An Aston Martin DB5 that a teenager bought for £900 in the 1970s could net its long-time owner £1 million more than 50 years later.

Welshman John Williams - a welder and garage owner by trade - was just 18 when, in 1972, he set himself the target of buying his dream car: an Aston Martin DB5 like the one driven by James Bond in Goldfinger.

After saving up for more than a year, he purchased a second-hand DB5 for £900 (£15,000 in today's money) in September 1973.

The 1965 Vantage-engined model, complete with Weber carburettors, wire wheels, Sundym electrically operated windows and, according to the advert in Motorsport magazine "many bills", then became his regular drive for four years.

However, he had to mothball the car on his driveway when he secured a job in the Middle East in 1977.

John explained: "Then... 'life' happened. I'd had offers to buy her, and times when I could have done with the money, but I resisted and, as Sue (John's wife) said, 'you'll never get another one'."

Sue Williams added: "The neighbours' kids used to come round to play, and they'd play on her. Bouncing on the bonnet. One balanced on the exhaust pipe and snapped it off!"

John said, "As time went on it became a goal of mine to get her restored; to be able to drive her again. Being a garage man, I was a bit ashamed that I'd let her get into that state. I worked hard to buy her, and we've worked hard to get her repaired."

Eventually, the Williams' elected to use Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, asking them to carry out the restoration which began in late 2022.

Now, around three years on from its arrival, the couple have returned to Buckinghamshire to view the completed DB5, having regularly visited the Works site to view the car's progress through its bare metal restoration journey.

Universally acknowledged to be the most desired specification of all DB5s, due in part to its 007 association, the Williams' car is a right-hand drive 1965 DB5 saloon with the sought-after Vantage engine. It was originally specified in what remains, today, the most desirable exterior colour - Silver Birch - and boasts an interesting provenance that includes an original owner from the St George's Hill area of Surrey, a gated community that, at the time, was home to many celebrities including The Beatles' John Lennon and Ringo Starr.

Of the 1,022 DB5 models built by Aston Martin between 1963 and 1965, fewer than 1,000 (887) were built in the saloon bodystyle and, of those, only 39 originally boasted the Silver Birch paintwork, higher output Vantage engine, and right-hand drive configuration of the Williams car, making this a particularly rare and desirable example of 'the most famous car in the world'.

As a result, the car could now be worth more than £1 million - more than a thousand times more than the original sum John paid for it.

President of Aston Martin Works, said: "While it might be uncouth to speculate on values for the car I think it's reasonable to suppose that if it ever were to be offered to the market once more, and bearing in mind its specification and provenance, a value of up to £1m would be in order.

He added: "This really is a lovely story. We're delighted that Mr and Mrs Williams brought the car back to the place where it was built for us to restore.

"Although the car was in a profoundly run-down condition when it arrived, we always relish a challenge and I knew we have the skills, dedication and expertise to return the car to a better-than-new condition."

Praising the restoration, John commented: "Well, it's been a long time coming, a long time saving, but it's been worth every penny. It's just amazing. It's probably almost 50 years since I have driven this car, but the experience is phenomenal. It's just... unbelievable. My girl's back and up and running! Back to her former glory."