Silver and Green: A 1964 DB5 and a 1971 DBS V8 on Ocean Avenue

The new cars drew the crowds, but the cars people kept circling back to on Ocean Avenue were the classics. Two of them were parked nose to tail, hoods up and owners close by: a silver 1964 DB5 and a dark green 1971 DBS V8.

1964 DB5

You don't need to be a Bond fan to recognize a silver DB5. 1964 was the year Goldfinger made the shape famous. This one is the real thing in every detail that matters: right-hand drive, wire wheels, chrome bumpers with overriders, and an original-style British "EGF 158B" registration on the back.

Under the long, front-hinged hood is Aston's 4.0-liter twin-cam straight-six, fed by a row of three SU carburetors. That engine made around 282 horsepower when it was new. With the hood propped open, you can see how well this car has been looked after: clean cam covers, polished carb tops, and neatly routed green plug leads.

The cabin is a cockpit from another era: deep red leather seats and carpet, a wood-rimmed steering wheel, and a dashboard full of chrome-ringed gauges. Sitting on the passenger seat were the car's instruction book and a 1989 Monterey Historic tote bag, which suggests this DB5 has been a regular at Car Week for a long time.

From the back, the DB5's tapered fins, small round taillights, and wraparound chrome bumper are as elegant as anything on the street, old or new.

1971 DBS V8

Parked right behind the DB5 was its successor, and it's a very different car. The DBS V8 traded the DB5's curves for a wide, muscular, almost American shape with flat flanks, a fastback roof, and a sharp kicked-up tail. It was the first Aston to carry the brand's V8, and only a few hundred were built between 1969 and 1972.

This one wears a deep British Racing–style green over tan leather, with the original-style alloy wheels and "Aston Martin V8" script on the front fenders. Open the hood, though, and there's a surprise. What's in the bay doesn't look like Aston's quad-cam V8. It looks like a modern fuel-injected V8, which would make this a restomod built to be driven. We didn't get the story from the owner, and it drew as much conversation as anything on the block. Even the hood liner gets attention: quilted silver diamond-stitched padding.

Inside, it's classic seventies Aston: a big, thin-rimmed steering wheel with the "DB" badge in the center, a full set of round gauges, and wide tan leather seats.

Seeing these two together gave you about a decade of Aston Martin history in one short stretch of curb, from the car that made the brand famous to the car that took it into the V8 era.

Do you know this DBS and what's under its hood? Tell us in the comments. And while you're there: silver DB5 or green DBS V8, which would you park in your garage?