Slowly but steadily, classic British performance cars are increasing in value. At the more humble end of the spectrum, the likes of the Triumph Stag are slowly increasing in worth, and at the other you have classic Jaguars that go under the hammer for $20 million. Even vehicles in shabby condition appear to be worth quite a lot of money in the eyes of classic car connoisseurs, as the red and well worn Aston Martin DB4 you see in these pictures handily demonstrates.

Set to be auctioned off by Bonhams at the upcoming Beaulieu International Autojumble, this Series 1 Aston Martin DB4 is perhaps best summed up as a vehicle that's seen better days. Since being delivered to the Glaswegian who originally bought the car in 1959, this particular car has undergone at least one repaint (the original color was 'Elusive Blue'), had the original engine replaced with a Jaguar unit before being substituted for an authentic DB4 motor and kept in dry storage for 30 years after the current owner's own attempts to restore the vehicle stalled due to employment commitments after the brakes and suspension had been spruced up.

Despite such a chequered history, Bonhams is expecting this Aston Martin DB4 to go under the hammer for £150,000 - meaning any American buyer will need to fork out $200,000 for the car. Actually, that's a fib: bids for the DB4 will also be accepted in Euros, with current exchange rates making the €180,000 estimate worth a mere $150,000. When you consider the monetary worth of good nick Aston Martin DB4s are considerably higher than that (the vehicle valuation firm Hagerty reckons even fair condition examples are worth $350,000 at time of writing), means a top quality restoration job should pay dividends in the long run for whoever ends up owning the well worn Aston Martin decides to sell it on afterwards. Images courtesy of Bonhams.