By 1940, the car received some serious modifications with the addition of a 3 litre straight 6 cylinder Sunbeam twin cam engine. In order to get this to fit, the radiator was moved forward and a Lancia Lambda independent front axle fitted. The sump of the new larger engine would have fouled the original Aston Martin front axle. To cope with the power hike, hydraulic brakes were also added.

During the late 1960’s the car was re-discovered, in poor condition, hiding behind a barn in Kent but crucially the original brake and front axle were still with it. It was restored back to it’s original condition although with a 2 litre Rover engine.

Andy Bell of Ecurie Bertelli managed to buy this unique Aston Martin in 2006 in order to prevent it from being chopped up and turned into a race car. It was then fitted with a prototype 2 litre supercharged Speed Model engine, with a claimed output of 165bhp and 160lb.ft. of torque. The owner describes it as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Written with the kind assistance of Andy Bell at Ecurie Bertelli