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A 1963 Aston Martin DB5 Sports Saloon finished in a shade so rare that only three examples ever left the factory wearing it is heading to auction with H&H Classics, carrying an estimate of £350,000 to £400,000 ahead of the sale at Kelham Hall in Newark, Nottinghamshire on September 23.
Chassis DB5/1320/R is, according to the Aston Martin Heritage Trust, only the twentieth DB5 ever built. Cataloged by H&H as wearing one of just three factory Ice Blue finishes applied to the model, it may be the sole survivor still carrying that color today. A quick glance might mistake it for a Silver Birch car, but the paint tells a different story.
As completed on the assembly line, the car would have used a David Brown four-speed gearbox with overdrive, but the example on offer was retrofitted at some point with the more desirable ZF five-speed manual, a swap that many DB5 enthusiasts consider a genuine upgrade. Engine and chassis numbers still match, and H&H notes that the original red Connolly leather interior remains largely untouched rather than retrimmed.
The car, chassis DB5/1320/R, was delivered new on October 26, 1963, through the agent Brooklands of Eton, and its early history traces back to J. Glassberg of Lancashire, according to Aston Martin Owners' Club records. Ownership passed through several hands over the following decade, including a stint with noted marque specialist R.S. Williams around 1970.
The DB5's fortunes took a turn after it was exported to the United States, where it was partially dismantled and left to deteriorate. It was repatriated to the UK in 1989 in a stripped state, still wearing traces of an earlier repaint in bright yellow. A relative of the current vendor took on the restoration, and by 1991 the bodywork and interior had been returned to their original Ice Blue specification, a project overseen directly by Aston Martin Lagonda at a cost exceeding £54,000.
Aston Martin Lagonda continued to service the car through 1994, with invoices on file covering a full engine strip-down, a replacement cylinder block, new pistons, and a rebuilt gearbox synchro. In the decades since, the current owner has treated the DB5 as a usable classic rather than a garage ornament, running it on local errands and showing it periodically as a longstanding Aston Martin Owners' Club member.
H&H describes the DB5 as "an ideal car to use and improve," noting it could be enjoyed as-is or taken to a full concours restoration. Ahead of the sale, the vendor has arranged a fresh service, and the car comes with a thick history file that includes the factory build sheet, AMOC correspondence, invoices from Aston Martin Lagonda spanning 1990 to 1994, and photographs documenting the bodywork restoration. A spare set of correct Borrani wire wheels, still awaiting refurbishment, is also included in the sale.
The DB5 crosses the block as lot 92 at H&H Classics' auction at Kelham Hall in Newark, Nottinghamshire, on September 23, carrying an estimate of £350,000 to £400,000. It joins a growing string of DB5s that have attracted collector interest this year, from a restored 1964 example finished in a rare Caribbean Pearl to a 1965 DB5 Vantage that headlined a major Las Vegas sale, underscoring how strong demand remains for Aston Martin's most famous grand tourer.
The DB5's cultural cachet, cemented by its James Bond film debut, continues to drive values across the model line, and even movie-connected examples like a surviving DB5 stunt car have become blue-chip collectibles in their own right.
