Beschreibung:

3,995cc DOHC 6-Cylinder Engine Triple Weber Carburetors 325bhp at 5,500 rpm 5-Speed Manual Transmission Independent Front Suspension - Live Rear Axle 4-Wheel Disc Brakes * One of only 6 Radford DB6 Shooting Brakes built * Top of the line specifications and left-hand drive from new * Original USA Delivery * In the present ownership since 1976 * Factory air-conditioning Previewing in Bedford Hills, New York by appointment. Please contact motors.us@bonhams.com for scheduling. THE ASTON MARTIN DB6 "Stage by stage, as the DB has become dominant in the Aston Martin strain, the successive cars have changed their image. Today the aim is to offer the maximum of luxury and refinement as well as the ultimate in road performance. The minor barbarities of so many great sports cars of the past are no longer acceptable – at least in the hand-built models now leaving Newport Pagnell. Obviously such a car as the DB6 is expensive and exclusive but the value matches the price.' – Autocar, 1966. As one might imagine, Autocar found much to commend in the DB6 Vantage, remaking on the car's much improved handling, outstanding adhesion and exceptionally good braking figures. A mean maximum speed of 148mph was achieved, while the standing quarter-mile time of 14.5 seconds was the fastest the magazine had recorded for a four-seater. At 120mph the Aston was as effortlessly relaxed as other powerful cars at 80mph. "For high-speed open-road touring this Vantage DB6 is practically ideal," enthused Autocar's scribe, and few would disagree. The 4.0-liter DOHC engine remained unchanged in standard triple-SU carburetor form but the Vantage specification unit with 9.4:1 compression ratio now developed a mighty 325bhp. A ZF five-speed manual gearbox was carried over from the latter, but many opted for the Borg Warner Automatic. 'Selectaride' driver-adjustable damping was standard, and for the first time there was optional power-assisted steering available. The Shooting Brakes The Shooting Brake, or its modern idiom 'station wagon' had its origins in the early days of the carriage building industry, a 'Brake' was originally used for drafting horses. Of course, with the arrival of the motor car, many of these styles were converted to horseless carriages, and self-propelled vehicles were perfect for the hunting car, or 'Shooting Brake'. Unquestionably, by the nature of their commodious as well as practical space, and the nature of their use they were always considered to be sociable vehicles and associated with enjoyment. It isn't surprising therefore that long after the reality of a car which could accommodate 10 people, guns etc. that people still desired to have a more practical and sociable style of car, in the U.S. the 'Woodie Wagon', or 'Town and Country' was its successor. As coachwork became firstly more aerodynamic and secondly, more uniform, the game turned to designing an extended body that looked like a natural extension of the original pure design of the sedan from which it originated. In the U.K. coachbuilders Harold Radford & Co. who were not one of the established 19th Century houses, but moreover was formulated in the late 1940s, quickly became the go to house for tailored Country orientated vehicle conversions. A number of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars received the 'Countryman' treatment, while the Radford company was also known for luxury styling upgrades to Minis also. They were the natural choice for purchasers of that other esteemed British sportscar brand, Aston Martin, when they wished to have a little more room to play with. Using the British terminology of 'Shooting Brake', there were a dozen DB5s converted by Radford to this specification, eight as right hand drive and four as left. On its successor, the DB6, the Shooting Brake was even more exclusive, six being completed by Radford and a further two by FLM Panelcraft, when gauged against production figures in excess of 1,300, this makes even Volantes seem common. THE MOTORCAR OFFERED This