Highlights from the 2015 Bonhams Aston Martin Works classic car sale included £1.5 million for the 1962 DB4 Vantage Convertible of Sir Peter Ustinov. However, a 1966 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible in ‘Vantage’ specification achieved the top result of £1,524,700. A further 1962 Aston Martin DB4 4.0-Litre Series IV Convertible also sold for more than a million dollars.
Bonhams Aston Martin Works Sale 2015
Bonhams achieved a new event record at its 16th annual Aston Martin Works Sale at Newport Pagnell with an auction total of £10,280,275 on May 9, 2015. The event record result was set at an auction featuring around 50 Aston Martin cars and 170 lots of related automobilia.
Barn finds and project cars sold well, with a brace of 1958 Aston Martin DB Mark III Sports Saloons selling particularly well, one selling at twice top estimate, achieving £104,540, and the other at £115,740.
Further sale highlights include the most famous of all ‘James Bond’ Aston Martins, the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 4.2-Liter Sports Saloon, at £595,100; the 1968 Aston Martin DB6 ‘Mark 1’ Volante at £561,500; and the 1960 Aston Martin DB4 ‘Series 1’ Sports Saloon selling for £494,300.
Million Dollar Cars at the Bonhams Aston Martin Works Sale 2015
The following three cars sold for more than a million dollars at the Bonhams Aston Martin Works Sale:
| Year | Car | Price ($) | Price (£) |
| 1966 | Aston Martin DB5 Convertible to Vantage Specification | 2,350,090 | 1,524,700 |
| 1962 | Aston Martin DB4 Series IV Vantage Convertible | 2,332,827 | 1,513,500 |
| 1962 | Aston Martin DB4 4.0-litre Series IV Convertible | 1,279,317 | 830,000 |
Auction held in pound sterling – dollar conversion as by Bonhams in first published results. Prices include premium.
Million-Dollar Aston Martins
Classic Aston Martins have been selling with increasing frequency at prices above a million dollar at recent auctions. At the 2015 Bonhams single marque sale, three cars achieved results in excess of a million dollar each:
1966 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible to ‘Vantage’ Specification
The top price paid at the Bonhams Aston Martin Works sale in 2015 was £1,524,7000 ($2,350,090) for a 1966 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible to ‘Vantage’ Specification. This car is one of only 39 left-hand drive DB5 convertibles ever made. In total, Aston Martin built only 1,021 DB5s of which only 123 were convertibles and 12 shooting breaks.
1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV Vantage Convertible
Selling for only slightly less, the 1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV Vantage Convertible that originally belonged to Sir Peter Ustinov was for many the true highlight of the auction. This car is one of only nine DB4 Series IV convertibles made and with its link to the entertainment industry sold for sold for £1,513,500 ($2,332,827). In total, only around 1,100 DB4s were built of which only 70 were convertibles with the Series IV particularly rare.
1962 Aston Martin DB4 4.0-Litre Series IV Convertible
A second of these rare DB4 convertibles were on offer but this 1962 Aston Martin DB4 4.0-Litre Series IV Convertible without the Peter Ustinov connection and Vantage specification sold for almost a million less at £830,000 ($1,279,317).
Bonhams next major classic car auction is the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed sale on June 26, 2015. One of the top lots on offer will be an ex-works 1930s racing Aston Martin LM19 Ulster Team Car (estimate £1.6 to £2.2 million).