The Aston Martin DB5 has long been considered one of the world’s most seminal sports cars, owing to its 282-horsepower race-developed aluminum alloy engine, advanced chassis, and distinctive lightweight sports saloon coachwork built with Touring’s Superleggera construction technique. Further popularized by its association with the James Bond film franchise, the DB5 was the ultimate combination of beauty, brains, and brawn, a car that was no doubt specifically developed for the sporting British gentleman. Aston Martin ultimately built 899 saloon examples, but only 193 of these cars were configured in left-hand drive, making them considerably rarer than their RHD siblings.

During 1964, Aston Martin began offering an improved version of the standard 4.0-liter engine, which in the David Brown-era tradition of such motors was dubbed the Vantage. These engines retained the same displacement as the standard DB5 motor but utilized a revised camshaft profile and triple Weber carburetors to raise output to a robust 325 horsepower, a dividend of 43 extra horses. This advancement not only improved top speed, but also provided bottom-end torque to launch the DB5 from standstill to 60 mph in less than six seconds. According to records of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust, only 60 closed examples of the DB5 were originally equipped with a Vantage engine, of which just 21 cars were built with left-hand-drive, including this beautifully presented example.

According to Aston Martin build records on file, chassis number 2136/L was issued a guarantee in May 1965. Finished in Sierra Blue paint over an interior of Dark Blue vaumol leather by Connolly, the Aston Martin was equipped with a Vantage engine with triple Weber carburetors mated to a five-speed manual gearbox; and appointed with Normalair air conditioning, triple-eared chrome wire wheels shod with Avon Turbospeed GT tires, a heated rear windscreen, and a radio with antenna. The DB5 was specified for the US market with instruments in miles, and sold new to Ohio resident Joseph C. Cline, a marque enthusiast who already owned a DB2 Vantage.

Although the Aston Martin’s intermediary history is currently unknown, by October 2012 the DB5 was owned by a collector in New York City, and a year later the car was acquired by a respected dealer based in Greenwich, Connecticut. Sold to the consignor in December 2019, chassis number 2136/L currently continues to benefit from a fairly recent restoration, finished in the classic marque color combination of Silver Birch paint over a black interior, and abounding in authentic details like Vantage fender-strake badges, Smiths gauges, and Cibie fog lamps.

It is worth noting that mechanical stampings corresponding to the factory build records indicate that this Aston Martin retains its matching-numbers Vantage engine. As one of only 21 Vantage-powered saloons configured in left-hand-drive, this DB5 claims a very unusual level of rarity. The next caretaker can enjoy the Vantage as is, on the open road or on show fields, while the build heritage prompts one to consider how majestic the car might look in a full restoration to its original color scheme of Sierra Blue over Dark Blue. In any event, this special DB5 Vantage would make a benchmark addition to any sports car collection, sure to thrill both driver and admirer alike.