This washed-up Aston Martin DB5 might be the ultimate beach find

If you went for a picnic in 1964 and left your Aston Martin DB5 in the pay-and-display parking, it might be a bit late for you to claim it. This rarer-than-rare beach find Aston is just one of the many impressive machines heading to RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 sale on the 20th May.

We’ve all been there, that mild panic when your car isn’t where you thought you’d left it, only to find you’re looking in completely the wrong spot and the car is tucked safely between two SUVs. Losing a car in a packed multi-storey car park is one thing, but on a sun-drenched beach-side car park is something new entirely. You’ve heard of barn finds; this one is a beach find.

That’s what we like to believe anyway, but the story of this particular British icon is something of a roller-coaster, and one that sadly doesn’t include sun lotion or an ice-cream. First registered in September 1964 to Brooklands of Bond Street, the car cruised its way through London’s suburbs with nothing but grace and decorum, until it was flown over to America by its new owner in 1989. There, the car also enjoyed its environment, and was repainted in a striking shade of Midnight Blue with a beige leather interior.

Following these two excursions, the car found its way to another collector, where it has been laid seemingly untouched for several years, presenting a truly rare opportunity as a blank canvas for restoration. With matching numbers on the chassis and engine, finding one of 007’s go-to automobiles is a rarity in itself these days, but this example might be the most rewarding route to classic Aston ownership we’ve come across.

Its droopy headlights look as though it has sleep-deprived bags under them, due to the lack of chrome surrounds, while bravely open the creaking doors to discover an elegant, albeit extremely dusty beige leather interior, filled with all of Aston’s finest switchgear and chrome. It’s also worth mentioning, it currently doesn’t have a windscreen – something we’d advise sorting before hitting the open road.

While a full-body restoration and overhaul would be the ticket to a worthy investment, we can’t help but smirk and just how bizarrely cool this icon of British culture looks as it stands now, warts and all. Fancy the challenge? This example is set to do under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 sale on the 20th May.