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Speedbroker is delighted to represent this exceptional 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Mk1 Volante, registration NLJ 818F.
There are certain cars that need very little introduction, and the open-top David Brown Aston Martins sit firmly in that category. Beautiful, genuinely rare and endlessly usable, the DB6 Volante combines one of Aston Martin’s most recognisable shapes with four-seat accommodation, a proper 4.0-litre straight-six and the sort of long-legged grand touring ability these cars were always built for.
This particular example has an especially interesting and very well documented history. One of just 140 DB6 Mk1 Volantes produced, chassis DBVC/3659/R was supplied new through H.R. Owen in 1967 and would later form part of the collection of musician, broadcaster and noted classic car enthusiast Jools Holland OBE.
It has since benefited from significant restoration and improvement by respected Aston Martin specialists including LT Classics and R.S. Williams, while retaining the character and usability that make a DB6 Volante such a wonderful thing to own.
Why the DB6 Volante matters
The DB6 was the final evolution of the six-cylinder David Brown Aston Martin line that had begun with the DB4. While unmistakably part of the same family, the DB6 gained a longer wheelbase, improved passenger accommodation and the distinctive Kamm-style tail that helped improve high-speed stability. Under the bonnet remained the wonderful Tadek Marek-designed 4.0-litre twin-cam straight-six. The Volante combined all of that with an electrically operated hood and proper four-seat open-air touring.
Only 140 examples of the DB6 Mk1 Volante were built, followed by a further 38 Mk2 cars. That rarity, combined with their usability and unmistakable Aston Martin character, has made them one of the most desirable open David Brown-era Aston Martins.
The story of NLJ 818F
Chassis DBVC/3659/R was completed on 26 October 1967 and supplied through H.R. Owen, Bradway Autos, on 17 November 1967.
It left Newport Pagnell finished in Autumn Gold and was originally registered in London as OYV 162F.
Factory specification included automatic transmission, power-assisted steering, chrome wheels with three-ear hubcaps, a 3.54:1 limited-slip differential, powered aerial and front seatbelts.
At a later point the Aston entered the ownership of Jools Holland. Holland’s affection for the DB6 is particularly well documented, having previously spoken publicly about receiving a model Aston Martin from his father as a child and later finding himself owning the real thing. During his ownership the car was repainted, understood to have been in a shade of purple, and importantly the original automatic transmission was replaced with a manual gearbox, a conversion that remains with the car today.
The car was acquired from Holland by its subsequent owner in 2011, at which point it was carrying the registration RNB 5. It subsequently underwent substantial body restoration and refinishing with LT Classics of London, supported by invoices within the history file. The car was refinished in its later metallic green presentation.
R.S. Williams works
Further significant investment followed.
In April 2017, the DB6 was entrusted to renowned Aston Martin specialists R.S. Williams Ltd for an extensive programme of mechanical, suspension, interior and detail work. The documented invoice total for this visit alone was £33,533 and included uprated R.S. Williams suspension components, interior refurbishment and a considerable amount of mechanical and cosmetic attention.
Specification, provenance and highlights
An important note on the engine
For complete transparency, the car is today fitted with engine number 400/2116, an earlier Aston Martin DB5 4.0-litre unit rather than its factory-original engine. This was specifically documented when the car was sold through Bonhams in 2018 and reported contemporaneously by Classic & Sports Car.
For us, this is an important part of telling the car’s story properly. This is a DB6 Volante with a known and fascinating history, rather than a car whose changes over nearly six decades are being hidden behind the word “original”
A DB6 to actually use
What we particularly like about this car is that its history has evolved around making it a DB6 that can genuinely be enjoyed. The conversion to manual transmission completely changes the interaction with the 4.0-litre straight-six, while factory power steering makes the car considerably more pleasant in modern use. The later R.S. Williams suspension work further enhances what was already designed as one of Aston Martin’s great long-distance GT cars.
It still feels special, rare and historically important, but it isn’t a car that needs to spend its life hidden beneath a cover.
Why buy this DB6 Volante?
With only 140 Mk1 examples produced, simply finding a DB6 Volante is difficult. Finding one with this level of documented history, recognised former ownership, significant restoration expenditure and decades of known development is rarer still.
Yes, the car has evolved from its original Autumn Gold, automatic specification. But those changes form part of its history. It carries the fingerprints of the people who have actually owned, driven and cared for it.
The Jools Holland connection adds another fascinating chapter, but it isn’t the sole reason to buy the car.
You buy it because underneath all of that provenance sits one of Aston Martin’s most elegant and usable open grand tourers, with a 4.0-litre straight-six, manual gearbox, power steering, four seats and just the right amount of specialist development to encourage its next owner to actually use it.
Summary
For Speedbroker, this is exactly the sort of car we love representing.
It isn’t simply a rare Aston Martin with a famous name in the history file. It is a car with a genuine story.
From its original 1967 H.R. Owen delivery, through Jools Holland’s ownership and manual conversion, the subsequent LT Classics restoration and the extensive programme of work undertaken by R.S. Williams, NLJ 818F has continued to be used, improved and enjoyed throughout its life.
One of just 140 DB6 Mk1 Volantes built, beautifully presented and with an exceptional history behind it, it represents an opportunity to acquire a genuinely significant David Brown-era Aston Martin that remains every bit as capable of being enjoyed as it is admired.
Serious enquiries and inspections are welcomed - strictly by appointment
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