In 1965, the Aston Martin->ke13 DB5 was on its way out of showrooms and the new DB6 was being shown off at the London Motor Show. Between these two events lies the shortest-lasting production model convertible ever produced by Aston: the 1966 Aston Martin Volante.

The Volante was based off of the 37 remaining unused 1965 DB5s, but donned the more luxurious amenities of the DB6. When this model debuted, it was nicknamed the “Short Chassis” in an effort to help distinguish it from the longer DB6. As a result of the name, many people mistook that as meaning it was actually a shortened version of the DB5, which it is not.

Despite its awesome performance for the era, sharp looks, and popularity, the Volante was only an interim car. It was used just to bridge the gap between the time that the DB5 left and the DB6 hit showrooms. This means that production ceased as soon as the 37 unused DB5 chassis were converted.

Coming across a rare Aston Martin like this happens just about as often as you have a chance of seeing a Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster. Okay, maybe it’s a little more likely than seeing those, but you get our point. Well, get your wallet and passport ready, as RM Auctions is just about to auction off one of the 37 1966 Aston Martin ’Short Chassis’ Volante units on May 12th, 2012 in Monaco.

So how does this classic Brit motorcar look, feel, and drive?

Click past the jump to read our review and find out.

1966 Aston Martin 'Short-Chassis' Volante

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 1966 Aston Martin 'Short-Chassis' Volante
  • Engine/Motor: inline-6
  • Horsepower: 282 @ 5500
  • Torque: 280 @ 4500
  • Transmission: five-speed transmission
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The upper grille on this Aston Martin ’Short Chassis’ Volante is the same oddly shaped one that is found on the DB5. The main difference on the grille is that the Volante has a lower grille to provide added airflow to the oil cooler. The bumpers on the Volante are quarter-type, just like what was used on the DB6, whereas the DB5 had all one-piece bumpers.

The headlights are rather modern, with their oval shape and coverings over top of them. Below each headlight is a small circular turn signal. On each of the front fenders there are two small heat extractors with a chrome strip between them, giving this rather flat part of the car a little character.

Unfortunately, the entire side profile of the ’Short Chassis’ Volante is rather bland, but this was not uncommon for sports cars of this era. Fortunately, as you get to the rear of the car, it relearns its style. The taillights are a unique design to the Volante, featuring a thick chrome outline and a chrome strip between the turn signals and brake lights. Just above the license plate is an overhang that houses the license plate light. This overhang is wrapped in a chrome strip and has an Aston Martin logo affixed to it.

Around the license plate is even more thick chrome. Right next to the license plate in big, bold, and chrome letters is the word “VOLANTE,” in case you forget what you’re driving. At each corner of this classic British sports car is a factory wire wheel with a three-ear spinner. No, not the spinners you may find on a new Escalade, but the ones used in the 1960s.

As for this specimen in particular, it was beautifully restored back in the early-1990s to a Dark Metallic Green color. For a 17-year-old restoration job, it appears to be in awesome shape. The paint looks nearly new and the chrome looks to be pit and defect free. We are not saying it is perfect, as there are bound to be some issues, but it looks to be pretty close to perfection.

Interior

The interior is done up in a green color that is slightly lighter than the color of the Volante’s body. Before you start screaming “Blah, a green interior,” rest assured that this isn’t your classic all green interior that Chrysler – actually all American automakers, we just want to pick on Chrysler – was once famous for in the 60s and 70s. This is a nice balance of green with some hints of black to break it all up.

The seats, door trim, convertible top boot, kick panels, shifter boot, emergency brake boot, and center stack are all wrapped in green Connolly leather. Preventing the Chrysler “Sea of green” effect is a black dashboard, black Wilton wool carpeting, with green outlines, black seat belts, and a wood grain steering wheel. It is all really well done and not as “GREEN” as some may think.

As for interior amenities, there are just a few. In the center stack you have an AM radio with a single speaker directly below it, which is more common than you might think in 1960s sports cars. You do get a heater, but there is no A/C on this classic ride. You do get a set of power windows, something relatively unheard of in 1960s sports cars, and an analogue clock.

The wood grain steering wheel appears in great shape and has three long spokes that lead to a horn button with the “DB” horn button. Instrumentation is plentiful on the Volante, as is a water temperature gauge, fuel gauge, speedometer, amp gauge, tachometer, oil pressure gauge, and an oil temperature gauge.

Just like the exterior, the interior was completely overhauled in the early-1990s to the condition you see it today. It is doubtful that this aging restoration job is still perfect, but we are willing to bet that it is pretty close to it.

Engine and Drivetrain

Under the hood is a 3,995 cc (4.0-liter) inline six-cylinder engine. This size engine in the 1960s is not expected to be very powerful, but Aston Martin got everything it could out of it, as it pushes out a very 2012-like 282 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 280 pound-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm. Those are nearing the power of the 4.0-liter V-6 Mustang, which is simply amazing!

This engine features twin cams, something not too often heard of in inline engines. It also features triplet SU carburetors feeding fuel to it.

This engine is no slouch in the looks department either. It features a set of chrome cam covers and a chrome radiator fan shroud. A really useful and neat feature is the spark plug wire routing tube. This brushed metal tube carries all six of the spark plug wires and has an individual exit hole for each wire, just above its respective spark plug.

Transferring power to the rear of this sports car is a rare-for-the-era five-speed transmission, which is supplied by ZF. Fortunately, this particular model does not include the automatic option available in 13 of the 37 Volantes. Granted, that would make it worth more, but it kills the driving experience.

Handling and Braking

On the front end you have a rather modern independent suspension system. It includes upper and lower A-arms with coil springs and shock absorbers. You also get an antiroll bar linking the two sides of the suspension to prevent excessive body lean. The steering system is a rack-and-pinion variety, something only seen in top-level cars in the `60s, plus this Volante was delivered with power steering, which was optional in 1965.

On the rear end you get a live rear axle with a Watt’s link, which allows the rear axle to move up and down, while also limiting its left and right movement. You also get a coil spring suspension with a radius rod to prevent fore and aft movement of the wheels.

The braking system is an impressive four-wheel hydraulic disc brake system. There is no indication as to whether or not the brake system is power assisted or not, but we do not see any evidence of a power brake booster in the engine compartment. At 3.232 lbs, this could involve you doing brake stands in emergency situations to bring this Aston Martin to a halt.

Pricing

Keep in mind that this is a 1-of-37 model that was only available for a single year… RM Auctions expects a winning bid somewhere between €720,000 ($932,400) and €820,000 ($1,061,900). That’s a ton of money and the high end is nearly double the actual value of a mint condition Volante. Per NADA, a mint 1965 DB5 Volante – yes, NADA lists it as a 1965 – is worth $553,300.

We would be shocked to see RM Auctions pull out of this Aston Martin what it anticipates, especially given the age of the restoration.

Competition

There’s really not much competition for this classic Aston Martin, but there's one that is pretty similar and that is the Ferrari 225 Spyder Sport. The Spyder Sport has a 215-horsepower 2,715 cc (2.7-liter) V-12 engine and a five-speed transmission. While they do match up in gearboxes, the Ferrari just can’t hang in overall power.

Though it may not look like it to today’s eyes, the Spyder Sport was a pure racing setup, so it lacks all of the modern amenities that the Aston Martin has. It even lacks some of the most basic drivability items, like a top.

Where the Ferrari comes out on top is its rarity, as there were only 12 of these machines built, whereas the Aston Martin had 37 examples built. With the rarity comes a higher price tag, and in the case of the Ferrari, a much higher price tag. RM Auctions anticipates the Ferrari going for over $2 million in Monaco.

Conclusion

We absolutely love this high-powered classic sports car. There are very few cars from that era that could squeeze that kind of power out of an inline six-cylinder. The restoration job is absolutely stunning and the interior is very well done. Add in the fact that it has just a tick over 7,600 miles and we fell head over heels in love with it.

That was until we hit the anticipated price tag. Where exactly RM Auctions is getting that estimated value from baffles us, as NADA is a pretty reliable source for classic models and they call for about half of the estimated final gavel value.

We give this car our TopSpeed “Condition-Based Buy” stamp. The conditions being that the final value does not exceed $600,000 (€776,518). Yes, this car is going to continue to go up in value, but they cannot expect to reap the future value at today’s auctions, that just doesn’t make sense.

Then again, if you really need this car and are willing to toss double its value at it, that’s your decision to make. With the money you’ll lose on that deal, you would be better suited to go blow a million on a Bugatti and eat the instantaneous depreciation.