Cliveden House makes for an apt setting for the next RM Sotheby’s Auction. This magnificent manor house speaks of prestige and pedigree. However, originally a gift for the Duke of Buckingham’s mistress, the estate has a history of wealth, royalty and scandal.
Nonetheless, the appearance of this imposing country home belies its colourful past and creates a striking backdrop for a distinguished event on 8 July 2025. From classic cars to supercars, the auction will feature an array of marques covering several decades. Included in the lineup is a selection of vehicles from one of Britain’s finest carmakers. Below, we explore a trio of genre-defining Aston Martins that continue to turn heads to this day.
1957 Aston Martin DB4 Prototype ‘DP114/2’
In pursuit of a prototype that would eventually supersede the Mark III, a vehicle dubbed the DP114 was created in 1956. It was scrapped after testing but led to the 1957 prototype DP114/2, offered here. The chassis was designed by Aston Martin engineer Harold Beach, with bodywork styled by in-house designer Frank Feeley.
Aston Martin sought advice from Touring Superleggera, who recommended that the body shell be stiffened. Touring Superleggera later stepped back, having insisted that a platform chassis be devised. What was effectively a discontinued project produced a car as rare as it is beautiful.
A one-of-a-kind coupé, the DP114/2 became the personal car of Mrs Brown, wife of famed Aston Martin Lagonda’s chairman David Brown. The vehicle was painstakingly restored over two years in the late 1970s and was later converted for competition use. It competed in several races and won the First Pirelli Classic Marathon and Bridgend Ford Directors Rally Stages in 1988.
Over five years and to exacting standards, the DP114/2 was then recommissioned by Aston Martin Works. Having since been featured in car shows, magazine spreads and on the BBC’s Top Gear, the vehicle underwent a further £35,000 restoration project in 2005 to provide its Almond Green colour with a Fern Green leather interior. A storied sports car, this vehicle represents a rare opportunity to own the only DB4 factory prototype of its kind.
This lot is offered with an estimate of £385,000 - £425,000. Find out more or register to bid.
2017 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Coupé
The Vanquish Zagato Coupé is more junior than the majority of its peers at the RM Sotheby’s Auction. However, what it lacks in provenance and posterity, it makes up for in prowess and power. Launched in 2016 on the shores of Lake Como at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, this version of the ubiquitous Vanquish was masterminded by Italian car designers Zagato.
The Vanquish had deftly paired the comfort of a luxury sedan with the brute force of a supercar. Zagato reimagined the Vanquish as understated yet arresting. Just 99 Zagato Coupés were produced. The exterior styling was pared back but distinctive. On the uppermost panel, Zagato’s signature “double bubble” design was originally conceived to allow for helmet clearance without raising the roofline. Gold detailing adds a sense of contemporary grandeur while, to the rear, sleek lines are emphasised by “bladed” LED taillights.
The sonorous church organ of an engine is a 5.9-litre naturally aspirated V12. Producing 592 brake horsepower at 6,550 rpm, the powertrain enables the car to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in approximately 3.5 seconds and achieve a top speed of almost 200 mph.
Constructed at Aston Martin’s factory in Warwickshire, this example from February 2017 wears Scorching Black paintwork. A Pure Black interior is enlivened with embroidered Zagato motifs, quilted seats and full-length herringbone facia trim. This particular Zagato Coupé also benefits from the Villa d’Este package, an option with a cost exceeding £16,000. A boxfresh specimen with just 1,768 miles on the clock at the time of cataloguing, the vehicle benefits from Aston Martin main dealer servicing with its most recent workshop visit completed as recently as January 2025.
This lot is offered with an estimate of £250,000 - £300,000. Find out more or register to bid.
1930 Aston Martin 1½-Litre International 2/4-Seater
Both a relic of a bygone era and an icon of seminal automotive design, the International ushered in a new era for Aston Martin. The company was taken over by Augustus Bertelli and William S Renwick in 1925. The most successful launch from the Bertelli First Series, the International featured a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine. Striking a low-slung pose, it was suited to sprints, hill climbs and rallies. In fact, Augustus Bertelli regularly competed in the car.
Out of approximately 130 cars produced by 1932, this example is chassis number S73. Evidenced by the factory build sheet, it was completed in November 1930 and was specified in black over a red interior – the colour scheme that remains today.
With previous homes in both Suffolk and Germany, the vehicle also made its way to Switzerland. Between 2006 and 2011, renowned Swiss firm Roos Engineering (now known as Emil Frey) completed a total mechanical overhaul, including a new engine block, in addition to bodywork repairs.
Once owned by a member of the King’s Own Royal Regiment, this remarkable vehicle benefits from innovative engineering, striking 1920s-style design and more than £200,000 worth of restoration work.
This lot is offered from a private collection with an estimate of £80,000 - £100,000. Find out more or register to bid.
