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Farm Found Aston Martin DB4!

We have all heard stories of rare exotics being found on farms all over the country, but more often then not they are just that, stories. For once, that incredible story of an Aston Martin DB4 that was left out in the woods next to a farm is actually true! This 1961 Aston Martin was just recently found out in the woods, where it has been parked for a long time. It’s been owned by the same person for the past 45 years, but clearly they haven’t done much with it in past 40 or so years. It’s been pulled from the woods, cleaned up and is now headed to auction. It’s set to cross the block at Worldwide Auctioneers’ 2017 Scottsdale Auction on January 15th. You can read more about it here.

Obviously this Aston Martin is going to need a huge amount of work to even be a driver. I’m sure the next owner will have the means though to give it the kind of restoration it deserves. Then again, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing it preserved as it is as an interesting display piece. That is unless it was mine and then I would want it to be a driver!

Be sure to check out this auction, as they are not only featuring this Aston, but also John Lennon’s Mercedes 230SL at the same auction!

Comments

  1. HoA Howard A Member

    We’ll let “Q” work some magic, should be ready for the next 007 movie. ( I know, it was a DB5) That ejection seat could have come in mighty handy when me and my ex were fighting.Terrible waste of a magnificent car. I can’t imagine it looked like this 40 years ago. Just don’t get it. It’ll cost a million dollars to restore this.

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  2. Avatar John K

    the information link isn’t too informative. Love to know the general location of where it was found.

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    • Avatar Rich

      Was looking for the same thing.

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  3. Avatar BHB

    i had a 1962 series ii db4 like this (589l) and the engine was impressive, but the rest of the car was primitive!!!!!
    aluminum skins over thin steel tubes with missing pieces of felt in between ( can you say corrosion). after some work it drove well and looked good in new imron. oddly, it turned left real easy, but right was a bear. have you guessed the problem? yep, the left wheelbase was 1/2″ shorter than the right due to an accident. sold it for 11 times what i paid. the buyer was so condescending, neglected to tell him. if i’d kept it, would’ve sold +11x more!

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  4. Avatar Jeffro

    Yeah…I always park my Aston next to my trailer.

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    • HoA Howard A Member

      I knew that trailer was gonna get in here somehow. Good one.
      (did anybody look inside the trailer?)

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  5. Avatar Kevin

    Yard art

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  6. Avatar Dovi65

    I can’t wrap my brain around this.
    It’s not as if it were ever “just an old car” It’s a [gosh darned] Aston Martin! Even if something mechanically went south on it, you just don’t park an Aston in a field to await repair
    Estimated auction price is $375K-$475k. Even at the low end, will you recover your investment?

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    • Avatar Ross W. Lovell

      Greetings All,

      Bought an ’34 SS1 Tourer about 10 years ago.

      Car had been sitting on a trailer sitting in the woods, on the previous owner’s property. Number of years 35 plus.

      Car had been covered originally. The vehicle and trailer sat in one place so long, the tires had gone flat on the trailer. the trailer’s rear frame had sunk into the ground. The SS1 also eventually lost the air in its tires and it had disappeared into Mother Earth along with the trailer.

      The rear 3′ of the frame and rear apron was being returned to its original form.

      I bought it. Coming along slowly but fine.

      Looking for a English made Standard Flathead as all I have currently is a couple of later OHV Jaguar engines which are incorrect.

      Contact me at rossw.lovell@yahoo.com

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      • Avatar Dave Wright

        What a great project…….good luck.

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      • Avatar Robert White

        Nice clean shop you have there, Ross. That’s my kind of work space!!

        cheers, eh.

        Bob

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  7. Avatar nessy

    I really don’t know what to say on this one except it’s the barn find of the month for sure. An Aston Martin in the woods for so long that trees grew around it. Wow. It makes you wonder if a flipper got hold of it for a steal and now, everyone, including the auction house is looking to cash in. It just goes to show us all that you never know what kind of cars are still hiding in barns, garages or in this case, the woods…. Wow.

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  8. Avatar Mark P

    How did this not break into two halves when it was pulled out of the woods after 45 yrs?I’d expect the rear springs to be settled into the bottom of the trunk lid by now yet the stance of this thing looks correct.

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  9. Avatar brakeservo

    True story – I have a friend who LOST his Aston-Martin, didn’t know where to look for it and gave up. A few years later he got a registered letter from a towing company regarding a scheduled lien sale on it for towing and storage fees. As the car was a worthless P.O.S. anyway he just ignored it and let it go to auction. About five – six years later this same P.O.S. showed up minus engine and transmission but by now people were regarding these early six-cylinder DBS cars as worthwhile, even the RHD automatic ones which my friend’s was. And guess where it showed up – in the inventory of “our good friends” – Beverly Hills Hair Club!! By which time it really wasn’t much of an Aston-Martin anymore anyway – missing drivetrain and body was merely a semi-reasonable facsimile composed mainly of bondo, fiberglass and corrosion! But apparently they found a sucker for it!

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  10. Avatar Mike W H

    With the primo ones selling at Ferrari-level prices, this pile of crap is actually worth some decent bucks. Haggerty says a # 4 is worth $350,000, so working down the scale this #5- is still worth close to six figures. Especially to Vinnie who’s got one a little too hot to handle and needs a VIN plate…….

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  11. Avatar Brad C

    JohnK, Rich and others… here’s the full story. Fantastic!

    http://petrolicious.com/aston-martin-db4-farm-find

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    • Avatar PaulG

      Brad C Great great story and photos, thanks for sharing…

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      • Avatar leinieduede Member

        Thanks Brad, A great comment in the Petro story about the time capsule they found when they opened the door. We found a pair of boots, a condom and some beer cans and bottles! If it was anything but an Aston, I think I know who parked it there.

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    • Avatar Brad C

      Leinieduede — indeed, it would’ve been more apropos for the detritus to consist of a bowtie and martini glass… rather than boots n’ beer bottles.

      As for the condom, I always assumed 007’s only protection came in the form of his Walther PPK.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Mike R

      Thanks for the link. Very interesting story.

      Diorama, really?

      Like 0
  12. Avatar Dolphin Member

    If this is a Series IV car, the SCM Guide says these have been selling at auction for $503-$797K recently, and that the values have dropped about 5%, probably because so many of them have come up for auction. Those would be driveable cars in decent to excellent condition.

    The auction house estimate of $375-$475K for this woods find car is pretty unrealistic.

    If true, the “45 year single ownership” sure didn’t end up doing the car any favors——just the opposite. It would have been better if it had passed through a bunch of owners who at least had garage space for it.

    That 45-year ownership claim isn’t going to sway the kind of guy who would consider bidding, which is a likely restorer who knows these cars and can size up it’s many needs and figure whether the project is worth taking on. I think someone like that will know that this car doesn’t make any $$ sense at the $375-$475 estimate.

    And the kind of guy who actually wants a DB4 to drive will know that he just has to add another $25K to the high estimate and he’s in the market for buying a good driver that doesn’t come with endless resto needs, costs, and headaches.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Mark S

      Well said Dolphin. I guess 45 years ago it was considered just another old car, and here we are today.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Dave Wright

        In the old days……Astons were considered a cut below the great Italian cars, James Bond made them popular to the masses but real car guys would pay more for a Ferrari or Maserati. They were a cut above a Jag but parts were always a problem and I don’t think they had the build quality of a Pinnfarina or Fura chassis. I guess the same is true today, a comperable year Ferrari is 3 Million………

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      • Avatar Dolphin Member

        Agree, old Astons were definitely a cut below old Ferraris in value. In 1978 bought a nice driver Ferrari 330 GTC for $15K. At the time I also had the choice of a nice Aston DB4 for about 1/3rd of that amount, but I went for the Ferrari. In 3 years I sold the Ferrari for around $30K, but DB4s were still around $5 to $6K.

        I think a lot of what has brought DB4s up in value today is the fact that many of the Italian sports cars that were alternatives to the DB4 back then have much higher prices now.

        But there are some Astons that are a lot more valuable. An Aston DB4 GT would cost about $2 to $5 million depending on condition and especially ownership and racing history, based on recent auction sales according to the SCM Guide. But there were only 75 of those made and some were raced by some of the best known drivers of the day, so a lot more desirable than regular DB4s.

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      • Avatar Dave Wright

        Have you priced your GTC (one of the most attractive, nicest Ferraries ever built) is worth today? I fell in love with a medium blue one with tan glove leather interior at a place I sold cars at for a while…….10,000. That would have been 72 or so. I think they are over 3 mill today?

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      • Avatar Dave Wright

        I had to continue driving my lowly 62 356 Karman notchback……..

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      • Avatar Dolphin Member

        Dave, yes I look at 330 GTC prices every once in a while even tho they are way out of my range.

        Back when I bought my GTC for $15K a friend bought a 275 GTB/4 for the same $15K price.

        Good GTCs are now selling for a median of about 3/4 of a million, and the high price ever paid at auction for one was $1,023,000 according to the SCM Guide.

        275 GTBs are selling at auction for a median of about $2.85 million and the high sale was $12 million, but I think that $12 million car was Steve Mcqueen’s car.

        This shows the same kind of difference in prices paid for DB4s vs DB4 GTs. The race cars, or cars that look like they are race cars, will command a big premium in both the Aston and Ferrari markets, so the DB4 GTs and the 275 GTBs end up being worth a lot more than the 330 and DB4 models made by the same companies at the same time.

        Like 0
  13. Avatar Derek F

    Some rodents are now very upset they lost their $300k condo.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Paul B

    Truly a great barn find, without the barn. I say just fix it up and drive it. Shouldn’t take too much. Maybe put in a Slant Six if the engine is bad. Once again, no biggy.

    Like 0
    • HoA Howard A Member

      Hi Paul, this motor would eat a slant 6 for lunch. Apparently this engine put out 240 hp, and this car was capable of 140 mph. Maybe a “Hyper-Pak” Slant 6.

      Like 0
  15. Avatar Neil G.

    Auction houses charge fees. Add another $40-50K before it
    Rolls out of their building.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar ccrvtt

    A slant 6? Perish the thought!

    Actually that’s not a bad idea. Just getting this to drive would be a huge accomplishment. I must admit my jaw dropped when I scrolled down to the first picture.

    45 years ago an Aston was still an Aston. There has to be some culpability for those who allow the total deterioration of these cars. Ownership imbues the owner with many rights, but you just don’t do this to an Aston. A Corolla or a Neon, maybe, but not this car. Sad.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Keith

      But not an SRT Neon! hahaha

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  17. Avatar Joe

    Wow. Speechless.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar stillrunners

    yep…on my list….why oh why……..

    Like 0
  19. Avatar Rustytech Member

    Looks like James pretty well used this one up. Depending on the final price this could be the find of the decade. I don’t think this will ever see driver quality, this will get a full blown restoration, next time we see it it’ll be a half million dollar center piece at Barrett Jackson Scottsdale.

    Like 0
  20. Avatar Tom Member

    What the ____ is wrong with people??

    Like 0
  21. Avatar James

    Fresh from 45 years of ownership from the same colossal idiot.

    Like 0
  22. Avatar Bruce Best

    Hallmark Cards did a calendar of exotic sports cars back in the late 1970’s and one of them was either a DB-4 or 5. The thin aluminum panels can be distorted by wind pressure over time and since the one that was going to be photographed was black they wanted it perfect for the photo.

    It was two to three months of work to get that body perfect. Do just do a regular body even on something like this could have been done in a month on a regular car but this panels are so thin and flexible they will move and distort from just a really hot summer day I think. When we were finished Hallmark paid the bill and it looked like it was carved from the solid.

    These are beautiful cars to look at and in some ways better than the Ferraris with an interior that is much more comfortable than most. I personally like the Maseratis of this time frame best. The combination of comfort, performance, and style was the best combination for the street. The Ferraris were just a little faster and sexier but the Sebring I had was much more reliable and easier to keep running.

    Restore it but plan on spending between 100 to 150K on a proper restoration.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Dave Wright

      I loved my Mistral and it was dead reliable, never a heating or operating problem. Sat in traffic on the A10 north of London ideling for 4 hrs on the way to meet Richard Crump, one of the leading Maserati experts at the time…..never warmed a bit……then the a couple of years later driving from the port in Oakland across I80 got a speeding ticket in the middle of Nevada for over 150MPH……

      Like 0
  23. Avatar Woodie Man

    While I think it was a Bond’s DB5 my Corgi Aston Martin was the bomb. Pop out machine guns, ejection seats, bullet deflector out back! Beautiful cars!

    Like 0
  24. Avatar Randall

    Right. I think I will withdraw 475,000 out of my bank account and buy this thing and restore it. One item on my bucket list. Sometimes I wish there was just a separate listing on Barn Finds for plain old rusted out..too far gone..high priced junk.

    Like 0
  25. HoA Howard A Member

    Note to David Brown in the “afterlife”. David, we finally found #4/510/L, and it isn’t pretty.

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  26. Avatar Pete

    That is a pretty amazing find. A lot of people will be making money on this deal. When I owned my second Spitfire I needed a better front hood assembly and found one an hour north of where I lived. It just happened to be attached to another car. I had to buy the whole car to get it. The problem with that was it was way back deep in the woods. So I took 4 wheels and tires that would hold air with me and installed them on the car. Then my wifes cousin had a old K-5 Blazer and we tied a rope to it and drug it out of the woods. Cutting trees and saplings as we went. Over hills, through small ravines and depressions until we were back on the street. I was able to steer it and stop it with the E Brake. So down I-77 we went back to Charlotte from Lake Norman. No top in November. Also the wind sheild was gone. I think my eyes were stuck in a squint for a week after we got it home. We used a Pipe with a cable looped through the end to fit over his bumper ball and two hooks on the other end as a tow bar. That was dangerous as all get out even at 45 MPH and only an E brake to keep me from plowing into the back of that Blazer. Oh to be that young and reckless again. LOL.

    Like 0
  27. Avatar OhioMark

    Back in 85′, I was living in New Orleans and a used sports car dealer had a DB 5 sitting in the back of the lot painted a bright Guards red. He was asking around $19K for it, which was about the same amount I was making back then!

    Like 0
  28. Avatar Bobsmyuncle

    I just want a high resolution copy of that photo for the garage.

    Like 0
  29. Avatar Woodie Man

    This just popped up. Aston Martin is going the Shelby route with a ‘continuation’ ‘track’ version of the original.

    https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/12/19/aston-martin-announces-continuation-series-db4-gt/?refer=news#comments-block

    Like 0

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