1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage Convertible

Chassis no. DB5C/2116/R Engine no. 400/2261/V

• One of seven original Vantage engined DB5 Convertibles built
• The subject of a total restoration to concours standards by RS Williams and Spray Tec
• Presented in its original colours of Goodwood Green with Fawn hide
• UK registered with its original number

To satisfy worldwide demand, it was inevitable that Aston Martin should produce a convertible version of the DB5, and it was hailed as the equal of any open-top Italian granturismo for style and exclusivity. Simply unclipping the catches on the handbuilt fabric roof transformed the car from captain of industry’s British shooting party conveyance to sublime convertible, effortlessly at home in the hot spots of the Italian Riviera.

In its most powerful form, the four-litre DB5 Vantage had a lusty nigh-on 300bhp at its disposal – more than enough to show a pursuing Maserati 3500 GT Vignale Spyder or Ferrari 275 GTS a clean pair of heels. Of the 1,021 DB5s built in all forms during its two-year lifespan, just 123 were open cars. Some were automatic, usually destined for America, although far less highly prized today.

Sitting at the top of tree are the seven manual, Vantage-spec DB5 Convertibles. Cars such as this example, superbly presented in Goodwood Green with Fawn, as good an automotive equal of a Savile Row suit or pair of John Lobb handmade brogues as it gets.

This Motor Car

According to the factory build sheet that accompanies the car, DB5 Vantage Convertible chassis 2116/R was purchased new by DT Hedges of Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire. The guarantee was issued on 14 September 1965 and the car was registered KPP 548C, the same mark it bears today.

Correspondence from Chris Devallancey of Aston Martin Parts Operations confirms the car was ordered in Goodwood Green with Fawn interior.

The build sheet notes a swift change of ownership in November 1965 via main agent Eton Garage Ltd who transferred the remainder of the warranty to new owners Strauss Turnbull & Co of London EC3, stockbrokers in the heart of the City. The sheet later notes a third owner, well-known member of the Aston Martin Owners Club, Don Aylett of Shenstone, Staffs. No dates are mentioned, though Club records note Mr Aylett entering a concours in 1971, coming third.

Entries on the factory service record of the car are maintained until March 1968 as follows:

28 June 1967 – 23,568 miles. 25,000 miles chassis service, new clutch and other small items.
14 August 1967 – 25,466 miles. Fitting new n/s door window winder.
14 September 1967 – 26,771 miles. 25,000 miles service and other items.
31 October 1967 – 27,919 miles. Fitting new window lift motor, collection from and delivery to London.
5 March 1968 – n/a miles. 30,000 miles service, attending to suspension and brakes.

Club records show concours entries for 1986 (Dickens, Birtsmorton Court, 2nd) and 1996 (Autumn Concours, Piper, 3rd). Keith Piper, who acquired the car in March 1987, is a former Chairman of the AMOC and also enjoyed the 2002 Luxembourg Tour in the car, as well as joining the parade of Aston Martins presented to HM The Queen at Windsor in 2005.

Seeing the potential in this DB5 Vantage Convertible, a UK-based collector entrusted it to the world’s best-known specialist and Aston Martin Heritage agent RS Williams Ltd of Chobham, Surrey, for total, body-off restoration. RSW stripped the car down and carried out all mechanical repairs, while Spray Tec of Wellingborough, Northants, attended to the body and paint. The process took over 18 months and the results speak for themselves. RSW dyno testing shows circa 320bhp and 330lb/ft torque. Soon after taking delivery, the car was sold in 2020 to the current owner. Since restoration it has been driven less than 1,000 miles and has been professionally stored under the watchful eyes of RS Williams Ltd.

The car is UK registered (KPP 548C) and accompanied by RS Williams body-off restoration records, an A4 ring-binder history file, owner’s handbook and wallet, copy of the factory build sheet and tools.

This Aston Martin DB5 Vantage Convertible is one of the seven originals, restored by the best in the business in its ‘as delivered’ colour combination that cannot be bettered. It ticks every box.