Rare Aston Martin brings in R4.4m at Creative Rides auction

A rare, in right-hand-drive, Aston Martin DB6 took top honours as the most expensive vehicle sold at Creative Rides auction, in Johannesburg, this past Saturday (3 December).

The Bond that never was

According to the auction house, only 71 right-hand hooking examples of the respective 1969 DB6 Vantage Mk II emerged from the factory Newport Pagnell, with the Vantage being the most powerful in addition to being one of the first Astons ever fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox.

The successor to the DB5 that become a cult icon following its appearance on the James Bond film Goldfinger fours year before, the DB6 Vantage produced a reported 243 kW thanks to a revised version of the standard model’s 4.0-litre straight-six. Reports at the time suggest it could hit 240 km/h and reach 100 km/h from zero in less than nine seconds.

“Bidders fighting for this car weren’t shy about their objective. The gauntlet was thrown down with the opening bid of R2m, and others followed in quick succession in increments of R250 000,” Creative Rides CEO Kevin Derrick said.

ALSO READ: Your rights when buying a car at an auction

“At the R4m mark only two bidders were still in the battle; one in Johannesburg and the other in the UK. Both fought valiantly, but in the end – the English bidder’s knock-out R100 000 raise clinched the deal at R4.4m.”

The final sum has, however, been seen as a bargain as the most recent valuation by renowned American classic car insurance firm, Hagerty, put pricing of the DB6 Vantage at R7.7-million, an increase of R878 000 versus the same time three years ago.

South African flavour

Besides the DB6, three other notable highlights included a 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster that brought-in R1.9-million, a 1971 BMW 3.0 CSI that crossed the block for the R1.2-million and perhaps the most impressive, R900 000 for a 1991 BMW 325i S Evo 2, better known as the Shadowline.

“You simply don’t see these iconic Beemers around anymore, and having one on auction as we did on Saturday was a dream come true,” Derrick said in reference to the 500 models made as a racetrack homologation special and arch rival of the Opel Kadett Superboss.

In addition to the hard-hitters, a total of 67 lots went under the hammer with prices ranging from as low as R50 000 to the Aston’s R4.4-million.

“The classic car market has exploded this year, reaching never-before seen heights in terms of sales and values according to international indices, but that doesn’t mean collecting classics is an exclusive club for the elite,” Derrick continued.

“Of course, the major difference between buying a classic car and a new mass-produced car is that classic cars are investments that appreciate in value, whereas most new cars depreciate the moment you drive them off the lot.”

The auction house will be hosting its first event next year and can interest parties can get more details by visiting creativeridesauctions.com.