Hans Davids' stunning 1955 Aston Martin DB3S will sell on August 18
A rare 1955 Aston Martin DB3S sports racing car will star among the marque's finest machines in an upcoming Monterey auction on August 18.
A masterpiece of David Brown's post-war vision for Aston Martin
The magnificent car, chassis DB3S/118, was ordered from new by racer Hans Davids and has been appropriately finished in Dutch racing orange. It is one of just 21 "customer cars" produced for privateer competition by Aston Martin and was fitted with the works' competition twin-plug head in its first year. After winning two races at the Zandvoort track, Davids sold the Aston Martin to US merchant navy captain Paul Hyatt, who then shipped the car to America, where it has remained until the present day. It is now considered one of the most correct and original Aston Martin sports racers extant and retains its original chassis, numbered engine and bodywork. Should the 1955 racer meet its $3.5m-4m estimate, it will rank among the most expensive British-built cars ever sold at auction - though it looks unlikely to top the 5m ($7.7m) achieved by a 1929 Birkin Bentley, which currently holds the record. Also featuring will be the fourth Aston Martin DB4GT ever produced, which comes with impeccable provenance, having had just two owners from new. Produced in 1960, it is expected to make $1.5m-1.9m. A finely restored 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Volante will follow, as one of only 140 Volante DB6s ever built. It will be auctioned for $850,000-1.1m. A recently restored 1962 DB4 ($475,000-550,000) and a 1950 DB2 Coupe, which was once part of Briggs Cunningham's three-car entry at Sebring ($375,000-475,000), will complete the Aston Martin section of the sale. "As a group, these five automobiles represent the finest, most important offering of Aston Martins available anywhere in the world today. Collectively, they are representative of the growing interest in the famous British marque which most effectively challenged Italy's dominant prancing horse," commented the auction house's Don Rose.
