While the Aston Martin DB5 saloon achieved worldwide fame through its association with a certain British man of mystery, the model’s more exclusive and desirable expression was reserved for a far more select clientele. Conceived for discerning owners in sunnier climates, the DB5 Convertible combined the elegance and performance of the closed DB5 with enhanced luxury, exceptional rarity, and the unique pleasures of open-air grand touring. It retained all the saloon’s mechanical strengths, most notably its 4.0-litre straight six-cylinder engine fitted with triple SU HD8 carburettors, which delivered approximately 283 horsepower and enabled a top speed exceeding 140 mph. Unlike the saloon, however, the convertible was equipped with a more comprehensive array of standard features, including a five-speed ZF transmission, power windows, reclining seats, chrome wire wheels, and expansive Connolly hides.

While nearly 1,000 saloons were constructed, just 123 DB5 Convertibles were produced, elevating it from mere derivative to a true connoisseur’s choice and ensuring that today it remains one of the rarest and most coveted British cars of any type.

Chassis number DB5C/1292/R, offered here, is documented by its build record as having been delivered via the Brooklands agent, finished in Goodwood Green over Fawn interior, with the 3.77:1 Power Lock rear axle. It was supplied to original owner C R Volz, Esquire, residing at the time at Kelsale Manor, a Grade II-listed building on the Main Road in Saxmundham, Suffolk, which still stands. Recorded in newspapers of the time as a gentleman farmer, Charles Robert Volz was a longstanding client of the car’s manufacturer, having previously enjoyed a Lagonda and an earlier Aston Martin.

Correspondence in the file indicates that Mr Volz reported the loss of its original logbook in 1980, indicating that he had retained the motorcar for 16 years. The following year it was reported to Aston Martin as having been renovated by Blakers, a well-regarded repair firm in Finchley, with a DB6 dashboard, front sheet metal, and chassis plate fitted, apparently for a new caretaker, one R Grossmark of Hassocks. Curiously, today the DB5 now bears the engine number and chassis plate mentioned in its original build record, although the chassis frame itself is believed to be from a DB6. RM Sotheby’s will instruct a marque-specialist inspection of the car prior to the London auction and interested parties are encouraged to request a copy of the report.

In any case, the DB5 Convertible subsequently passed in 1989 to Brian Charles Wigzell of Southfields, London; in 1984 to Robert D G Gibson of Glastonbury; and in 2003 to Robert Alan Heslett of Wetherby, all as recorded in official documentation included within the history file.

The motorcar joined the present distinguished collection in 2011, by which time it had been properly refinished in its original, rich, and elegant livery as presented today, and has since remained garaged alongside many other superb British and European sporting automobiles of its era. With heater/defroster and Radiomobile radio, it would be a wonderful means of swift, comfortable transportation on any number of vintage tours and rallies in the years to come, just as it has been for so many of its prior caretakers.