Man who bought damaged Aston Martin DB12 to restore found out what happened to it and had to stop working on it
- This Aston Martin DB12 was smashed up after just 29 miles
- But its restoration project has screeched to a halt
- There’s one key reason – Aston Martin is reportedly unhappy
Published on Dec 31, 2024 at 7:02 PM (UTC+4)
by Jack Marsh
Last updated on Jan 02, 2025 at 3:13 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
The restoration project of a totaled 29-mile brand-new Aston Martin DB12 has come to a screeching halt as the new owner found out the supercar’s backstory.
The DB range might be best known as the Goldfinger car from James Bond, but the supercar is not just for spies.
Aston Martin’s coupe range has sold in bucket loads, but one specific car was destined to never leave the shelves after being totaled in testing.
Still, one guy aimed to get the 29-mile Aston Martin DB12 back up and running in a whopping 24-hour turnaround. He failed.
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Wrecked Aston Martin DB12 proves too much for quick restoration project
Car enthusiast Mat Armstrong previously pledged to fix this totaled Aston Martin within 24 hours after buying it for pennies on the dollar at auction, saving it from its fate of being scrapped.
But the story of this DB12 isn’t all that it seemed.
No, it wasn’t anything to do with the tribute Goldfinger range, but rather a unique car that proved too difficult to transform in a single day.
The car was originally trashed during testing, as Armstrong revealed on his YouTube channel.
The DB12 he bought flew off a wet track during a PDI and was damaged beyond repair – or at least beyond what Aston Martin could be bothered to fix.
Still, Armstrong tried to turn it around but quickly found that parts for Aston Martin’s supercar were far too difficult to source.
Whilst he managed to repair a lot of the car, such as the windows and body, the car was still missing a lot of pieces that couldn’t arrive in time for the project to be completed.
The main delay came from the fact that most of the Aston Martin parts were made to order as this was a custom-made DB12, specific to one customer, before its timely end.
The bonnet, headlamps, steering wheel, and airbags were just a few of the parts that hadn’t arrived.
Most of the existing pieces have been wrapped too, as the car was originally black. The Bond-like grey is a popular option.
Armstrong was also skeptical that the UK manufacturers could even blacklist the car as reports emerged that they were unhappy to see this car be sold.
Aston Martin upset as wrecked DB12 intends to be back on the road
According to the new owner, Aston Martin reportedly wanted this car scrapped as it had specifications that were customized for one prospective owner, who had to order a replacement.
The YouTube personality revealed pictures of the car being crashed and found out that the car was barely road-registered before being shipped off to scrap.
Or so they thought.
The insurance company decided not to scrap the car straight away, instead auctioning it to scrapyards, although Armstrong swooped in, leaving AM reportedly unhappy.
The restoration project clearly surpassed its 24-hour deadline, but that doesn’t mean that work will come to a permanent stop.
The small delay will only spur the team on to get the Aston Martin DB12 back on the road in all of its glory.
The DB12 Volante is already being branded one of the best drop-top GTs around, and this restoration build will be worth the investment tenfold.
