Prototype vehicles usually have short, bright life: they come out to much fanfare, are worked over by testers, engineers and stylists until everything is just right for production…and then, normally, the prototype is deemed to be past it’s useful lifetime and is marked for death, by the dismantlers or the crusher. Which makes the Aston Martin you see here that much more special: it’s the prototype, that has managed to not only escape the crusher but also the used-and-abused lifestyle of 1950s sports cars and the Pebble Beach crowd. Owner Dave Adams has maintained the Mark III ever since he imported the car in the early 1980s, but he has restrained from restoring the car. In the era of Barrett-Jackson and the ultra-luxury concours shows, that’s a blessing, especially for a prototype car that has full engineering documentation from start to finish of the prototype program and pedigree as a rally car (that Rallye Monte Carlo plate up front isn’t for show.) Anybody that refers to an Aston Martin as “nasty blue” in color and is more than happy to avoid an over-restoration is fine by us. Enjoy your car, Mr. Adams…it’s a beauty.
