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One way to think of the DB5 is as the ultimate evolution of the DB4. Which, for many people’s money, makes it the ultimate evolution of the most important car in Aston Martin’s history. It was the DB4, after all, that introduced Aston’s immortal straight-six engine and the fabulous, Touring-penned lines that instantly made Aston Martin one of the most desired marques in the world. The DB4 would be the touchstone for everything that followed.
Aston historians will tell you how the DB4 passed through five distinct series, each gaining in detail improvements and refinement. And, visually at least, the DB5 was a dead ringer for the series 5 DB4 Vantage.
So why wasn’t this next evolutionary step simply a series 6 DB4?
It very nearly was, but the management decided that the new car was enough of a departure to justify being renamed, which doubtless kept the marketing men happy. And so, in July 1963, the new model was launched, and it was called DB5.
It was distinguished from late versions of the DB4 chiefly by the introduction of a new, 4-litre version of the all-alloy Tadek Marek-designed straight-six in place of the DB4’s 3.7-litre unit. Power in standard form, with triple SU HD8 carburettors, was quoted as 282bhp (up from the standard DB4’s 240bhp). From September 1964, customers were also offered the Vantage engine option, which meant triple Weber 45DCOEs, a higher compression ratio and a claimed 314bhp. Importantly, both offered usefully more torque than the outgoing engine.
Magazine road testers recorded 0-60mph times as low as 7.1sec for the standard car, and a top speed of around 140mph (6.5sec and 150mph for the Vantage). Nothing to write home about today, but in 1963 only V12-engined Italians were quicker. The price in the UK (including taxes) was £4175 – or around £92,000 in today’s money.
The DB5 also introduced the option of a five-speed ZF gearbox (quite a novelty at the time), which quickly became standard equipment in place of the previous David Brown four-speeder.
Other hardware changes included the introduction of an alternator instead of a dynamo, tweaks to the suspension geometry, and dual-circuit Girling disc brakes with twin servos – a significant improvement on the old Dunlop system.
There were lots of smaller but still significant changes, many of which hinted that the Aston was subtly changing in character. Standard kit now included Triplex Sundym tinted glass and electric windows; options now included air conditioning and a BorgWarner automatic gearbox. There were four instead of two exhaust silencers for added refinement.
It all added up to a more rounded, more capable and more sophisticated car than the DB4, albeit a heavier one (by a hefty 113kg), with the balance shifting further from sports to GT car. While clearly evolved from the DB4, the DB5 was very much its own thing.
For the definitive production figures, we turn to Tim Cottingham , registrar of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust. According to the Trust’s records, 899 coupés – or Saloons in period Aston parlance – left the Newport Pagnell factory in the two-and-a-bit years the DB5 was in production.
The vast majority of DB5s had the ZF five-speed manual gearbox. Only around 40 had the four-speed DB unit carried over from the DB4, and fewer still (around 20) the Borg-Warner three-speed auto – and many of those have since been converted to manuals.
Unlike with the DB4, there were only a few, small changes during the DB5’s production run. The ‘DB5’ badges on the wings and bootlid, for example, weren’t present on the earliest cars; the headlight surrounds gained a little extra embellishment. But basically it was unchanged.
If we put rarities like the DB4 GT and its exotic Zagato sibling to one side, of all Aston Martin’s classic road cars, the DB5 is easily the most sought-after and the most highly prized.
In a way, this has little to do with the car itself. After all, as you’ll have read, the DB5 was really just the final evolution of the DB4 series that had begun in 1958. But a DB5 might well fetch 50 per cent more than a DB4 and more than double the price of a DB6 in similar condition.
The Bond connection obviously accounts for a lot of that premium (the Premium Bond, one might call it). Neal Garrard reports that when No Time to Die was released at cinemas, the team at Nicholas Mee & Co had been fielding as many as four or five DB5 inquiries a week.
‘The model appeals not only to Aston Martin enthusiasts; it fascinates general classic car collectors the world over,’ says Neal. ‘Ask any grown man to scribble down his 10-car dream garage list and there is a very good chance that a DB5 will feature on it.’ And everyone, it seems, wants a DB5 in Silver Birch.
‘There’s undoubtedly a 15-20 per cent premium for a silver car,’ continues Neal. ‘which means that in the current market, while you can generally expect to pay £600,000+ for a nice, smart DB5 in good working condition with history and paperwork, a silver DB5
saloon is in the region of £800,000 for a top, restored car.’
It explains why so many have been repainted and retrimmed over the years. AMHT registrar Tim Cottingham reveals that just 127 were painted Silver Birch when they left the factory, and none of the first 100 cars. Contrast that with today, when he estimates that at least half of them are silver.
It can be rather refreshing to see a DB5 in something other than Silver Birch. Dubonnet Rosso was popular in period and still looks good today. Caribbean Pearl and California Sage also suit the DB5 well. Other colours were very much of their time. One that was popular in period was Autumn Gold, often paired with red hide (indeed the first Corgi model of the 007 DB5 used just such a colour scheme). Practically all of those have been repainted – and you can probably guess which colour.
Most leading specialists charge £300,000 and upwards for a full restoration (and with inflation at current levels, expect that figure to rise even more). That’s a big investment, but with a car as potentially valuable as a DB5, you absolutely wouldn’t want to cut corners.
A top class restoration is all in the details. There should be no cross-head screws in a DB5, for example; only slot-head ones. And under the bonnet and all around the aluminium facing panels in the door-shuts there should be tiny cup-washers under those screw heads.
Similarly, the gaps between all the body panels should be narrow and perfect; how snugly and consistently the rims for the headlight covers abut to the openings in the front wings is a good indicator of correctness and care.
Unsurprisingly, it’s the body itself and the structure beneath it that accounts for most of the restoration costs – and could present you with major expense if remedial work is required. Anywhere that the steel structure meets the aluminium skin has potential for electrolytic corrosion. Bubbling is a sure sign of problems beneath, but it’s also possible to remove the cover plates in the ends of the sills – and elsewhere – to check for the dreaded rot within.
All the mechanical elements can be rebuilt or recreated. The engine is fundamentally strong, but corrosion can attack the aluminium over the years. The good news is that the original block can usually be retained but with new, uprated internals and often a capacity increase from 4.0 to 4.2 litres. Needless to say, none of this comes cheap.
It certainly doesn’t pay to skimp on servicing. Today, for most DB5s, maintenance starts with an annual service and inspection, regardless of mileage. ‘According to our Fixed Price Servicing menu, a small service is £845 including VAT and the major service for a DB5 is priced at a relatively modest £2310 including VAT,’ says Chris Green.
‘Any additional costs that might arise are directly related to the amount of use the car is getting… Like any car, DB5s are best with regular use.’
Dropping down into the leather chair and running your fingers around the broad, wood-rimmed steering wheel of a DB5 is always a special moment. The view forward – of the classic Aston dash, its painted metal face inset with those timeless Smiths dials, the long bonnet with its raised wing-tops beyond – is a key part of what makes a DB Aston of this period so very appealing.
Twist the tiny key in the centre of the dash and after a few moments’ churning, the classic straight-six bursts into vivid life, the heart and soul of the car. Even the regular DB5 is plenty quick enough to run with modern traffic – on triple SU carburettors, the big six is wonderfully smooth, tractable and dripping in character. The Weber carbs of the Vantage version bring an added edge to proceedings – they require a little more throttle sensitivity on behalf of the driver, but they reward with an extra shot of urgency to the power delivery and a throatier roar to the soundtrack.
In recent times, many have undergone subtle upgrades in the course of restoration, including the popular capacity increase to 4.2 litres for superior power and torque, uprated brakes, better engine cooling, improved insulation to stop powertrain heat from soaking through to the cabin, and switchable electric assistance for the steering.
Done well and sympathetically, none of these things need detract from the character of the car, while making any DB5 much more useable in 21st century traffic conditions. And since a well-sorted DB5 is such a pleasurable device to drive, that can only be a good thing.
