Aston Martin DB5 Restoration Dream Realised at Works
A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 bought for less than £1,000 in the early 1970s has now completed a full Aston Martin Works restoration, fulfilling the long-held dream of its owner and marking one of the most striking stories of classic car appreciation in recent memory. This Newport Pagnell restoration highlights how careful stewardship and expert heritage craftsmanship can return an icon to its best, while celebrating the enduring appeal of the Aston Martin DB5.
Welshman John Williams, a welder and garage owner by trade, set himself the goal of buying his dream car, an Aston Martin DB5, in 1972 when he was just 18. He saved hard for more than a year and worked overtime whenever he could. By September 1973, aged 19, he had assembled £900 in cash, the equivalent of around £15,000 today, and travelled by train from North Wales to London to view the car. The Vantage-engined model, fitted with Weber carburettors, wire wheels and Sundym electrically operated windows, and described in a Motorsport magazine advert as having “many bills”, proved to be the right Aston Martin for John. He bought the DB5 for £900.
John drove the Aston Martin DB5 daily for more than 4 years after bringing it home to Wales. He only parked the car in his driveway after securing a job in the Middle East in 1977. John explained: “Then… ‘life’ happened. 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’.” Sue Williams added: “The neighbours’ kids used to come round to play, and they’d play on her. Bouncing on the bonnet. One balanced on the exhaust pipe and snapped it off!”
As the years passed, John held on to the hope of driving his DB5 again. He said: “As time went on, it became a goal of mine to get her restored; to be able to drive her again. Being a garage man, I was a bit ashamed that I’d let her get into that state. I worked hard to buy her, and we’ve worked hard to get her repaired.” The couple chose Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, the marque's heritage home, to carry out the bare-metal restoration, which began in late 2022.
Around three years after the car arrived, John and Sue returned to Buckinghamshire to see their completed Aston Martin DB5. They had visited regularly to watch the car progress through the Panel Shop and beyond, where specialists restored the chassis and Superleggera frame and hand-formed each aluminium body panel. Back in 2023, Sue saw the car partway through this phase and said, “Wow! She looks amazing, doesn’t she? You’ve done so much work!” John commented, “It looks like an Aston Martin now. I’m thrilled. It’s great to see all the old ways of building a car have been passed on, and younger people here are keeping up the tradition.”
Collectors and enthusiasts often regard this specification as the most coveted of all DB5s. The Williams car is a right-hand drive 1965 DB5 saloon with the sought-after Vantage engine. It initially left the factory in Silver Birch, still seen as the most desirable exterior colour for the model. The car also carries an intriguing provenance, including an early owner from St George’s Hill in Surrey. This gated community counted celebrities such as The Beatles’ John Lennon and Ringo Starr among its residents at the time.
Aston Martin built 1,022 DB5 models between 1963 and 1965. The company produced fewer than 1,000 of them in saloon form, with 887 examples, and only 39 combined initially Silver Birch paintwork, the higher-output Vantage engine and right-hand drive. That rarity strengthens the car’s status as a particularly desirable example of what many consider ‘the most famous car in the world’, and it underscores the value of a factory-authentic Aston Martin DB5 restoration completed at Newport Pagnell.
Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works, said: “This really is a lovely story. We’re delighted that Mr and Mrs Williams brought the car back to the place where it was built so we could restore it. “Although the car was in a profoundly run-down condition when it arrived, we always relish a challenge, and I knew we had the skills, dedication and expertise to return the car to a better-than-new condition. “After more than 2,500 hours of dedicated work by our teams in the Panel, Paint, Trim and Heritage Workshops – along with vital support from our in-house Parts Department – the car is now finished and, to my eye at least, looks absolutely stunning. “While it might be uncouth to speculate on values for the car, I think it’s reasonable to suppose that if it ever were to be offered to the market once more, and bearing in mind its specification and provenance, a value of up to £1m would be in order. “In this 70th anniversary year of Aston Martin’s presence here at Newport Pagnell, it is inspiring to see the dedication, commitment and pride of owners such as the Williams family. 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.”
John Williams summed up the moment he saw his fully restored DB5 just a few days ago: “Well, it's been a long time coming, a long time saving, but it's been worth every penny. It's just amazing. “It's probably almost 50 years since I have driven this car, but the experience is phenomenal. It's just... unbelievable. My girl’s back and up and running! Back to her former glory.”
