Her Majesty's DBS Restoration Update: Fun Photos Pt1

Gebruder Gumbold

Dear AJB Friends,

As I await the complete rebuild of the Aston Martin 6 cylinder engine, I thought that a few fun photos may be a nice departure from the detail construction shots...

But first: New engine bearings arrived. Original on left, new replacement on right. Wrong! A few phone calls, $800, and I have the correct bearings with the incorrect ones going back across the pond. Apparently AM widened the main bearings from the DB4,5 and somewhere in DB6 and DBS production, which require thicker bearings. These are some of the challenges one faces in a complex build such as this...

The red coating is Glyptal, used to seal porous aluminum castings. Also returns splashed oil to the sump faster. Been using it for years.

Now let's have a look at one of the film seen DBS cars: This one is chassis # DBS/5109/R. Originally fitted with an experimental Vantage engine, FBH 207G was the second car used in OHMSS, and is the one that drives sway from the wedding scene under a hail storm of rose pedals. It is missing the "GB" letering on the nearside back panel. Ordered for the film with French lighting, spare spark plug bracket, and Vitaloni Sebring mirrors, the special engine (with DB4GT inlet camshaft) was swapped out to #5234, or GKX 8G. Period photos:

The gearlever knob was changes to the ZF "T" type for filming. Otherwise the interiors for both cars were identical- or as identical a hand made English car can be!

"Paid for with how many lives?" I can just hear her classic, iconic voice. Behind Lady Diana is probably Virginia North, another doll, perfectly cast, who was very good in 1968's "Deadlier Than The Male." In the backgound is one of the DBSs, as they both, for filming, sported the same number plates, GKX 8G. I adore this scene where Tracy arrives in her Cougar, in bright sunlight both cars get their shine! Bond is identified throughout the film by his car, as is Tracy. Wonder who is sitting in the passenger seat of the DBS?

I love this shot. Here you can see good, old fashioned British craftsmanship- still practiced today! The foreground shows a DB6, and the background car you all know- except it is a Series 2, lacking the side gills. This photo is c1970-71. Steel forms over which aluminum is laid after buck forming, and welded together and riveted to the body with a slight barrier of a felt like material that turned the aluminum to powder after a number of years, which is why restorations on these cars get into the $200,000 mark now.

The famous 1966 Royal Visit. Man with glasses is Sir David Brown, hence the "DB" nomenclature on the cars, and the tall feller is Chief Engineer Dudley Gershon. I have read his book many times, and I am a big fan of his work, and how he pushed for the DBS to be built as drawn by Willaim Towns. Naturally, Her Majesty shows a keen interest. She was a huge automobile enthusiast, often going into the garages and lending a hand. Aston Martin used to have a parade at Windsor Castle every year, with one car for each year of her reign. My dream was for my DBS to be in that honour parade, but I just didn't make it. Oh well, plenty of other events to do when she runs. You can see the DB6s being completed in the background. In 1966 Aston Martin had discontinued the DB5- huge mistake- and only offered the DB6. A couple of wealthy chaps demanded that AM make 2 continuation DB5s, and both cars are alive and well today. Guess which colour they both insisted upon!

The trim shop! Those are DB6 patterns being made. Note the collar and tie dress of the day. When I visited Newport Pagnell some years ago, I visited the trim shop to gain a better understanding of the correct leather to use in my DBS restoration. A wonderful lady who is a second generation AM craftswoman, dusted off some old original sample books, and I was able to determine the exact grain patterns and texture that was correct for the Bond DBS. The smell of the leather was just heaven! It took 3 hides to trim my DBS, and when all the bits are installed, the aroma of the interior is sublime!

Hope you had fun with this installment of Her Majesty's DBS restoration. Part 2 coming soon.

Cheers, Tom