1966 Aston Martin DB6 Sports Saloon
Registration no. YTP 1
Chassis no. DB6/2471
Engine no. 400/2429

'Stage by stage, as the DB has become dominant in the Aston Martin strain, the successive cars have changed their image. Today the aim is to offer the maximum of luxury and refinement as well as the ultimate in road performance. The minor barbarities of so many great sports cars of the past are no longer acceptable – at least in the hand built models now leaving Newport Pagnell. Obviously such a car as the DB6 is expensive and exclusive but the value matches the price.' – Autocar, 1966.

The culmination of Aston-Martin's long-running six-cylinder 'DB' line, the DB6 debuted at the Paris and London Motor Shows in 1965 and was recognisably related to the Touring-styled DB4 of 1958. The wheelbase was now 4" longer than before, resulting in an extensive restyle with more-raked windscreen, raised roofline and reshaped rear quarter windows. Although apparently a bigger car than its predecessors, the weight of the new model was in fact only fractionally increased. Opening front quarter lights made a reappearance but the major change was at the rear where a Kamm-style tail with spoiler marginally reduced aerodynamic drag and increased high-speed stability. The Tadek Marek-designed double-overhead-camshaft six-cylinder engine had been enlarged to 3,995cc for the preceding DB5 and remained unchanged. Power output on triple SU carburettors was 282bhp, rising to 325bhp in Vantage specification. Borg-Warner automatic transmission was offered alongside the standard ZF five-speed gearbox and for the first time power-assisted steering was available.

An automatic transmission model, chassis number '2471' was supplied to Bradburys on 26th January1966 and sold to the first owner, Roy William Hamilton, on 1st February that year. The DB6 was finished in Caribbean Pearl with red Connolly hide interior trim, and was fitted from new with a Webasto sunroof at Roy Hamilton's request. The original registration was 'EON 666D'.

Roy Hamilton covered 28,493 miles in the DB6 before passing away in 1982, whereupon it was inherited by his son, Charles John Hamilton. Charles Hamilton only drove the Aston to and from annual servicing until it was sold on 25th May 2001 to Richard Courtenay Cripwell, who covered 3,000 happy miles in the car before selling it to the current vendor on 21st February 2012. The DB6 has been dry stored since purchase and only driven to and from servicing as well as on weekly Sunday runs in order to keep it in perfect running order. '2471' has been driven only 33,276 miles in 48 years (a few more will be added driving to the sale) the bulk of which was covered by two of the four owners.

The DB6 was originally serviced by A J Beal Limited, Exeter (Aston Martin distributors and service agents). Thereafter it was maintained by Chapman Spooner, Walsall and then, during the ownership of Richard Cripwell, by Goldsmith & Young and Wren Classics in Wiltshire.

This car is an exceptionally low mileage example in remarkably original condition. It has been garaged at all times from new and meticulously cherished for 48 years by fastidious owners. The valuable registration number 'YTP 1' has been with this Aston for some 13 years and as a gesture of goodwill the owner has decided to allow it to remain with the car. As a further gesture of goodwill, the original registration number, 'EON 666D', which is held on a retention certificate, is included in the sale also. Possibly the finest un-restored DB6 still existing, '2471' is offered with MoT/tax to 2015, V5 registration document, a copy of the original factory specification sheet, the original DB6 instruction book and a comprehensive service history portfolio.