Between its potent performance, gorgeous lines, and presence in the James Bond film Goldfinger, the Aston Martin DB5 has achieved legendary status. It also paved the way for today’s powerful Aston Martin GTs.
The grand tourer’s rarity—just 1,022 models were built between 1963 and 1965—is another factor contributing to its desirability, which is why a Welshman named John Williams refused to give up the DB5 he bought in the early 1970s. Now, thanks to Aston Martin Works, Williams’ DB5 has been fully restored, to the point where its value has skyrocketed up to £1 million (around $1.32 million). That’s not bad for a car that was originally purchased for £900.
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A Dream Car Purchase
1965 Aston Martin DB5 Aston Martin
Not many of us get to purchase our dream car as a teenager, but John Williams accomplished that with this DB5 in 1973. Aged 19, he was a welder and garage owner, and set a goal the previous year of saving up enough to buy a DB5. The 1965 example he found required an hours-long train ride from North Wales to London, where he handed over the £900 (just short of $1,200) for the GT.
Williams used the car as a daily driver for four years, but a new job in the Middle East in 1977 meant it ended up standing on his driveway.
Aston Martin
“Then… ‘life’ happened, he said. “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’.”
The car’s condition deteriorated over time, not helped by the neighbors’ kids who bounced on the hood and even snapped off the exhaust pipe when they came over to play. Decades later, Williams chose Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell to complete the restoration, a process that started in 2022 and took three years.
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Returned To Its Former Glory
1965 Aston Martin DB5 Aston Martin
The completely restored DB5 looks as regal as the day it left the factory. This was much more than an aesthetic refresh—the car was restored right down to the chassis and Superleggera frame.
This particular example has a particularly desirable specification. It’s finished in Silver Birch paint, one of only 39 DB5 saloons in this color. It also has the higher-output Vantage 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine, which produces around 325 horsepower. It took the Panel, Paint, Trim, and Heritage Workshops at Aston Martin over 2,500 hours to complete the restoration.
“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,” said Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works. “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.”
1965 Aston Martin DB5 Aston Martin
While Williams spent under $1,200 on the DB5 when he originally purchased it, Spires estimates that the restored GT is valued over $1.3 million, which is some return on one’s investment.
“It’s probably almost 50 years since I have driven this car, but the experience is phenomenal,” said Williams. “It’s just… unbelievable. My girl’s back and up and running! Back to her former glory.”
A few years ago, Aston Martin announced a run of 25 DB5 Continuation cars, which were track-only reproductions of the DB5 from Goldfinger. The first one was completed in 2020, and all had a starting price of $3.4 million. That project, along with this restoration of John Williams’ 1965 DB5, underlines the passion that still exists for one of the British marque’s greatest cars.
