Smashed Aston Martin auction gets attention of car enthusiasts

All profits of the auction will go towards Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD). Photo / SNPA

A smashed Aston Martin sports car has sparked the attention of car enthusiasts after it was put up for auction.

The 2010 Aston Martin Rapide was written off when a Chinese tourist crashed into a light pole last year.

But budding motor fans have been bidding over the deregistered car hoping to grab a taste of the James Bond action on the cheap. The movie spy famously drives the British race car brand in the 007 films.

The $200,000 car slammed into a light pole last October when tourist Weihao Chen lost control on Auckland's Tamaki Drive.

Now Turners Auctions has put the V12, 550 brake horsepower sedan on Trade Me, where bidding has hit more than $11,000.

All profits will go towards Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) when the auction closes on February 7.

The listing has had over 51,000 page views, and more than 1200 TradeMe users have marked it on their 'watchlist'.

"It's generated quite a bit of interest," said Turners chief executive Todd Hunter.

"It's been a reasonably high profile vehicle anyway, so this is adding to the mystique of it I guess."

He said it was "really difficult" to predict what the car might sell for on the day.

"But given the bidding's already there [at more than $11,000], you would expect it to go a bit higher."

Mr Hunter said he "would imagine someone would have dreams" of making the Aston Martin roadworthy again, but added: "Whether that's practical or not, who knows."

However, he warned that "whoever buys it would really need to do some good thorough checking if they were deciding to go down that path".

"We are selling it deregistered so if it were being put back up on the road it would need to go through a full compliance process."

And he advised people to speak to Turners as well as check with their insurance company before placing a bid on the car.

One car restoration company suggested it would cost a lot of money to get the car back into shape.

"New parts would absolutely kill it, so a front half from England or Europe would be needed," Steve at View Rd Panel Beaters said.

"Labour for panel and paint would be around $20k. I wouldn't like to guess what you might find the parts for."

Other car restoration companies declined to offer a price, and the Giltrap Group, the sole Aston Martin distributor in New Zealand, also declined to put a figure on replacement parts and repairs.

However, one TradeMe user said they were considering "grafting on a Holden HQ front" as a cheaper replacement for the badly damaged original.

Another suggested cutting the front section off to make "the ultimate car boot beer fridge", and turn the back seats into "the sickest home theatre couch".

Last week Chen, 26, was disqualified from driving for nine months, fined $750 and $130 court costs, after admitting to a charge of dangerous driving.

Auckland District Court was also told how he had already forked out almost $15,000 to Auckland Transport to replace the power pole.