Ten highlights from Bonhams' Aston Martin Works sale

Next week Bonhams will host its annual Aston Martin Works auction in the glitzy, world-famous (ish) village of Newport Pagnell. First held in 2000, the sale is now 17 years old, and the 2016 edition is expected to generate headlines.

Not least because one of the lots is a DB3S from 1953: raced by the likes of Sir Stirling Moss and others, the ex-Mille Miglia racer is expected to fetch between £6-7 million. Wowzers. Elsewhere, there's a one-off concept that previewed the original Vanquish. You'll likely never get another chance to buy it, and it's more attainable too, with an estimate of £90,000-plus.

“We are very proud of our heritage at Aston Martin so it is fascinating to hear about the histories of the cars that come up for sale at these auctions,” says Aston Martin President Dr Andy Palmer. “Some of our cars have led extremely interesting lives.”

He isn’t kidding. Of the dozens of cars going on sale on May 21^st, here are ten to watch out for...

Images courtesy of Bonhams

As mentioned on the previous slide, this is the headline act. Raced by Sir Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, Tony Brooks and Graham Hill, this car featured in grands prix in Britain and Belgium, took part in the Mille Miglia and completed the 1953 Nürburgring 1000km in 7 hours 52 minutes. One of only 30 ever built, the DB3S also featured in the 1960 film School for Scoundrels. Every inch a star.

Estimate: £6,000,000-£7,000,000

A car that the auctioneers describe as being in ‘barn find’ condition, this DB2/4 hasn’t been started in 30 years, although the engine does turn over. With original coachwork by Mulliners, this Drophead Coupé hasn’t been seen on the road since 1976, when the bumpers were removed for re-chroming that was never completed. Lots of TLC needed.

Estimate: £200,000-£220,000

This, on the other hand, is in much better shape. The final evolution of the DB2, this example is in such good nick that it is eligible for classic rally events the world over. When it was new it could do 120mph thanks to its 178bhp engine, and even if those aren't quite doable now, it certainly looks a million dollars. Better still, it costs much less than that.

Estimate: £150,000-£200,000

Now here’s a thing. An evolution from the DB4 that made its debut in 1958, this convertible Vantage was styled by Touring and boasted 240bhp from its 3.7-litre engine when new. It was also the first production car ever to go from 0-100-0mph in under 30 seconds. Looks? Check. Power? Check. Performance? Check. This has it all. No wonder it’s expected to go for comfortably over a million.

Estimate: £1,500,000-£1,700,000

Another immaculately presented classic from the 1960s, this DB5 has had just four owners from new, with the present owner presiding over it since 1973. Powered by the 4.0-litre engine first seen in the Lagonda Rapide in 1961, this DB5 could produce 314bhp back in its day. Cheap as chips if its estimate holds - many DB5s head towards the £1m mark - especially given that you can re-enact scenes from Goldfinger and Skyfall if you so wish.

Estimate: £450,000-£550,000

This lot is entirely unique, as the Lagonda was never originally offered as a shooting brake. The product of Swiss specialists Roos Engineering, this redesign of the ‘Series 3’ was commissioned by a customer in Hong Kong after Aston Martin themselves had been unable to take on the job. But Roos said yes, and the result is this visually striking, angular vehicle. Comparisons to a doorstop are a tad unfair.

Estimate: £200,000-£250,000

Nowadays Astons are beautiful, but in the not too distant past, their styling was better described as 'brutal'. And we don't mean that as a bad thing. Benefitting from bodywork repairs in 2002 and an engine rebuild in 2003, this rare Vantage Volante has completed 72,740 miles from new.

Vantage specification brought 400bhp, flared wheelarches and a spoiler to the V8, while this ‘X-Pack’ version had even more power, its 432bhp helping it claim to be the fastest convertible in the world. Something the Hennessey Venom has long since surpassed, mind.

Estimate: £220,000-£260,000

Virtually all of the cars that Aston Martin has built since the turn of the century came about thanks to the reception this concept got at the New York motor show in 1998. Aston had “no plans for production” at the time, but reaction from the media and potential buyers convinced it this was the way forward, and 2001's Vanquish looked little different.

Featuring a 6.0-litre V12 engine with a claimed output of 450bhp, the ‘Project Vantage’ also had a paddle-operated gearbox; a first for Aston Martin. This model was designed for the road but sadly cannot be registered for public use. However, if you have access to a private track...

Estimate: £90,000-£140,000

Built to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the DBR1/2’s victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this special edition reached staggering levels of performance with a 0-60mph time of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of over 200mph. It arrived at a time when 600bhp in supercars was unheard of, not the norm as it is nowadays. The ninth car of a 40-strong run, this version was delivered with a close-ratio six-speed gearbox, a rare addition. Rarer still is the green paint, which is completely unique to this car. So it’ll be easy to spot in the car park...

Estimate: £320,000-£420,000

Another car that you can’t actually drive, but one that would certainly look good on an empty plinth if you have one lying around the house. Verification models are built so that engineers can check all of the surfaces have been measured correctly before production begins. A fully functional One-77 will set you back around £2million now. If you were only going to drive it once every twelve months, this will be the smarter buy 364 days of the year...

Estimate: £25,000-£35,000