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Star car sets world record at Aston Martin auction

16 June, 2014

 


Recently we told you about Roger Moore’s The Persuaders! Aston Martin going up for auction. Well, that very car has set a world record for a DBS sold at auction selling for £533,500 (approx. NZ$1,050,000).

It’s the 15th year of Bonhams’ annual auction and the Bonhams Aston Martin Works sale totalled £8.7 million (more than NZ$17 million). Over 100 lots of collectible automobilia were sold, alongside 50 vehicles which was the largest number Bonhams have ever had at the Aston Martin sale.

The world-record-setting 1970 Aston Martin DBS starred in the British television series The Persuaders! where it featured prominently in all of the show’s 24 episodes. During the auction it held pride of place at the front of the auction hall and attracted huge amounts of interest from fans of the television series as well as Aston Martin enthusiasts. The car itself was specially modified for its role in the show making itself known as the ‘third star’ behind co-stars Roger Moore and Tony Curtis.

One unexpected high-earner was the factory Vantage prototype ‘DP217’ 1963 Aston Martin DB5 project. It sold for four times its highest estimate with the gavel coming down on £393,500 (approx. NZ$775,000) and being received by plenty of applause from the room.

Bonhams Group Motoring Director James Knight said: “The sale has been one of surprise and delight. From selling a DB5 Sports Saloon project at four times its estimate, to setting world records with ‘star’ car, The Persuaders! Aston Martin DBS.

“As ever, in its 15th year the Aston Martin Works sale has been truly tremendous. After 15 years of running this sale we still continue to enjoy our very special partnership with Aston Martin, working collectively to deliver the right results for the brand and our clients.”

General Sales Manager at Aston Martin Works, Paul Spires, said: “The Bonhams auction weekend has once again more than lived up to expectations. The uniquely sociable ‘garden party’ atmosphere certainly seems to have helped some of the 2500 or so people who joined us here at Newport Pagnell take the plunge. With many exceptional sports cars sold, and bids coming in from right around the world, it’s clear that Bonhams’ Aston Martin Sale is, more than ever, a key fixture of the classic car world.”

NZ Classic Car magazine, March/April 2025 issue 398, on sale now

23 February, 2025

An HQ to die for
Mention the acronym HQ and most people in the northern hemisphere will assume this is an abbreviation for Head Quarters. However, for those born before the mid-’80s in Australia and New Zealand, the same two letters only mean one thing – HQ Holden!
Christchurch enthusiast Ed Beattie has a beautiful collection of Holden and Chevrolet cars. He loves the bowtie and its Aussie cousin and has a stable of beautiful, powerful cars. His collection includes everything from a modern GTSR W507 HSV through the decades to a 1960s Camaro muscle car and much in between.
In the last two Holden Nationals (run biennially in 2021 and 2023), Ed won trophies for the Best Monaro and Best Decade with his amazing 1972 Holden Monaro GTS 350 with manual transmission.
Ed is a perfectionist and loves his cars to reflect precisely how they were on ‘Day 1,’ meaning when the dealer released them to the first customer, including any extras the dealer may have added or changed.

You’re the one that I want – 1973 Datsun 240K GT

21 February, 2025

In the early 1970s, Clark Caldow was a young sales rep travelling the North Island and doing big miles annually. He loved driving. In 1975 the firm he worked for asked Clark what he wanted for his new car, and Clark chose a brand-new Datsun 240K GT. The two-door car arrived, and Clark was smitten, or in his own words, he was “pole vaulting.”
Clark drove it all over the country, racking up thousands of miles. “It had quite a bit of pep with its SOHC 128 hp (96kW) of power mated to a four-speed manual gearbox,” he says. Weighing in at 1240kg meant the power to weight ratio was good for the time and its length at almost 4.5 metres meant it had good street presence.
Clark has been a car enthusiast all his life, and decided around nine years ago to look for one of these coupes. By sheer luck he very quickly found a mint example refurbished by an aircraft engineer, but it was in Perth.