Introduced by Aston Martin at the very end of DB6 production, the Mk 2 represented the long-lived model at its ultimate evolution. Some of the changes were mechanical and subtle, including fitment of a larger clutch plate and power-assisted steering as standard equipment. Others were easily noticeable, such as the adoption of wider Avon wheels with standard three-ear knock-offs, necessitating flared wheel arches, and a more modern interior with pleated leather front seats, forecasting the DBS that would soon be unveiled.

With that model on the horizon, the DB6 Mk 2 was not long in production. Especially rare was the Vantage version, which featured an engine with triple Weber carburetors rather than the usual two, producing in the highest state of tune some 325 horsepower. Only 71 Mk 2s were fitted with the Vantage engine from new, and only a handful of those were left-hand-drive.

The example offered here is one of those fortunate original left-hand-drive Vantage models, and it is believed to have been one of the final DB6s built. Originally finished in Aluminum Silver with Dark Blue Connolly leather interior and gray headliner, it was optioned with not only the Vantage engine and five-speed manual transmission, but numerous accessories, including front and rear seatbelts, two fender mirrors, a pair of Lucas driving lights, and a Bosch New Yorker radio, as well as factory Coolaire air conditioning—an option seldom found on any DB6, much less a Vantage model.

Ontario businessman Oskar Rajsky, a prominent clothing manufacturer who was then the owner of My Lord Shirt Manufacturing Company, accepted his new DB6 Vantage at the factory. Mr. Rajsky drove the car around Europe for several weeks, then had it shipped home to Canada, where he took final receipt of it through the Performance Centre, his local dealer in Toronto. He would keep the car for 45 years, exercising it regularly on local roads in the best of weather while also keeping it in its original condition, aside from a refinish in the original color.

The second owner, a noted collector of fine performance cars from Pennsylvania, acquired the DB6 Mk 2 Vantage in 2015, and retained it for several years before it was purchased by the consignor, only the third owner since new. In the consignor’s care the Aston was recently submitted to RM Auto Restoration, where it has received extensive detailing, including to the body and engine compartment, as well as a completely new interior. It remains largely stock to its original appearance, with the exception of an upgrade to a Blaupunkt radio, and is accompanied by a collection of service invoices through the years, a copy of its build information, and the original instruction book. Significantly, it is still equipped with both its numbers-matching engine and gearbox.

As an original, left-hand-drive DB6 Mk 2 Vantage, this is among the most scarce of its ilk, and possesses wonderful known history with only three knowledgeable caretakers—the first of whom kept the car for 45 years! It has much to recommend it to the devoted Aston Martin enthusiast.