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Aston Martin barn finds highlight $16M Bonhams sale

Every year, Bonhams holds an auction of classic Aston Martins at the automaker's historic home in Newport Pagnell. But never has it brought in as much as it did this year. The 16th annual Aston Martin Sale, held this past weekend, raked in an impressive GBP10,280,275 in sales – equivalent to nearly $16 million at current exchange rates. Among the highlights of the 50 classic Astons sold were a number of barn finds, including a pair of DB Mark II sports saloons from 1958 that doubled the pre-sale estimates to sell for GBP104,540 and GBP115,740, respectively. Those weren't even the top lots of the day, though. A 1962 DB4 Series IV Vantage Convertible that was once owned by legendary thespian Sir Peter Ustinov sold for GBP1,513,500, while a 1966 DB5 Vantage Convertible went for GBP1,524,700 to claim the top spot. "The quintessentially British marque of Aston Martin attracts interest from enthusiasts across the world, a fact demonstrated here again this year as we took bids from all corners of the globe," said Bonhams' Tim Schofield. "The sale attracted a larger and more cosmopolitan attendance than ever before, achieving an excellent result." The auction was complemented by the Spring Concours held by the Aston Martin Owners Club down the road at Woburn Abbey in nearby Bedfordshire, bringing out a record assembly of 350 Astons old and new. The company used the occasion to mark the UK debut of the new Lagonda Taraf as well. BIGGEST BONHAMS SALE TO DATE AT ASTON MARTIN WORKS - 16th annual Aston Martin Sale sees total transactions top GBP10m - Sir Peter Ustinov-owned DB4 Series IV Vantage Convertible nets GBP1.5m - More than 50 sports cars and 170 items of automobilia change hands 11 May 2015, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire: In its 60th anniversary year Aston Martin Works played host to another hugely busy Bonhams Aston Martin Sale on Saturday – with GBP10.3m worth of rare and prized sports cars changing hands. The historic home of the great British luxury brand was the venue for the 16th annual Bonhams Aston Martin Sale, which saw around 50 classic Aston Martins sold. The annual sale is recognised as a globally-significant occasion for Aston Martin collectors and enthusiasts around the world. The 2015 event was the biggest to date, setting a sales total of GBP10,280,275 and witnessing a fascinating and diverse collection of Aston Martin-related automobilia go under the hammer in several hours of exciting and highly-charged bidding.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster in the metal in Monterey

Even surrounded by glamorous people and a plethora of extremely exotic vehicles on the lawn of the Quail, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster sticks out as something just a little bit more special. Under the Monterey sun all of the carbon fiber on the hood and in the air dam pops out from the shining ruby red paint. The aggressive looks are deserved though, because the latest roadster might be one of the most impressive droptop GTs ever to come out of Aston Martin. Under that louvered bonnet is a tuned version of Aston's long-lived 6.0-liter V12 – it's 44 pounds lighter, too. Plus, this engine is mated to the brand's latest Sportshift III seven-speed sequential gearbox to rocket it to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 201 miles per hour. Features like adaptive dampers, two-stage ABS and carbon-ceramic brakes, make the new V12 Vantage Roadster an even more intriguing and capable package. Of course, this Vantage is a head-turner even without those 12 cylinders ready to make a very sweet noise at the press of the throttle. Check it out from all angles in the gallery.

Aston Martin-Red Bull 001 details: 175 units, $3M, 0-200-0 in 15 seconds

The Aston Martin AM-RB 001 is starting to sound like it will be the most extreme hypercar ever made. We're basing that on a series of new comments made by Red Bull Racing's resident aerodynamic genius and chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal's Dan Neil. Newey shared many interesting nuggets, so we'll try to provide a simple summary of how frighteningly potent the AM-RB 001 is. The new hypercar should hit 200 miles per hour in around 10 seconds, while a massive set of brakes will cut that speed to zero in half the time – in other words, zero to 200 to zero in just 15 seconds. That kind of stopping power sounds physically painful. Certain versions of the 001 will make up to 4,400 pounds of downforce, and if that's not enough to keep the car pasted to the pavement through 4G bends, Newey hinted that the active suspension will rely on the ground effect more than any other car. "I studied aero at the University of Southampton," Newey told Neil. "My final-year project in 1979 and '80 was on ground-effects aerodynamics applied to road cars and sports cars." Beyond the performance stats, Newey verified some of the broader questions about the 001's availability. For one, Aston Martin and Red Bull will build 175 examples of the potentially record-breaking hypercar, with 150 designated for road use and another 25 limited to the track – they're the ones that will enjoy the 4,400 pounds of downforce and full-on 4G cornering ability – so the chances you'll ever encounter a 001 in the wild are almost nil. And buying one? Plan on spending at least $3 million. Newey, along with Aston Martin Chief Designer Marek Reichman and Project Engineer David King, reveal more about the 001 in the piece, including some of the philosophical and design principles behind a $3M hypercar. It's very much worth a read, if you can get around the WSJ's pay wall. Related Video: