Sole surviving Aston Martin DB Mk III Drophead for sale

A 1958 Aston Martin DB Mk III Drophead, believed to be the only survivor of just two examples built, has just come up for sale.

The DB MkIII was the last of the DB2 line and was fitted with the most potent version of Tadek Marek’s legendary straight-six engine. In DBB specification the motor was fed by triple Weber carbs, had special camshafts, a higher compression ratio, strengthened con rods and a unique twin exhaust system. This all added up to a 20 percent power hike over the standard engine and a total of 198 horsepower—higher than the DB3S race car.

In the hands of Roy Salvadori a DBB-equipped Mk III was timed at just 8.2 seconds from 0-60 mph, which was almost two seconds faster than the regular model.

According to seller Nicholas Mee & Co. 85 DB Mk III Drophead Coupes were built by Aston Martin, but only two were powered by the DBB motor, and the car currently sitting in the specialist’s Hertfordshire showroom, north of London, is the only one still in existence.

It was supplied new to an owner in Montreal, Canada, and stayed with the family for 30 years, until it was acquired by a collector in North Carolina. In a case of seller’s remorse the Drophead was re-purchased by the original owner’s son who kept it for a further seven years. It then crossed the Atlantic to be with its current keeper. Despite its international life the car has only covered 36,500 miles since leaving the factory.

Finished in its original black with a beige leather interior the Aston has recently had an engine rebuild. As if this Drophead wasn’t desirable enough die-hard 007 fans will recognise it as the model driven by James Bond in Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger novel.

“It really is something special, undoubtedly rare and bristling with British engineering excellence,” says Nicholas Mee’s Director Neal Gerrard. “In the context of later ‘DB’ prices, we think surprisingly affordable. It’s no wonder Ian Fleming chose a DB Mk III for James Bond in ‘Goldfinger’.”

If $603,000 sounds “surprisingly affordable” to you then pick up the phone and you could just capture yourself a unicorn.