1967 Aston Martin DB6 Shooting Brake by FLM Panelcraft

Offered by RM Auctions | London, England | October 31, 2012

I suppose this is what James Bond drove to the supermarket. Or the hardware store. Or when he wanted to take his dogs out to the countryside… you get the idea. It’s what happens when you take one of the great GT cars of all time and make it super-functional.

This car was purchased new by famed racing driver Innes Ireland in 1967. Two years later, he took the car to FLM Panelcraft in London to have it converted to a shooting brake – aka: a two-door wagon. FLM Panelcraft also did the conversion on the other Aston Martin estate we’ve featured, the ’71 DBS Wagon. This is one of two (according to RM) DB6 Shooting Brakes built by FLM.

Everything under hood is the same, the 4.0-liter straight-six making 282 horsepower is unchanged. And it’s still a quick car – there is a quote from Ireland in the lot description (here) that says he had the car humming along at 120 mph with three passengers and their luggage. Functional indeed!

The car was restored by Aston Martin Works Service and this is the first time it has been seen since 1995. The sale price should range between $525,000-$600,000. For the rest of RM’s London lineup, click here.

Update: Not sold.

1971 Aston Martin DBS Estate by FLM Panelcraft

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, U.K. | May 19, 2012

I guess the first thing I should say is that I am a big fan of wagons. So I find great joy in a one-of-a-kind sports wagon coming up for sale. That’s right, while there were a number of DB5 and DB6 Astons converted into estate cars – or shooting brakes – there was only one DBS that was blessed with such a fate. The operation was performed by FLM Panelcraft of Battersea, South London. They also built three of the DB6 wagons.

It was built at the behest of a Scottish laird who wanted something he could take on fishing trips. Only in Great Britain would someone want to take an Aston Martin on a fishing trip – it’s wonderful. Anyway, the car passed to its current owner in 1975. He repainted the then-red car to its current blue.

It was restored in the 1990s and repainted in 2004. It’s beautiful – look at all that glass. If you value utility in your sports cars, then they don’t come much more useful and fun than this. The DBS was relatively sporty in its day, with a 282 horsepower 4.0-liter straight-six. Only 787 were produced from 1967 through 1972 and this is the only one converted into wagon form. If you want to get to Newport Pagnell and bid, it’s estimated to cost you somewhere between $81,000-$110,000. For the complete description, click here. And to see the rest of the almost all-Aston auction lineup, click here.

Update: sold $533,000.