Aston Martin DB5 Price Guide

The Aston Martin DB5 is probably the most famous car in the world. James Bond put it there, but the car earned its place: a 4.0-litre Tadek Marek straight-six, Superleggera bodywork by Touring of Milan, and a presence that stops traffic sixty years after it was built.

The Car

Produced at Newport Pagnell from 1963 to 1965, the DB5 was an evolution of the DB4 with a bored-out engine, triple SU carburettors as standard, and a ZF five-speed gearbox replacing the earlier David Brown four-speed after the first 90 cars. The Vantage specification added triple Weber 45DCOEs and a claimed 325bhp. Just 1,021 coupes were built (Aston called them saloons), along with 123 convertibles and 12 Radford shooting brakes. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Peter Sellers, and Elle McPherson were among the celebrity owners. Goldfinger in 1964 made the DB5 the most recognisable car in cinema history.

What Goes Wrong

The Superleggera construction (pressed steel tub topped by a framework of steel tubes carrying aluminium outer panels) is complex and enormously expensive to restore. Sills around the jacking points corrode first. Aluminium panels become brittle with age and any bubbling conceals worse beneath. The straight-six needs oil changes every 2,500 miles; extend the interval and wear accelerates rapidly. Timing chain condition can be checked by the angle of the adjuster at the front of the head, with replacement due at 60,000 miles. Oil pressure should read above 65psi at 3,000rpm when warm. The Lucas electrics are temperamental; although this is a characteristic of the era rather than the car.

The DB5 developed from the DB4 and was replaced by the DB6, which offered more rear-seat space and improved aerodynamics but never matched the DB5’s iconic status.