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Buy Sir Stirling Moss's '54 Aston Martin DB3S for just $10m

Bonhams estimates this rare 1954 Aston Martin DB3S will fetch as much as $10 million when it hits the auction block late next month. The fifth of 31 examples (and only 11 works racers) built, this particular DB3S was originally built for the private use of the company's owner David Brown. But after three other examples were destroyed at Le Mans in 1954, Brown handed his car over to the racing department, which replaced the fiberglass bodywork with aluminum and put it to work. Drivers like Sir Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, and Roy Salvadori drove it at Spa, the Nurburgring, and the Mille Miglia. As if that provenance weren't enough, the roadster then went on to appear in the '60s comedy School for Scoundrels alongside Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, and Janette Scott – plus an Austin-Healey 100-Six and a 1928 Bentley 4 1/2 -Litre Open Tourer dubbed the "Swiftmobile." Bonhams has chassis number DBS3S/5 consigned for its upcoming sale at the old Aston Martin Works factory in Newport Pagnell. With all that history, the auction house anticipates it will sell for GBP6,000,000-7,000,000 – equivalent to $8.5-10 million at current exchange rates. That would, according to the records at Sports Car Market, make it one of the most valuable Astons ever sold at auction, besting the DB3S that Gooding & Company sold in 2014 for $5.5 million. Related Video: THE 1954 ASTON MARTIN DB3S: CAR OF THE SILVER SCREEN RACED BY THE GREAT STIRLING MOSS, NOW OFFERED AT BONHAMS A rare Aston Martin Works team car – chassis number DB3S/5 – which was campaigned in period by such legendary racing drivers as Sir Stirling Moss, Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori, and latterly went on to co-star with Terry-Thomas in 1960s movie classic 'School for Scoundrels', will be offered at Bonhams Aston Martin Works Sale on 21 May 2016. It is estimated at GBP6,000,000-7,000,000. This historic Aston Martin began life as the personal road car of David Brown, the multi-millionaire industrialist owner of the Aston Martin marque. Under Brown's reign the legendary post-World War 2 'DB' series of Aston Martin cars were built, including the Atom, the DB2, DB3, DB4, DB5, DB6, DB7, DB9 and the DBS, all named using Brown's initials. Aston Martin also built a number of DB3S models for the Works racing team.

At St. Moritz, the Ferraris and Bugattis are small wonders

The Little Car Company is once again taking to glitzy St. Moritz in the Alps to show off an array of scaled-down automotive classics that will include a Bugatti Baby II, Ferrari Testa Rossa J (for junior) in both base and Pacco Gara models, and an Aston Martin DB5 Junior. The elegant, electrified miniatures, all available for test drives, will be assembled at the upcoming International Concours of Elegance at St. Moritz this Friday and Saturday to entertain the rich and famous, and others perhaps not so well positioned. The Little Car Company is a U.K.-based firm that has re-created everything from a pint-sized Bugatti Type 35 to a life-sized dune buggy based on a Tamiya R/C kit from the 1980s. Their cars run on electric power. Other models are put on static display, and one of those at St. Moritz is to be its newly launched Bentley Blower Jnr. "A step into new territory for the brand," the company says, the Blower Jnr is an 85 percent scale electric version of the British manufacturer's legendary original, and is The Little Car Company’s first road-legal automobile. Said CEO Ben Hedley, "This year will be the third time that we have participated in this wonderful event, so it is only right that we bring even more unique pieces for guests to get behind the wheel of, but also that we bring something new for guests to look at: the Bentley Blower Jnr." Operating for about five years, the Little Car Company hand-builds licensed products in entertaining partnerships with some elite manufacturers. Its cars are aimed mainly at collectors but can be driven. Among its recent offerings, the Testa Rossa was launched in 2021 as a 3/4-scale replica of the legendary "red head,” powered by a 12kW battery and able to reach a top speed of 47 mph, Little Car Company planned to build only 299 examples of the Testa Rossa. One of them was on display at Harrods in London just before Christmas, priced at just about $100,000. A terrific gift, but youÂ’ll need a bigger tree.   Featured Gallery The Little Car Company at St Moritz Design/Style Aston Martin Bentley Bugatti Ferrari Electric

Kahn tackles Aston Martin with a Vengeance

Though Aston Martin has been known to produce some pretty stunning designs all on its own, it's also no stranger to the efforts of independent coachbuilders. It's had a longstanding relationship with Zagato that has given birth to some of the most stunning automotive collaborations ever to roam the open road, but now it's time for another designer to step up to the plate with the creation previewed here. It's called the Vengeance and it's the latest project from Kahn Design – a British firm perhaps better known for its (often wildly) customized Land Rovers, but with a history of enhancing Astons as well. Adopting a name that fits into traditional Aston nomenclature along nameplates like Vantage, Vanquish and Virage, the Vengeance is being built atop a DB9, but with highly modified coachwork. As you can see from the preview renderings in the slideshow above, the design calls for features a a bulging hood, slotted grille, wide rear fenders, polished steel roof and window frames, and staggered alloys – 20 inches up front, 21 in the back – inspired by roulette wheels with diamond-cut rims and body-colored centers. "The Vengeance underlines Kahn Design's expertise in design and coachbuilding," said Azfal Kahn in the statement below. "With a team of over 25 designers in house we're involved in all aspects of product design from automotive to timepieces, interiors, retail space, clothing and accessories." Only a limited quantity of individually numbered examples will be hand-made in the British Midlands, with pricing and availability yet to be announced but promising what Kahn says will "represent extremely good value for a limited edition coachbuilt car." Kahn Design launches coach built 2 door retro classic coupe named the 'Vengeance' Origins The practice of automotive coachbuilding stretches back to the early 1900s, when discerning customers would employ the services of expert craftsmen to create a custom vehicle body on a pre-manufactured chassis. Following in this tradition, renowned British designer Afzal Kahn has announced the launch of a new coachbuilt car codenamed the Vengeance. Built on a new Aston Martin DB9 chassis, the Vengeance is a wide body two door coupe, with a muscular, aggressive design evoking the silhouette of a sabretooth on the prowl. Design A supercar owner and connoisseur since his late teens, Kahn has always sought to push the boundaries of car design, developing a distinctive, aggressive design language.