In the 1980s, young professionals began to demand practical saloons that replicated the style statements made by their suits: powerful, striking, and often specified in contrast colours. The preference for these attributes packaged within a practical four-door bodyshell was perhaps the result of the commercial success of the European Touring Car Championship, whose German following and participation almost made it the national sport.
In recent years, both the M1 supercar and the pre-War 328 have received the ‘Hommage’ treatment, which sees celebrated designs reinterpreted with no ultimate intention of production (although the i8 did inherit many of the reloaded M1’s design cues).
In total, the 16th single-marque sale held by Bonhams at the Aston Works HQ grossed a record £10,280,275, a figure buoyed by the £1.5m sales of the ex-Sir Peter Ustinov 1962 DB4 Series IV Vantage Convertible, and the 1966 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible uprated to ‘Vantage’ specification. The charming provenance of the former helped to coax bids well beyond the £1m upper estimate and on to £1,513,500, while the latter brought £1,524,700 – the new body and chassis it received post-accident in the 1980s proving no obstacle.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2015, Salon Privé opens for the first time at Blenheim Palace on 3-5 September. The preview event saw a total of 10 cars displayed within the Great Court and on the South Lawn – the main event location.