Δεν είναι εύκολο για ένα αυτοκίνητο να πιάσει 7,5 – 8,75 εκατομμύρια ευρώ σε μία δημοπρασία. Αν όμως επρόκειτο να ποντάρουμε, τότε αυτή η Aston Martin DB3S του 1954 θα αποτελούσε ένα σχεδόν σίγουρο στοίχημα.
Πρώτα απ’ όλα, είναι σπάνια. Η συγκεκριμένη DB3S είναι η 5η από τις συνολικά 31 που κατασκευάστηκαν. Δεύτερον, ανήκε στον ιδιοκτήτη της εταιρίας, David Brown. Τρίτον, έχει αγωνιστικό pedigree. Ενώ το αυτοκίνητο είχε κατασκευαστεί για χρήση δρόμου, όταν τρεις άλλες DB3S καταστράφηκαν στο Le Mans το 1954, ο Brown έδωσε το προσωπικό του αυτοκίνητο στο αγωνιστικό τμήμα. Εκεί, οι μηχανικοί αντικατέστησαν το fiberglass αμάξωμα με αλουμινένιο και έπειτα από μερικές ακόμα τροποποιήσεις, την έστρωσαν στην δουλειά.
Την συγκεκριμένη Aston Martin, οδήγησαν διάφοροι αλλά στη λίστα, ξεχωρίζουν ονόματα όπως αυτό του Sir Stirling Moss, του Peter Collins και του Roy Salvadori ενώ στους αγώνες που συμμετείχε η εργοστασιακή DB3S/5, συμπεριλαμβάνονται το Spa, το Nurburgring και το Mille Miglia. Τέταρτον και τελευταίο, για όποιον δεν φτάνουν τα παραπάνω, αξίζει να αναφέρουμε ότι το αυτοκίνητο εμφανίστηκε στην κωμωδία της δεκαετίας του ’60, “School for Scoundrels”. Για όλα αυτά λοιπόν, η Bonhams που έχει αναλάβει την δημοπρασία της DB3S/5 εκτιμά ότι θα πωληθεί έναντι 7,5-8,75 εκατομμυρίων ευρώ. Αν η εκτίμηση αποδειχθεί ακριβής, τότε το αυτοκίνητο θα γίνει μία από τις ακριβότερες Aston Martin που έχουν δημοπρατηθεί, ξεπερνώντας και την DB3S που πωλήθηκε το 2014 έναντι 4,8 εκατομμυρίων ευρώ περίπου.
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THE 1954 ASTON MARTIN DB3S: CAR OF THE SILVER SCREEN RACED BY THE GREAT STIRLING MOSS, NOW OFFERED AT BONHAMS
A rare Aston Martin Works team car – chassis number DB3S/5 – which was campaigned in period by such legendary racing drivers as Sir Stirling Moss, Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori, and latterly went on to co-star with Terry-Thomas in 1960s movie classic ‘School for Scoundrels’, will be offered at Bonhams Aston Martin Works Sale on 21 May 2016. It is estimated at £6,000,000-7,000,000.
This historic Aston Martin began life as the personal road car of David Brown, the multi-millionaire industrialist owner of the Aston Martin marque. Under Brown’s reign the legendary post-World War 2 ‘DB’ series of Aston Martin cars were built, including the Atom, the DB2, DB3, DB4, DB5, DB6, DB7, DB9 and the DBS, all named using Brown’s initials.
Aston Martin also built a number of DB3S models for the Works racing team. Following a severe set-back during the 1954 Le Mans 24-hour race, when three of the cars were destroyed in a series of crashes, the Aston Martin Competitions Department commandeered David Brown’s personal DB3S – chassis 5 now offered here – to replace one of the wrecked vehicles, changing its use from high-performance road car, to frontline Works Team race car.
The DB3S originally featured experimental glass fibre bodywork, which was the height of cutting-edge technology for the period. However, after Brown handed it over to the Works team, it was given an aluminum body-shell and upgraded to full Works specification. It never returned to David Brown’s personal ownership, and instead went on to be raced by some of the most daring drivers of the time, in some of the motor sporting world’s most prestigious races.
“Few cars that have appeared in film can also boast an association with so many great names from the heyday of the British racing sports car, but this Aston Martin DB3S does just that,” said Tim Schofield, Bonhams UK Head Motoring. “Drivers who raced it include such legends as Peter Collins, Roy Salvadori, and Sir Stirling Moss, competing at world-class level in such gruelling races as the Mille Miglia, the Spa Grand Prix and the Nürburgring 1,000kms.”
The Aston Martin DB3S later starred in the 1960s British comedy, ‘School for Scoundrels’, in which Ian Carmichael battled with caddish (but much loved) Terry-Thomas for the affections of Janette Scott. The movie is a classic tale of one-upmanship, and its plot features several notable vehicles, such as the ‘Swiftmobile’, which was in reality a 1928 Bentley 4½-Litre Open Tourer in disguise, an ex-Works Austin-Healey 100-Six, and – of course – the car driven by Terry-Thomas, named the ‘Bellini’, which was none other than this magnificent Aston Martin DB3S.
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