.

In 1963, Aston Martin introduced the DB5 at the Earl's Court Motor Show in London. The design was similar to the DB4, but the six-cylinder engine displacement had been increased to 4-liters. It had three SU carburetors as standard equipment, with horsepower increased by 20 percent to 282 horsepower. Other refinements included a twin fuel fillers, electric windows, and a highly tuned exhaust system. After just 50 units were built, the ZF five-speed gearbox became standard equipment.

Between 1963 and 1965, just 886 DB5s were produced, all of which received Touring's superleggera (super light) bodywork.

This Aston Martin DB5 is entirely original with the exception of a repaint. It was donated to Ohio's Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in 2001. The car is painted in red and well equipped with factory air conditioning, which was offered as an option when new.

In 2009, this Aston Martin DB5 was offered for sale at the Sports & Classics of Monterey auction in Monterey, California presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for $145,000-$185,000. The lot was sold for the sum of $341,000 including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2009