When he was just a teenager, John Williams decided he wanted to own an Aston Martin DB5. After saving up for a year and taking overtime whenever he could, John found the scratch he needed to make his dream come true, and in 1973, at the age of 19, he purchased a 1965 DB5 Vantage coupe for £900 (around 8,800 U.S. dollars in today's money). But as is often the way with youthful sports cars, life got in the way of enjoying the DB5, and it sat for decades until John and his wife Sue decided to restore the thing, leaving the job to Aston Martin Works at the company's ancestral home in Newport Pagnell.
Lawn Ornament Turned Precious Heirloom
Upon purchasing the Aston, it became John's daily driver until 1977, when he put the car into storage after receiving a job transfer to the Middle East. After returning, the welder and mechanic frequently considered selling the car, but Sue admonished that he'd never be able to find another one again, so despite needing the money, the family held onto the DB5. Sue says that it became a fixture in the neighborhood, languishing in their yard and proving too irresistable for the neighborhood kids, who used to climb on the car – one even broke off the exhaust finisher trying to balance on it.
As time went on, it became a goal of mine to get her restored; to be able to drive her again. Being a garage man, I was a bit ashamed that I’d let her get into that state. I worked hard to buy her, and we’ve worked hard to get her repaired.
–John Williams, owner of the Aston Martin DB5
The Williams family decided it was time to get the Aston Martin back in roadworthy condition, and in 2022, John and Sue dropped it off in Newport Pagnell, the city that the company called home until 2007 – after moving to Gaydon, the former headquarters became the site of Aston Martin Works. Responsible for parts and repair support for classic cars, the facility was the perfect place for the Williamses to leave their precious DB5.
A Steady, Three-Year Process
The car was in rather derelict condition upon its arrival at Aston Martin Works, but its corrosion-resistant aluminum bodywork and Superleggera frame held up well enough to be restored using the same period-correct techniques that Newport Pagnell would have used in 1965. John and Sue kept updated on the car, visiting it occasionally to enjoy the progress. The pair came to check out the freshly applied Silver Birch paint and restored bodywork in 2023, a visit that really allowed them to get excited about their soon-to-be-renewed sports car. "It looks like an Aston Martin now," John said. "It’s great to see all the old ways of building a car have been passed on, and younger people here are keeping up the tradition."
Finally, more than three years after dropping it off, the Williams family was reunited with the 1965 DB5. After a long time of planning and saving for the restoration, the longtime owner was very happy to see his car restored to its former glory. For its part, the Aston Martin Works team was happy to take on the challenge of restoring such a "profoundly run-down" car, per division president Paul Spires. "After more than 2,500 hours of dedicated work by our teams in the Panel, Paint, Trim and Heritage Workshops – along with vital support from our in-house Parts Department – the car is now finished and, to my eye at least, looks absolutely stunning."
Source: Aston Martin Works
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
