This 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series III sold for $464,963 on February 9, 2008, at Artcurial’s annual Paris sale.
Visiting Rétromobile and the two coinciding auctions to perhaps gather some inventory was ultimately just a pipe dream. The nights were better spent dining out than in trying to buy an Aston Martin, as it turns out.
Hoping to score this car, lot 21, at the Artcurial auction was a real schooling in today’s collector car climate. The combination of a weak dollar and rabid interest in original one-owner cars worldwide meant the car was completely unattainable at a price that would enable any dealer to remarket it. It set a record by a significant margin and blew the roof off the catalog estimate. Nevertheless, I say it was well bought.
The DB4 seemed unremarkable at first
Upon first inspection, this Series III DB4 seemed unremarkable on every level. I also admit that I hadn’t yet read the catalog description (even with its quirky English translation), so I really didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t know it was a one-owner car.
The car had very little visual “pop,” plus the auction room was crammed with inventory; these cars were not displayed with any great forethought. Upon cursory inspection I noticed just the negative side. The original paint was dull, the steering wheel was from a DB2/4 Mk III (I’d have to see the build sheet to know if it was ordered as such), somehow DB5 Selectaride (just a bad idea) was added, two nasty non-original chrome strips were fitted to the rockers below the doors, the bumpers were pitted, two dings pocked the passenger door, and the whole thing needed detailing. And what’s with the little hand-painted triangle on the doors? But like a little kid in a toy store, I was hooked.
With Tom Papadopoulos from Autosport Designs as my wingman, we both agreed on one thing-it looked like an honest car. More a quiet golf clap than resounding approval.
Being a DB4 Series III car, it is arguably the red-headed stepchild of the five DB4 Series; it’s neither fish nor fowl for looks. In 22 years, no one has ever asked me for a Series III car specifically. To me, that signifies something in the Aston Martin world. Series I and II cars are in many ways purer looking, and the later Series IV and V cars benefit from covered headlights or triple carb set-ups, or simply from being the much cooler Vantage version. The Series III is a bit of a yawn in my view, but nonetheless something kept grabbing me about the car.
I slowed down and took a long, hard look
I think it was my third pass when I slowed down and had a long, quiet look. It finally struck me that the whole ride was really original and unrestored (I blame jet lag for not picking up on this). The nose was perfect, the chassis unmolested, and the interior possessed that glorious old Connolly leather smell that cannot be replicated. The underside of the rear seat had the original chalk marks, the engine retained the original red paint around the serial number, the tools were all there, the manual was like new, it had warranty paperwork, the Avon Turbospeeds looked 30 years old, there was Indian jute under the carpet and trunk mat, and so on and so forth. Nice.
So mental midgets Tom and I happily concluded that it “could be” a $300,000 car back home. Hmmmm. let’s try to buy it. What a laugh that turned out to be. I came, I nodded, I left empty handed, mon ami.
Suffice to say that the French auction arena that night may as well have been the bar scene from “Star Wars” compared to anything we were used to back home. The crowd was lifeless, the auctioneer incomprehensible, the auditorium was 98 degrees and getting warmer, and we weren’t witnessing any real crazy numbers on the lots that were selling (we were foolishly lulled into thinking the French weren’t paying attention).
And what about the bidding?
What really puzzled us was how folks were bidding. It was beyond subtle. A guide dog, night-vision goggles, and a Black Beret sniper would sure have been helpful. Okay, here comes lot 21. How do we get the auctioneer’s attention? No need. this was a spirited lot and the bidding exceeded by 50% any number we thought was sensible. $463,000! Sacre bleu! A minute later it was over, except for our slack-jawed reaction.
Our previously mentioned red-headed stepchild was the darling of the evening. However, this one sale does not constitute the re-jiggering of price guides. This anomaly can be explained easily. Savvy collectors are willing to chase down and pay for the car that is original only once.
In my (occasionally) humble opinion, I truly believe there is no price guide for something that has few or no peers with regard to originality.
If originality appeals to you-and the trend has gotten a lot stronger for that-you have to pay up, as someone is right there bidding with you and waiting for you to hiccup. Your other option is to go find another one at the used car factory. Good luck with that.
The Aston Martin DB4 Series III that struck me as incredibly unremarkable was in fact “amazingly remarkable.” To the new owner, I say well done.
