To Vantage Specification
1967 Aston Martin DB6 4.5-Litre Sports Saloon to Vantage Specification
Registration no. ABW 220E
Chassis no. DB6/3044/R

'I have driven most of the Aston Martin models that have been produced, from the racing twin-cam 1½-litre of the 1920s onwards. For years my favourite has been the DB3S sports-racer, but now my allegiance is wavering. There can be little doubt that the DB6 is the best Aston yet and it is a credit to British engineering.' - John Bolster on the DB6 Vantage, Autosport, 21st October 1966.

The culmination of Aston Martin's long-running line of 'DB' six-cylinder sports saloons and thus considered by many to be the last 'real' Aston, the DB6 was introduced in 1965, updating the DB5. Although recognisably related to the Touring-styled DB4 of 1958, the DB6 abandoned the Superleggera body structure of its predecessors in favour of a conventional steel fabrication while retaining the aluminium outer panels. Increased rear-seat space was the prime DB6 objective so the wheelbase was now 4" longer than before, resulting in an extensive restyle with more-raked windscreen, raised roofline and reshaped rear quarter windows. Opening front quarter lights made a reappearance but the major change was at the rear where a Kamm-style tail with spoiler improved the aerodynamics, greatly enhancing stability at high speeds. These many dimensional changes were integrated most successfully, the DB6's overall length increasing by only 2". Indeed, but for the distinctive Kamm tail one might easily mistake it for a DB5.

The Tadek Marek-designed 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 there was optional power-assisted steering.

First registered on 20th March 1967, this DB6 comes with its original warranty showing that the first owner was one Royden Meyer. The original logbook records Mr Meyer's address as Chigwell, Essex, and the original colour as white. Mr Meyer kept the Aston for almost five years, the first change of keeper being recorded as January 1972 when it passed to Stile Educational Company of Oxford.

In May 1975, the DB6 was acquired by Mr Christopher Walpole of Banbury, who in May 1976 took the original registration 'NYP 350E' off the car, reregistering it as '69 CNW'. Mr Walpole kept the Aston for some 35 years before selling it in 2010 to one Andrew Dooley of Hawkhurst, Kent. It was at this time that the car first acquired its current registration, 'ABW 220E'. Shortly thereafter, in October 2011, '3044/R' was acquired by the highly respected Sussex-based marque specialist, Bill Goodall (Newlands Motors) as his personal car, carrying the registration '1 DBV'. Bill rebuilt the engine to Vantage specification and 4.5 litres capacity around the original cylinder block (reconditioned by R S Williams); as one would expect, this DB6 reportedly goes very well! He also changed the exterior colour from white to the current Black Pearl. Faced with upcoming expenses, Bill regretfully sold '3044/R' to the late Paul Jennings in January 2016, the DB6 reverting to its previous registration, 'ABW 220E'.

The substantial history file contains the car's aforementioned logbook and warranty; 17 expired MoTs for the period 1975 to 2016; assorted pieces of correspondence; and numerous invoices from recognised specialists detailing servicing and maintenance dating from the present day back to the 1970s.