There’s a reason why James Bond’s Aston Martins start with the initials “DB” instead of “AM.”
The name is Brown. David Brown.
Sir David purchased the British automaker when it was in dire straits in 1947 for the princely sum of £20,500 and promptly built the very first Aston Martin DB2. Shortly after, he founded the brand’s storied racing program.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Now Brown’s personal 1953 DB3S race car, one of only 30 ever produced, is coming up for auction as part of a partnership between Aston Martin and Bonhams auction house.
The model — which competed at Mille Miglia, the Spa Grand Prix and Nürburgring with icons like Sir Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks and Peter Collins behind the wheel — has been described as “the best the Brits ever built.” And that was before Aston Martin spent £311,000 restoring it to its original form prior to the sale.
The historic two-seater is hitting the block on Saturday, and is expected to fetch upwards of $10 million.
That’s about three times more than the DB10 designed for Bond’s use in Spectre fetched at auction earlier this year.
Images via Bonhams
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