Supplied new via Societe Nouvelle du Garage Mirabeau in Paris, this left-hand-drive Aston Martin DB5 remained in France until being exported the UK in 2015, and comes with a wealth of paperwork that shows how well maintained it has been throughout its life.
Chassis number 1995/L was built at the Newport Pagnell factory on 4 March 1965 and fitted with engine number 400/1984. It was originally finished in Sierra Blue with Dark Blue interior and was specified with Armstrong Selectaride dampers, chrome wire wheels and Normalair air-conditioning. The latter was a first on an Aston Martin when offered on the DB5, and added £320 to the list price.
Its first owner is named on the factory service record as being Henri Boris, who lived on Boulevard Lannes in the western fringes of Paris. The car returned to the factory on 18 July 1967 for a full service, by which time it had covered just under 15,000 kilometres.
In 1973, the DB5 was sold – again via Garage Mirabeau – to a Monsieur Trepsat, who lived in Lyons. He kept it for 10 years before selling it in 1983 to Bernard Faure, and it passed in short order to Patrick Sersoub, who would hold on to it for the next 30 years. The history file is full of correspondence relating to his time with the Aston Martin, with invoices from suppliers such as Aston Service Dorset and advice on an engine rebuild during the 1990s from marque specialist Andy Chapman.
When Sersoub finally parted with the car, it was brought to the UK and the front suspension and brakes were overhauled, with Polybushes being fitted. Now presented in the iconic colour of Silver Birch but with the trim still in the original Dark Blue, this Aston Martin DB5 is being offered for sale having never been fully restored but always meticulously maintained by its long term owners. It comes with an extensive history file that includes photographs of the recent work that’s been carried out, and it’s an extremely usable example of this legendary British grand tourer.
MODEL HISTORY
The Aston Martin DB5 is one of the most instantly recognisable cars ever built thanks to its iconic role in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, but backing up that film-star charisma is an enduring blend of Italian styling and British engineering.
When the DB4 had been launched in 1958, it marked the beginning of a new era thanks to a body shape that had been designed by Touring of Milan – from which Aston Martin also licensed the Superleggera method of lightweight construction. Touring’s crisp, clean shape was fitted around a new six-cylinder engine that had been designed by Tadek Marek.
Regularly updated throughout its production run, the DB4 was eventually replaced by the DB5 at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show. For this latest model, the engine was bored-out from 3670cc to 3995cc, and very early in production a five-speed gearbox replaced the old four-speeder – there was also the option of a three-speed Borg Warner automatic.
On the standard triple SU carburettors, power output from the twin-cam straight-six was 282bhp, with the Vantage model kicking out 314bhp on triple Webers. Braking was via servo-assisted Girling discs all round, rather than the Dunlop system that the standard DB4 had used.
When The Motor tested a DB5, it recorded a top speed of 145mph, making it one of the fastest production cars of its time. The magazine recorded a 0-60mph time of 7.1 seconds and noted that it ‘cruises to 100mph with absurd ease and quietness [and] can be guided through fast corners with great accuracy’.
In 1965, this now-legendary model was replaced by the extended-wheelbase DB6 after just over 1000 had been built. Nearly 60 years later, it remains one of the most desirable and coveted cars ever made.
