Aston Martin Heritage Trust
Research and Certificate 49/2024 identify chassis A00003, the original engine number, its press-fleet role and participation in the 2004 international media launch.
ASTON MARTIN DB9 · CHASSIS A00003 · 2004
Some cars
have a past.
Others have a secret.
For almost two decades, one of the very first DB9s carried a story waiting to be discovered.
Follow the story ↘01 / AN UNFINISHED STORYGAYDON · SOUTH OF FRANCE · BEYOND
THE STORY OF A00003
It was never supposed
to be just another DB9.
In November 2021, an Oyster Silver DB9 changed hands. Its new custodian knew one remarkable detail: the chassis number was A00003. But the most extraordinary part of its history was still hidden, quietly waiting inside an old service book.
What followed was not a restoration story, nor a story about value. It was the rediscovery of a car that had been there at the beginning.
THE FIRST CLUE · GAYDONCHAPTER ONE / THE DISCOVERY
A stamp.
A question.
A revelation.
There it was, among the earliest service entries: ASTON MARTIN PRESS GARAGE · GAYDON.
Why would a privately owned DB9 have begun its life in Aston Martin’s press garage? The question led to an old British registration — BX53 BZF — then to magazines published in 2004, period photographs, and finally to confirmation from the Aston Martin Heritage Trust.
Chassis A00003 had served as an Aston Martin press demonstrator and participated in the international DB9 media launch in the South of France.
“The car had been telling its story all along. Nobody had yet put the pieces together.”
With special thanks to Tim Cottingham of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust, whose meticulous research helped bring A00003’s remarkable early history into focus.
MARCH 2004 · INTERNATIONAL MEDIA LAUNCH
Before the world
knew the DB9,
this car was there.
Oyster Silver. Iron Ore Red. A V12. And a small, engraved reminder on its sill: International Media Launch — March 2004.
THE CHASSISA00003
PERIOD REGISTRATIONBX53 BZF
FIRST REGISTERED02 FEB 2004
ORIGINAL ENGINEAM04/00224
CHAPTER TWO / THE CAR THAT SURVIVED
Still here.
Still extraordinary.
A00003, as it stands today. No disguises, no invented perfection: just the elegant, unmistakable silhouette of an early DB9, photographed more than twenty years after its first assignment.
01 / PRESENT DAY
Exterior portraits only · original images, unaltered · views showing the present registration omitted.
THE ORIGINAL SPECIFICATION
Oyster Silver outside.
Iron Ore Red within.
Left-hand drive · Touchtronic · Mahogany veneer · Black Cherry detailing · a naturally aspirated 5.9-litre V12.
CHAPTER THREE / THE DETAILS
Evidence you can touch.
Open the door and the years fall away. Iron Ore Red leather, mahogany, the Touchtronic controls, and the magnificent V12. These contemporary photographs reveal the craftsmanship behind the silhouette; the original press-launch plaques and other physical clues follow in the documentary chapter.
CHAPTER FOUR / IN THE PUBLIC EYE
When the world
first met the DB9.
Before the DB9 became an icon, A00003 was already in front of the cameras. The original registration BX53 BZF links this chassis to contemporary road tests, international magazine covers, an Aston Martin owners’ journal and photographs preserved by SupercarFrance.com. Its image even travelled beyond the press, appearing on a 1,500-piece jigsaw puzzle. Together, these traces reveal how far one launch car’s image travelled.
16 MARCH 2004Autocar.
Autocar.
A world exclusive.
One of the most evocative discoveries: the same registration appearing in contemporary coverage of the new Aston Martin DB9.
From Autocar, Automóvil and Auto Test to The Vantage Point, SupercarFrance.com and an unexpected piece of memorabilia: explore the surviving images below.
02 / PRINTED HISTORY
Autocar · Automóvil · Auto Test · The Vantage Point · SupercarFrance.com · STEP puzzle.
CHAPTER FIVE / THE PAPER TRAIL
Not folklore.
Documented history.
Photographs alone can suggest a connection. Original records are what make it credible. The archive separates verified facts from open questions, and keeps private personal records out of public view.
Factory vehicle record
Confirms chassis, VIN, original engine AM04/00224, left-hand drive, Oyster Silver, specification and factory administrative dates.
Service booklet
The Gaydon Press Garage entries provided the clue that started the investigation. Later stamps record the car’s subsequent maintenance history.
Physical identification
Chassis markings, factory identification plate, handbuilt inspection plaque and the original March 2004 media-launch sill plates.
THE DETAIL THAT SURVIVED
The opening page of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust research evidence records A00003’s identity, first registration as BX53 BZF and its role at the DB9’s international press launch in the South of France. Select the document to view it at full size.
A FEW DATES. AN UNFINISHED JOURNEY.
First registered as an Aston Martin press demonstrator, BX53 BZF.
International DB9 media launch in the South of France.
Factory record shows wholesale transfer from Aston Martin.
First Italian registration, according to the available administrative records.
Acquired by its current custodian, with 75,250 kilometres recorded at purchase.
Current odometer: 77,582 km. Only 2,332 km since November 2021.
Heritage research confirms the extraordinary early chapter.
AN OPEN QUESTION · THE FIRST DB9 CHASSIS
What came before number three?
A00003 has a paper trail, a press registration and a place in the DB9's public debut. But the story of the first numbered cars remains incomplete.
A00001
Where is this chassis today? What was its original purpose, specification and subsequent history? We are seeking verifiable records and first-hand recollections.
A00002
Can its earliest photographs, factory history or whereabouts be established? Every documented detail may help reconstruct the DB9's earliest sequence.
A00004 & beyond
Information about neighbouring early chassis could illuminate the transition from the launch fleet to the production DB9.
THE STORY IS NOT FINISHED
Were you there?
Do you remember this car?
Perhaps you attended the 2004 media launch. Perhaps you photographed BX53 BZF, worked in the press garage, kept a road-test notebook, or have evidence about the earlier numbered chassis A00001 and A00002 — or the next, A00004. Their histories are a central, unresolved part of this research.
One image. One memory. One forgotten document. Any of them could open the next chapter.
If you have a photograph, a memory, a service record or a lead concerning BX53 BZF, A00001, A00002, A00003 or A00004, please email db9the3rdchassis.archive@gmail.com.
2021 — TODAY / CONSERVATION
Driven sparingly.
Documented carefully.
On 5 November 2021, A00003 was acquired from Aston Martin Italia with 75,250 km recorded at purchase. The current recorded odometer reading is 77,582 km — a difference of just 2,332 km since acquisition.
Throughout its life, this DB9 has received careful, regular servicing within the official Aston Martin network. It has also successfully passed its mandatory periodic roadworthiness inspections. The most recent Italian statutory inspection took place on 21 September 2026 and was passed successfully.
