An Aston Martin DBS used by Roger Moore in The Persuaders! has sold for an astounding £533,500 at Bonhams' Newport Pagnell sale, the highest price ever paid for a DBS at auction.
The 1970 model was modified for its role in the TV series and featured in almost all of the programme's 24 episodes. The six-cylinder car was adapted to look like a V8 version and was finished in Bahama Yellow. Despite setting a new world record, it fell just shy of its £550,000 pre-sale upper estimate.
Of the 49 cars to go under the hammer, the most shocking result was posted by the barnfind 1963 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage prototype, which shattered pre-sale expectations by selling for £393,500 – four times more than was anticipated.
The exact same sum would have been enough to drive home in a DB5 saloon from 1965 that wouldn't have looked out of place in any collection.
The top price of the day was achieved by a 1970 DB6 Mk2 Volante, which crossed the block for £757,500. One of just 38 examples built, it had been owned by two enthusiasts since new.
An earlier DB6 Volante from 1969 also sold well, fetching £539,100.
The success story didn't hold true for every lot, with the £900,000 expected for the 1961 DB4GT Zagato recreation failing to materialise. The headline car wasn't tempting enough to find a new home.
A 1952 DB2 fared considerably better, beating its upper estimate of £90,000 to eventually sell for £130,300 – despite the new owner having to pay import tax amounting to £6515.
Several barnfind Aston Martins were included in the sale, all selling for impressively large sums. Away from the headline-grabbing 1963 DB5, a 1954 DB2/4 drew a great deal of attention. Despite an estimate of just £30-50,000, it sold for £79,900.
In total, £8.7million changed hands witnessed by more than 2500 people who had descended on Aston Martin's Newport Pagnell works.
