'Barnfind' Aston Martin Fetches £680,000 At FOS

“This ex-works Le Mans Aston Martin is the ultimate ‘barnfind’,” says James Knight, Bonhams international motoring director. “Despite its neglected condition, connoisseurs regard it as a truly historic time machine.”

The DB, one of the first to be made by Aston under David Brown’s direction, had an estimate of £600-£900,000. It came seventh at Le Mans in 1949 and competed at Spa before being literally left to rot. Despite its dilapidated condition, it could be worth up to £1.5m after a full restoration, according to Bonhams’ Tim Schofield, as well as being potentially eligible for  the world’s greatest historic motor racing events.

Tim told GRR before the sale: “You’d probably only see one car globally every year with this sort of provenance in this condition, which makes this an incredibly rare opportunity.”

Other sale highlights were the “pop art” Bentley Continental, colourfully bespoked by Sir Peter Blake, which sold for £250,000 to a bidder in the room. All the money is going to the Care2Save Charitable Trust.

Other sale prices included:

1981 BMW M1 Coupé, £303,900

1938 Jaguar SS100 3½-Litre Roadster, £337,500

1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT Berlinetta, £281,500

1996 Porsche 993 911 RS Clubsport, £281,500

In the sale of  numberplates, “FU 2” sold for £152,700. It is not known what car it will adorn…

Photography by Tom Shaxson and Pete Summers