David Ogle, a British industrial designer, founded ‘Ogle Design’ in 1954, quickly establishing a reputation for innovative and modernist design across a wide range of fields, from consumer products to automotive projects. In 1961, Ogle Design produced the Mini-based SX1000, a glass-fibre-bodied sports car that reflected David Ogle’s vision for elegance and forward-thinking style. Before his untimely death in 1962, Ogle had also imagined a larger, more futuristic grand tourer, a concept later realised under his successor, Tom Karen.

Under Karen’s direction, Ogle Design collaborated with Aston Martin to create a dramatic concept car based on the DBS V8, resulting in the Aston Martin Ogle ‘Sotheby Special’. The project was commissioned and financed by W.O. Wills, part of Imperial Tobacco, to promote their new premium cigarette brand, ‘Sotheby’. The car was designed to combine high performance with a light, airy cabin that offered maximum visibility and the sensation of open-top motoring while remaining enclosed and comfortable in all weather conditions. The Ogle incorporated a number of innovative design features, including the sideways position of a single rear seat, a complete glass roof with a special lined coating to reduce glare, a windscreen ‘head-up’ warning light system projected just below the driver’s line of sight, and an array of twenty-two separate rear light lenses. The lower row contained ten brake lenses, which illuminated progressively depending on braking effort, from two under light braking to all ten under heavy braking. Its radical design drew widespread attention, earning the cover of ‘Motor Magazine’ in January 1972. It was believed that the Ogle was a lighter and faster car than the standard DBS V8 due to its fibreglass body.

Only three Aston Martin Ogles were ever produced, making it one of the rarest creations in Aston Martin’s history. The first car, chassis 10380/R, known as ‘The Motor Show Sotheby Special’, was a non-road-going concept unveiled at the 1972 Montreal Motor Show, and later displayed at the Geneva Salon the same year. The second car, chassis 10381/RC also know as ‘The Road Going Sotheby Special’, was completed as a fully road-registered version in May 1972, featuring a finished interior and refined mechanicals suitable for regular use. The third and final example, often referred to as ‘The Replica Ogle’, was built on another Aston Martin V8 chassis but fitted with an automatic gearbox and Weber carburettors in place of fuel injection, necessitating a distinctive bonnet bulge.

The car presented here is the second Ogle, chassis 10381/RC, representing the first fully finished, road-going example of the three. Originally presented in Pacific blue with gold pin striping, it toured the country to promote the ‘Sotheby’ brand. When ‘Sotheby’ cigarettes failed to take off, the car was repainted the following year in white and red ‘Embassy’ colours, reflecting Imperial Tobacco’s Embassy cigarette brand and matching the livery of Graham Hill’s Formula 1 team, Embassy Hill. During this period, it was displayed at various race meetings and promotional events. After its promotional duties were over 10381/RC was repainted in Maroon.

Most recently, following a three-and-a-half-year refurbishment carried out by ‘Classic Motor Cars Limited’ (famous for their restoration of the Aston Martin Bulldog), 10381/RC has been returned to its original Pacific blue with gold pin striping and freshly re-trimmed in Connolly Vaumol Luxan Stone leather. The refurbishment covered all mechanical components to ensure reliable running and included comprehensive cosmetic work throughout. As a result, the car now presents to a higher standard than when it was first built in 1972.