DAVID Brown in 1968 was asked by a friend if he could purchase a new DB6 at cost price “as a favour”. David “DB” Brown was then the owner of car-maker Aston Martin and a wealthy industrialist in his own right.

He obliged his friend, sending the car and an invoice. His friend was, however, aghast that the invoice price was ￡1000 above the car’s￡4998 list price.

When questioned, DB replied that that was the cost price – an admission that Aston Martin was making cars at a loss.

But thanks to people like James Bond, Paul McCartney, HRH Prince Charles, Peter Sellers, Twiggy and Mick Jagger, you’d never know that the car lusted after by so many wasn’t even capable of turning in a profit for its owners.

Of those drivers, it was the DB5 portrayed in early Bond movies that was the catalyst for the brand.

It led the company to launch the longer, more spacious and faster DB6 in 1965 that was quickly dubbed “the gentleman’s express”.

The DB6 evolved the DB5’s recessed and perspex-covered headlights and basic sihouette, with its major difference being the split front and rear bumpers and the upswept “Kamm” boot lid.

Aston Martin made only 1788 DB6 cars between 1965 and 1970, partially because new buyers to the brand were diverted to the more modern DBS that was made alongside the DB6 from 1967 before it became its replacement from 1970.

When it was launched in 1965, the DB6 was a very expensive car. It was priced around the same as an E-Type Jaguar at about $7700, putting it at about half the price of a Ferrari-built Dino 246 GT at around $14,000.

In 1969, the median house price in Perth was also $14,000. Today, the median price here is $510,000; a DB6 is worth around $350,000; an E-Type can fetch $150,000; and the Dino is about $500,000.

The 1969 DB6 featured here was bought by its Perth owner about 35 years ago for a price that, today, would make most of us weep. Because it was so low. For this reason, and the fact it is such a delightful car to drive, he reports there are no plans for it to be sold.

The production numbers reflect the hand built construction of the DB9. Each car differed from its predecessor in a minor way and, in some cases, quite a significant way.

As an example, you can’t buy a new body panel from a spare parts warehouse. Well, you can but don’t expect it to fit as each original part was hand made and each replacement part has to modified to fit specific cars.

This car was ordered in 1969 for a company director in England. It retains its original Azzurro Blue paint and dark blue Connolly leather interior and Wilton plush carpets.

Ahead of the driver is a metal painted dashboard with padded leading edge, a wood steering wheel riveted to its aluminium frame, and eight white-on-black Smiths instruments highlighted by the 180mph (290km/h) speedometer and a tachometer redlined at 5500rpm. Its official top speed was 148mph (238km/h).

There is a smattering of toggle switches and a tier of three ventilation slide controls though, on closer inspection, the lower slide is for the engine’s choke.

The automatic gear shifter is a spindly affair – reminiscent of the delicacy of 1960s-era Mercedes-Benz cars – standing alone atop the bulbous transmission tunnel, while the fly-off handbrake rests to the right of the driver’s seat.

The option at purchase was the automatic transmission and power steering and it still has its 1969 UK registration plates, EY 33.

The automatic box came from Borg Warner which was a common transmission in that era when manufacturers were asked to delete one floor pedal. The DB9 also had Girling disc brakes and a rear limited-slip differential.

For all intents and purposes, this is a modern car. For a coupe made in 1965, it is warmly welcoming and has a simplicity about its operation that defies the Aston Martin sports-bred reputation.

The seats are very comfortable, though not particularly supportive. The large steering wheel is perfectly placed and the foot controls ideal. Visibility all around is – in comparison to today’s cars – excellent.

Prior knowledge of older Aston Martins makes me inclined to crank over the engine – which it does industrially and almost painfully – and leave the car idling while searching out a cup of tea. Come, come, you wouldn’t expect an Aston driver to request coffee!

The 4.0-litre engine with its three SU carburettors is physically enormous, appearing to dwarf even the almost identically-specified Jaguar six. With that size, and the demands as a long-distance, high-speed grand touring car, comes a need for a very large sump full of a lot of oil.

In its journey through the dark galleys of the engine, this oil takes a long time to warm up. Hence the tea. Time also allows the choke to be closed, preventing any fuel-rich stuttering.

Off the mark this is a torque-rich engine with little apparent drag felt by the automatic gearbox. The heaviness of the car and low speed and the slow-revving engine speed make it feel almost lethargic. Such a mistake to believe that so early in the drive.

Punch the accelerator and the nose lifts, assuring me that the sprint time of 7.9 seconds is on the money. The power steering is pleasantly light through the corners, with sufficient accuracy to give me some confidence. An American car of a similar age would be very different.

It has such a solid feel on the road that, combined with its compliant suspension and ignorance of road imperfections, it is easy to see how this car could easily cruise European highways at 200km/h.

Yet though it lapped up the country roads near Perth like a true grand touring car, it never felt cumbersome or ungainly in the suburbs and was easy to park and to judge its extremities.

That says a lot about the automatic transmission. Some critics could argue that the Aston Martin is a better car with a manual gearbox but in the brutal world of road congestion, frequent traffic lights and an army of speed cameras, the automatic makes so much better sense.

Specifications

Make: Aston Martin
Model: DB6
Model code: Mk I
Year: 1969
Price new ($A): $7700

• Engine: 4.0-litre inline 6-cyl
• Valves: DOHC, 12-valve
• Bore/stroke: .96 mm x 92 mm
• Comp. ratio: 8.9:1
• Aspiration: normal
• Power: 210 kW @ 5500 rpm
• Torque: 380 Nm @ 4500 rpm
• Power-to-weight: 135.67 kW/tonne
• Fuel: 3 x SU HD8 carburettors
• Fuel tank: 86 litres
• Fuel thirst: 19 litres/100 km
• Transmission: 3-speed automatic
• Drive: Rear
• 0-100km/h: 6.6 sec
• Top speed: 238 km/h

Dimensions:

• Length: 4623 mm
• Width: 1676 mm
• Height: 1359 mm
• Wheelbase: 2578 mm
• Track (ft/rr): 1372 mm/1359 mm
• Weight: 1550 kg

Chassis:

• Suspension (ft/rr): Ind, wishbones, coils/adjustable, live axle, semi-trailing arms, coils
• Brakes: (ft/rr): Disc/disc
• Steering:  Rack & pinion
• Wheels: 15-inch wire
• Tyres: 6.70 x 15