A neglected DB5 sat in a driveway for 45 years and is now worth more than $1 million – Jalopnik

It can happen to the best of us. We work hard to get our dream car, enjoy it for a while, but then life happens and other things take priority, while the previously prized possession is neglected. That’s what happened to a man from Mold, Flintshire (the most British name for a town ever) called John Williams, except his car wasn’t your average Miata, but a 1965 Aston Martin DB5, the car made famous by a certain British secret agent (or was that a British pop singer?) Nearly 50 years after parking it, Aston Martin Works has completed a three-year restoration that has returned the car to like-new condition, an impressive feat considering the condition of the car when the restoration began.

Williams bought the car in 1973 for just £900 (about $20,000 today). He was his daily driver for four years, he said Aston Martin. Whether Williams knew it at the time he bought it or not, this car is one of only 39 DB5s equipped with the upgraded Vantage engine with Weber carburetors, right-hand drive and Silver Birch paint. He parked it for a job in the Middle East in 1977, and it’s been sitting ever since. Its condition has deteriorated significantly over the years, not helped by the neighborhood children who played on it. Williams received several offers to buy it over the years but always turned it down, probably with the stylish British equivalent of, “No lowballers, I know what I’ve got.”

“While it may be rude to speculate on the value of the car, I think it is reasonable to assume that if the car were ever offered to the market again, and taking into account its specification and provenance, a value of up to £1 million would be in order.”

That’s about $1.3 million US dollars. By comparison, Sean Connery’s personal DB5 sold for a little more, while original movie cars sell for more than $4 million today. John Williams’ significant investment in this car would pay off handsomely if he decided to sell it. Instead, though, he seems to be enjoying driving it again.

“It’s probably been almost fifty years since I drove this car, but the experience is phenomenal. It’s just… incredible. My girl is back up and running again! Back to her former glory.”

That sounds like a true enthusiast who is excited about the completion of his project, not an investment firm who is satisfied that profits will soon come from his venture.