The changes to the DB6 were more structural than mechanical; indeed the construction of the car no longer followed the ‘Superleggera’ principles and the badges on the bonnet were soon deleted. The engine was carried over from the DB5, triple SU’s giving a claimed 282bhp and a claimed 325bhp from the triple Weber equipped Vantage.

When production on the DB6 was superseded by the Mark 2 version in July 1969, around 1325 examples had been built making them the most numerous of the DB4/5/6 line.

Here’s the controversial swept-up tail close up and unique to the DB6. In certain circles, it is described as a Kamm tail although this description is not necessarily correct. A true Kamm tail is sharply truckated. Developed from those used on the Project cars, it was designed to reduce lift and enhance aerodynamic stability at speed. Of course, nowadays, many cars have spoilers and aerofoils, but in the late 60’s if was very rare indeed, even on other high performance cars.

A fine DB6, sold in Coys Silverstone Auction in 1999. Interestingly it features over-riders and bumpers normally seen on cars sold in the US. Whilst the DB5 featured unique single Lucas rear light lenses, those on the DB6 were ‘borrowed’ from the contemporary Triumph TR4A and TR5.

The interior of this Fiesta Red DB6 is trimmed in Magnolia Hide. I adore the matching red carpets but suspect that the car left the factory with something more sober. The ‘V’ shaped stitching pattern on the seats is unique to the DB6 Mark 1. The DB6 is a popular first Aston Martin; relatively inexpensive when compared to a DB5 yet a more thoroughly developed motorcar.

This DB6 is unique in being the only example modified for racing. The car is owned and driven by John and Gillian Goldsmith, of Goldsmith and Young, Aston Martin restorers in Wiltshire, UK. The car started out as a wreck which John decided to prepare for racing after being told that it would never be competitive against the ‘lightweight’ DB4’s. How wrong they were.

And another example of the work of Goldsmith and Young is this ‘1997 Peking to Paris Rally’ DB6 complete with ‘roo’ bars. Again the car started out as a wreck but made an excellent basis for a classic rally car. Goldsmith and Young now have there own website which you may like to visit at www.aston-gyl.com.

The yellow car (above), another DB6 with plenty of miles under it’s belt, took part in the 2000 London – Istanbul stage of the Round the World Rally which it won outright. The car also completed the 6,000 mile Trial to the Nile HERO event in 2002 without problem – a very well travelled Aston Martin.

In March 1966, the Beatle, Paul McCartney took delivery of this DB6, LLO840D. Finished in Goodwood Green with black leather upholstery and optional chrome wheels with three-ear spinners, the car eventually came onto the market at the AML/Bonhams & Brookes auction in 2001. Whilst the popular press talked the potential price to £50,000, unfortunately the car failed to sell. A year or so later, the car resurfaced again after a full restoration at AM Works Service and is still owned by AM themselves. The car retains a reel to reel tape recorder in the dashboard and it is reputed that Paul used this to record his initial lyrics and melody that became the huge Beatles hit, ‘Hey Jude’

The DB6 Volante interior is identical to that of the saloon. Unlike the earlier convertibles, the body colour is not always carried across the dash. The Kamm tail of the saloon was also to be found on the Volante although arguably with a much more pleasing result.

Their timeless elegance and relative rarity, with only 140 produced (29 received the more powerful Vantage engine), has ensured that these are amongst the most desirable Astons ever.

The conversion was extensive and affected the whole car from the windscreen backwards. One problem with the conversion was that the tubular structure of the roof was cut away and the new extended roof was supported by steel fabrications thus reducing the inherent rigidity of the original vehicle. The rear hatchback was a single piece hinged from the top and assisted by springs.

The interior was cleverly designed to hold as much as stuff as possible. With the rear seat folded down, the car offered an uninterrupted payload platform of 1.75 meters by 1 .05 meters and a volume of 1.1 cubic meters, although with suspension unaltered, it would have been unwise to carry a large deal of additional weight.

As the mechanical and chassis specification of the car remained the same as when first built, Radford still claimed to reach 150 mph and was marketed with the tag-line ‘The world’s fastest dual-purpose vehicle’. Also Radford claimed the Shooting Brake would be able to brake from 100 mph to a standstill in 6 seconds, although we must assume this is without a heavy payload in the back. As each shooting brake began life as a completely finished DB6 saloon, the additional conversion to a  shooting brake added more than £2,000 to the cost.

The example shown on this page is a Radford converted car and has lived in the US for many years.

In addition to the Radford converted cars, two or maybe three DB6’s were converted to Shooting Brakes by FLM Panelcraft, another London coachbuilding company.

Some DB6 Mark 2 were built with the optional Vantage engine – only distinguished by a discreet badge on the wing vent. Instead of the triple SU HD8 carburettors and 8.9 to 1 compression ratio, the Vantage engine has three Weber 45 DCOE’s and a compression ratio of 9.4 to 1; enough to produce 325bhp, or so it was claimed. Another option, fitted to 46 of the cars was the AE Brico fuel injection system although this was not properly developed and many of these cars were later converted to Weber carbs by the Service Department. It is very rare but not impossible to see a DB6 Mark 2 complete with it’s original fuel injection system.

One think of note is that the DB6 Mark 2 uses the figure ‘2’ in it’s name which is at odds with updated versions of previous cars which used roman numerals such as the DB2/4 Mark II and Mark III.

An article in the Spring 1972 edition of ‘HR Owen Ltd reports…’, an magazine to promote the dealership to their large customer base stated that they had received a number of inquiries following the production of the car although no more were ever made. One can only assume that the cost of conversion was substantial; with an ex-works DBS selling for £5,717, it is believed the Shooting Brake cost around £10,000. The DBS was fitted with the regular triple SU engine and three speed automatic transmission.

The second owner had the car from 1975 but decided to part with the car through the 2012 Bonham’s auction at Aston Martin Works. Against what was a ludicrously low estimate of £50,000 – 70,000, the unique car sold for £337,500 plus premium, taking it close to £400,000.

One of the few external differences from the six cylinder model is the larger front air dam. Another distinguishing feature of the V8 are the alloy wheels, the wire wheels could never handle the mighty torque of the engine. One must remember that a certain six cylinder car also had alloy wheels and DBS V8 badges. The gold car (BS1) as driven by Roger Moore in the series The Persuaders. So that it appeared that Roger was driving the recently unveiled car, the DBS was modified just for filming even though the V8 was already then available. Demand for the new car was so great that all production cars were allocated to eager buyers and AML could not spare a single one for the TV programme.

The 5340cc V8 engine, initially fitted with Bosch fuel injection, was powerful enough to propel the car to almost 160mph; and 0 to 60mph in 5.9 seconds. Power outputs were not quoted but was probably around 310 to 320bhp. At the time this was one of the fastest production cars in the world.

The side profile of a DBSV8 shows clearly the coke bottle shape of the rear. The tail lights are from the humble Hillman Hunter. The DBSV8 (once retrospectively known by the AMOC as the Series 1), built between April 1970 and May 1972 managed 402 examples before being replaced by the restyled AM V8 (Bosch f.i. or Series 2).

Filming of the series began in April 1970, not long after Aston Martin had introduced the DBSV8. AML were keen that their latest product would appear on the small screen yet all of the V8 powered cars were allocated to eager paying customers. So AML got around this by supplying a similar DBS, chassis DBS/5636/R, but with the latest spec GKN alloy wheels and DBSV8 badges so that on screen, it would appear that Sinclair was driving a real DBSV8.

The DBS was finished in the period colour of Bahama Yellow with Black hide interior. For filming, the car carried the personal number plate BS1 although this was not the real number for the car. The ‘BS1’ number plate was in fact was owned by circus impresario, Billy Smart who had given permission for it’s use.

Sadly, the series was not a sufficient commercial success. The British audience loved it as did audiences in France, Germany, Italy, Australia and many other countries, but it was less well liked in the vital US market. After only one series, the programme was canceled which then released Roger Moore to take up the role of James Bond. Interestingly, Roger Moore never got to drive an Aston Martin in a Bond film but did drive a modified DB5 in the 1981 comedy film, Cannonball Run. Following the show, The Persuaders car went on to Aston Martin dealer, H.R. Owen who sold the car to it’s first private owner carrying the correct plate, PPP6H. In the 1990’s, the car was fully restored over a two year period to original specification by Aston Martin Works Service.

After the car appeared at a number of high profile concours and events, the owner took the difficult decision to offer the car for sale at the 2014 Bonhams Aston Martin sale. The new owner, a divorce lawyer, allowed the car to be featured on the Channel 4 TV show, For the Love of Cars, in Spring 2015.