VMF 65 Leads the Bonhams Aston Martin Auction

Auction house Bonhams announced the Aston Martin DB2 Team Car VMF 65 will be one of the highlights at their upcoming auction, set to take place on May 22, 2010, at the Aston Martin Lagonda Limited Works Service. The car was raced by legendary drivers such as Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, Roy Salvadori, Tony Rolt, Lance Macklin, George Abecassis and Eric Thompson.

The coupe was built in 1950 as a title contender for that year's Le Mans 24-Hours endurance race. It was one of three DB2 Coupes representing the marque, the others being VMF 63 and VMF 64.

In 1998 it was purchased by the late Robert Leyba, past Chairman of the German section of the Aston Martin Owners' Club (AMOC), in whose collection it joined two other DB2 works cars – VMF 63 and XMC 76.

"I have known the Leyba family for many years and it is a privilege to handle such an historic car on their behalf. It is eligible – and a welcome entry I dare say – for pretty much every prestigious historic motoring event, from the Mille Miglia Retrospective to the Le Mans Classic. It will be one of the undoubted stars of the Aston Martin auction sale," James Knight, Group Head and Managing Director of the Bonhams Motoring said in a release.

The car retains much of its originality and is fully operational, which made Bonhams set an estimate of £380,000-£440,000.

Other early entries in this sale include a 1968 Aston Martin DB6 barn find and a 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato.