Aston Martin DB6: the embodiment of The Swinging Sixties

A classic Aston Martin DB6 in a period style photo outside PaddlUp

London was at the peak of its power as a global cultural hub in the late sixties. The Big Smoke was being celebrated, becoming known in all corners of the world as a metropolis of metamorphosis, garnering a population of social revolutionists hell-bent on defying the epoch's societal norms and altering them for the better.

Come together

In ‘66, Time Magazine dubbed the British capital as The Swinging City and so the famed social movement was born. This proclamation coincided perfectly with the Aston Martin DB6’s production run, which stretched from 1965 to 1970, forever intertwining the pair with the period’s red double-decker Routemaster buses and much-loved music from bands such as The Beatles.

Source: Forbes

Now a zeitgeist of The Swinging Sixties, London was the conceptual home of bohemianism and nonconformity during that time and the Aston Martin DB6 is no exception to that rule. Although the British marque and its synonymous winged emblem epitomised traditionalist English values, and the previous generation DB5 was imprinted with the mark of the unequivocally mature and sophisticated James Bond franchise, the DB6 captured the hearts and minds of the late sixties’ youth movement.

A hit among rockstars

In no small part was this thanks to the advocacy of the era’s movers and shakers. Music stars such as Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger (who famously pranged his on Great Titchfield Street) were amongst the most influential of DB6 owners whilst iconic Swinging Sixties model Twiggy and Pink Panther actor Peter Sellers also flaunted the latest in the DB series on the streets of Knightsbridge and St John’s Wood.

Mick Jagger next to his Aston Martin DB6

Source: The Aston Martin Magazine

Royal endorsement

The influence of pop culture proved profound for the brand, but Aston Martin couldn’t become too far detached from its regal reputation, and so HRH King Charles III was gifted a DB6 by his mother for his 21st birthday in 1969. A car which he later converted to run on cheese by-product and wine and one that he still uses to this day. Over the course of over five decades, the car has been used by Princess Diana and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their wedding in 2011.

Source: The Sun

Concurrent with London’s cultural revolution and the DB6’s exponential surge in popularity, audio equipment manufacturer Sound Techniques’ products were playing their part in some of the greatest albums to ever grace a vinyl record.

A car befitting of Sound Techniques' clientele

It seemed only right then, that Sound Techniques itself snapped up a new DB6 and then held onto it for a further 13 years. During 1969 alone – the same year of the Sound Techniques-owned DB6's production – Abbey Road by The Beatles, Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin were all released having utilised the Chelsea-based company’s A-Range® recording consoles.

Source: @astonmartin Twitter

We’re delighted to welcome echoes of that memorable era into The Gallery in the shape of the aforementioned Sound Techniques car. A stunning specimen that encapsulates the spirit of the sixties which has permeated the walls of The PaddlUp Rooms. Much of the car's early mileage was spent on the roads between the studio's Chelsea premises and its console manufacturing facility (fittingly established in 1969) in Mildenhall, Suffolk.

View the full listing for our 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Saloon.

With just 14 of the pioneering recording units built by Geoff Frost and John Wood, the A-Range® consoles were highly sought-after and found homes in far-flung Hollywood (Sunset Sound Studios and Elektra Sound Recorders) and multiple London locations including De Lane Lea Studios, Trident Studio and the Sound Techniques Studio itself.

The creation and adoption of the A-Range® console across the globe paved the way for many more of the greatest albums of the era. These ranged from several other records by The Beatles to 2 Years On by The Bee Gees, Catch a Fire by Bob Marley and The Wailers to Machine Head by Deep Purple and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie to Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. You'll be hard-pushed to find a musical aficionado who hasn't heard myriad tunes that Sound Techniques’ equipment was instrumental in.

Such an extensive and varied list of number-one albums, songs and other memorable hits earned Sound Techniques a venerable notoriety comparable to that of its iconic British motoring counterpart, Aston Martin.