1957 Aston Martin DB Mark III
The 1957 Aston Martin DB Mark III is a
beauty and is fitting for the suave playboy image that is James Bond. Wait,
Bruce Wayne, not James Bond, but Bruce Wayne. Fortunate slip however, as the DB
Mark III was Bond’s first Aston Martin as written in Ian Flemming’s 1959 novel,
Goldfinger.
The Mark III was built in the David
Brown era, the origin of the DB moniker, and began production in 1957 and
continued through to 1959 when the DB4 became its successor. The Mark III is
extremely rare as only 551 were built.
The DB Mark III is a Feltham-era car
built using the grille from the DB3 race car, with an aluminum body on a
tubular chassis. It is a 2+2 seater available as a Coupé or Drophead Coupé;
with the Drophead Coupé being the most sought after by collectors as only 84
were built.
Polish Automobile engineer, Tadek Marek,
redesigned the 3-litre engine in the DB2/4 Mark II to provide the Mark III with
162-bhp output on a single-pipe exhaust system, and 178-bhp on an optional
twin-pipe version. The engine is a straight-six, dual overhead cam in a front
engine layout. A 4-speed manual gearbox was standard in these models with the
optional overdrive or 3-speed automatic.
The Mark III’s were faster than their
predecessors achieving a top speed of 120-mph and hitting the 60-mph mark in
less than 10 seconds. This car held particular appeal to the American market
and more than two-thirds were exported to the US.
If you’re in the market for the only asset that makes Bruce Wayne the better man, it’s going to cost you. The last Mark III was a 1957 model by Tickford auctioned at Amelia Island for US$ 335,500. Prior to that, a 1958 Drophead model went for US$ 1,012,000 at Pebble Beach in 2014. It’s time to break open the piggy bank.
