Aston Martin DB6 Restoration Yorkshire – Full Engine Rebuild & Bare-Metal Restoration by Classic Car Lab

Restoring One of Britain’s Greatest Grand Touring Cars

The Aston Martin DB6 is widely regarded as one of the finest British grand touring cars ever produced. Elegant, powerful and beautifully hand-built, the DB6 represented the evolution of everything Aston Martin had learned throughout the legendary DB4 and DB5 years.

While the DB5 may have gained worldwide fame through cinema, many enthusiasts consider the DB6 to be the superior driving car. With improved aerodynamics, better refinement and more usable space, the DB6 became a true long-distance grand tourer capable of combining performance with effortless comfort.

This particular Aston Martin DB6 arrived at Classic Car Lab Yorkshire requiring extensive restoration throughout, including a full engine rebuild, major body restoration, aluminium repair work, mechanical recommissioning and a complete bare-metal respray.

Projects like this perfectly demonstrate the level of craftsmanship required to restore hand-built British classics properly.

There are no shortcuts with cars such as these.

Every stage requires patience, experience and an obsessive level of attention to detail.

Bare-Metal Aston Martin Restoration

One of the first decisions made during the restoration was to strip the Aston Martin back to bare metal.

At Classic Car Lab Yorkshire, we strongly recommend bare-metal restoration work wherever possible on prestige classic vehicles, particularly Aston Martins with aluminium body construction.

Until the paint is fully removed, you never truly know what lies beneath.

Over decades, older repairs, hidden corrosion, oxidisation and filler can remain concealed beneath paintwork. By taking the DB6 back to bare metal, we were able to properly assess the true condition of the shell and restore the vehicle correctly rather than simply covering over underlying issues.

Aluminium Body Restoration & Structural Repairs

As expected with a hand-built Aston Martin of this age, a number of areas required substantial aluminium repair work.

The sills were in particularly poor condition and significant oxidisation had penetrated multiple sections of the aluminium bodywork.

At our Yorkshire classic car restoration workshop, we undertake specialist aluminium restoration and fabrication work for Aston Martin and other prestige classic vehicles. Aluminium restoration requires a completely different approach from conventional steel repairs, particularly when maintaining panel alignment, heat control and structural integrity.

Corroded sections were carefully repaired or reconstructed while preserving the original body lines and proportions of the DB6.

Once the metalwork was complete, the shell was protected using modern epoxy coatings designed to provide significantly improved long-term corrosion protection compared with the materials available when the car originally left the factory.

Concours Paint Preparation & Silver Respray

The paint preparation stage alone consumed an enormous amount of time and craftsmanship.

Cars like the Aston Martin DB6 cannot simply be “prepared quickly.” The long flowing body lines and hand-built aluminium panels require countless hours of filling, shaping, blocking and flatting to achieve the correct finish.

At Classic Car Lab Yorkshire, we believe exceptional classic car paintwork is created during the preparation process long before the final paint is ever applied.

There are no shortcuts.

This DB6 was refinished in its original silver colour, perfectly complementing the timeless lines and understated elegance of the car.

The final paint finish gave the Aston Martin exceptional depth, clarity and sophistication while preserving the authentic appearance the vehicle originally left the factory with.

As Yorkshire classic car paint and bodywork specialists, we undertake everything from bare-metal classic car resprays and concours refinishing through to aluminium restoration, fabrication and corrosion repair for classic and modern classic vehicles.

Aston Martin DB6 Engine Rebuild

Mechanically, the Aston Martin required a complete engine rebuild after poor performance issues highlighted significant internal wear.

The straight-six engine was fully dismantled and inspected to determine the true condition of the internal components.

As suspected, extensive wear was found throughout the engine.

The restoration work included:

• New pistons
• New piston rings
• Replacement liners
• Copper head gasket
• Cylinder head restoration
• Unleaded fuel conversion
• Block re-skimming
• Big-end replacement
• Crankshaft oil seal replacement
• Full engine rebuild and tuning

The crankshaft oil seal is a well-known weak point on many Aston Martin straight-six engines, so this was addressed during the rebuild to ensure long-term reliability and drivability.

The completed engine restoration transformed the performance and smoothness of the DB6, restoring the refined grand touring experience these cars became famous for.

Gearbox, Braking & Mechanical Restoration

The restoration extended far beyond the engine itself.

The gearbox was dismantled and rebuilt while the clutch assembly was replaced to improve drivability and reliability.

Additional mechanical restoration work included:

• New brake servos
• Replacement brake pipes
• New brake calipers
• New brake pads
• Mechanical recommissioning
• Cooling and reliability checks
• Full servicing and setup

The aim throughout was not simply to restore appearance, but to create a DB6 that could genuinely be driven and enjoyed confidently on modern roads.

A properly restored Aston Martin DB6 remains one of the greatest classic drivers of its era — smooth, powerful and wonderfully balanced as a long-distance touring car.

A Yorkshire Aston Martin Restoration with Lasting Presence

This Aston Martin DB6 restoration perfectly represents the philosophy behind Classic Car Lab Yorkshire:

• preserve the heritage,
• rebuild the vehicle correctly,
• and combine traditional craftsmanship with modern engineering standards.

From bare-metal aluminium restoration and concours paintwork through to full engine rebuilding and mechanical recommissioning, this DB6 underwent a truly comprehensive restoration process.

The result is an Aston Martin that not only looks exceptional, but also drives exactly as a grand touring Aston Martin should.

Elegant.
Powerful.
Refined.
And built to continue being enjoyed for many years to come.

Looking for Aston Martin Restoration Specialists in Yorkshire?

Classic Car Lab are trusted Yorkshire classic car restoration specialists offering Aston Martin restoration, aluminium welding, fabrication, engine rebuilding, bare-metal resprays, concours paintwork, diagnostics and full mechanical restoration for classic and modern classic vehicles throughout Yorkshire and the UK.

Based in Otley, Yorkshire, our experienced restoration team undertake everything from sympathetic recommissioning and annual servicing through to complete nut-and-bolt restorations for Aston Martin, Jaguar, Bentley, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, MG and other prestige classic vehicles.

Whether your vehicle requires paintwork, engine rebuilding, mechanical upgrades or a complete concours restoration, Classic Car Lab combine heritage craftsmanship with modern engineering to deliver restorations trusted by enthusiasts nationwide — from Heritage to Modern.