Aston Martin Works completes restoration of one family’s dream DB5 – 50 years on

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A DB5 bought for less than £1,000 in the early 1970s has just completed a full restoration at Aston Martin Works – realising the dream of its long-time owner and representing one of the most remarkable pieces of automotive appreciation in the process.

Welshman John Williams – a welder and garage owner by trade – was just 18 when, in 1972, he set himself the target of buying his dream car: an Aston Martin DB5. Saving hard for upwards of a year as well as working overtime whenever he could, John conscientiously gathered together the £900 cash – the equivalent of around £15,000 in today’s money – and, in September 1973 aged just 19, made the hours-long train journey from his home in North Wales to London to view the 1965 DB5.

The Vantage-engined model, complete with Weber carburettors, wire wheels, Sundym electrically operated windows and, according to the advert in Motorsport magazine “many bills” proved to be the car for John and he acquired it for £900.

Returning in it to Wales and proudly using the DB5 as his daily drive for upwards of four years, John only mothballed the car on his driveway when he secured a job in the Middle East in 1977.

John explained: “Then… ‘life’ happened. I’d had offers to buy her, and times when I could have done with the money, but I resisted and, as Sue [John’s wife] said ‘you’ll never get another one’.”

Sue Williams added: “The neighbours’ kids used to come round to play, and they’d play on her. Bouncing on the bonnet. One balanced on the exhaust pipe and snapped it off!”

John said: “As time went on it became a goal of mine to get her restored; to be able to drive her again. Being a garage man, I was a bit ashamed that I’d let her get into that state. I worked hard to buy her, and we’ve worked hard to get her repaired.”

Naturally, the Williams’ elected to use Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, the heritage home of the marque and the place where more than 13,000 of the most iconic Aston Martin sports cars were built over 50 years, to carry out the restoration which began in late 2022.

Now, around three years on from its arrival, the couple have returned to Buckinghamshire to view the completed DB5, having regularly visited the Works site to view the car’s progress through its bare metal restoration journey.

Universally acknowledged to be the most desired specification of all DB5s, the Williams car is a right-hand drive 1965 DB5 saloon with the sought-after Vantage engine. It was originally specified in what remains, today, the most desirable exterior colour – Silver Birch – and boasts an interesting provenance that includes an original owner from the St George’s Hill area of Surrey, a gated community that, at the time, was home to many celebrities including The Beatles’ John Lennon and Ringo Starr.  

Of the 1,022 DB5 models built by Aston Martin between 1963 and 1965, fewer than 1,000 (887) were built in the saloon bodystyle and, of those, only 39 originally boasted the Silver Birch paintwork, higher output Vantage engine, and right-hand drive configuration of the Williams car, making this a particularly rare and desirable example of ‘the most famous car in the world’.

Back in 2023, seeing their car part way through its restoration in the Works’ Panel Shop where the chassis and Superleggera frame were restored, and where each aluminium body panel was being hand formed, Sue said: “Wow! She looks amazing, doesn’t she? You’ve done such a lot of work!”

John commented: “It looks like an Aston Martin now. I’m thrilled. It’s great to see all the old ways of building a car have been passed on, and younger people here are keeping up the tradition.”

Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works, said: “This really is a lovely story. We’re delighted that Mr and Mrs Williams brought the car back to the place where it was built for us to restore.

“Although the car was in a profoundly run-down condition when it arrived, we always relish a challenge and I knew we have the skills, dedication and expertise to return the car to a better-than-new condition.

“After more than 2,500 hours of dedicated work by our teams in the Panel, Paint, Trim and Heritage Workshops – along with vital support from our in-house Parts Department – the car is now finished and, to my eye at least, looks absolutely stunning.

“While it might be uncouth to speculate on values for the car I think it’s reasonable to suppose that if it ever were to be offered to the market once more, and bearing in mind its specification and provenance, a value of up to £1m would be in order.

“In this 70^th anniversary year of Aston Martin’s presence here at Newport Pagnell it is inspiring to see the dedication, commitment and pride of owners such as the Williams family. I know it has been understandably emotional to see the car that they have owned for more than half a century restored so meticulously, and I know that every member of the team here hopes they can enjoy many years of happy motoring in their ‘new’ DB5.”

On seeing his fully restored DB5 for the first time just a few days ago, John Williams said: “Well, it’s been a long time coming, a long time saving, but it’s been worth every penny. It’s just amazing.

“It’s probably almost 50 years since I have driven this car, but the experience is phenomenal. It’s just… unbelievable. My girl’s back and up and running! Back to her former glory.”

The Restored Aston Martin DB5