Since the David Brown Corporation had bought the Tickford Coachbuilding Works in Newport Pagnell during late 1954, the production of the bodies of the DB2/4 Mark II was moved entirely to the historic factory and away from Mulliners in Birmingham who were responsible for the coachwork of the DB2/4.  Within a few short years, AML would move completely from Feltham and make it’s new home in the historic Buckinghamshire town.

Externally, the roof line was raised to give better headroom so a chrome strip extends from the top of the windscreen wrapping around to above the side windows. Although the strip looks a bit clumsy, it allowed the Mark II to continue to use the same windscreen as the drop .head.The strip joins with trim along the edge of the roof, sweeping down the side window extending both around the bottom of the rear window and the side glass. With all these chrome strips, it is hardly surprising that a fair few DB2/4 Mark II’s also had fashionable two tone paint finishes. More noticeable are the vestigial tail fins which were thought of as stylish in the 50’s. The dainty bubble type taillights were taken from the contemporary Hillman Minx.

An easy way to differentiate the Mark II from the previous DB2/4 is that she side panels of the bonnet remains fixed to the chassis when the bonnet is raised. This was done in the interests of simplicity ditching a costly aluminium casting and reducing the weight of the opening bonnet. The spilt line is clearly visible by a chrome strips separating the two pieces of the body. Maybe this was also the very beginning of what became the signature Aston Martin side strake as first seen in the DB4.

Initially, the 140 bhp  engine was the same as fitted to the later examples of the DB2/4 model (VB6J), but as an optional extra, the Special Series engine (VB6J/…../L or L1) could be fitted. The Special Series engine had 165 bhp on tap which was achieved by the fitting of larger valves and high lift camshafts. More power would also be further specified by optional 40 DCO Weber carburettors to replace the SU’s, high compression pistons, an integral oil cooler and twin exhausts

How to identify a DB2/4 Mark II

The car eventually turned in in the US in the late 1970’s and has undertaken a full Pebble Beach restoration wining it’s class in 1994. In 2007, the car was being sold by California specialists, The Blackhawk Collection.

I managed to catch up with the unique car at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where AM were the featured marque.

To the right of the first photograph we can see another enthusiastic AM photographer taking an interest in the unique Allemano. Hiding behind the hat and sunglasses is non other than the then CEO of AML, Dr Ulrich Bez.

By 2013, the ‘Allermano’ was on display in 2013 at the Blackhawk Collection, Danville, California but now has a new home in mainland Europe.

This particular and most attractive drophead coupe (chassis LML/504) is unusual that it was purchased by 60 district sales managers employed by Minneapolis calendar and greeting card firm, Brown & Bigelow as a gift of appreciation to their CEO, Charles A. Ward for Christmas 1953. They each chipped in $200 which covered the $12,700 purchase price of the completed car. This fact is recorded on a brass plaque ahead of the engine which lists all the generous donors names. A second plaque on the dashboard states, “This motor car especially designed and created for Charles A. Ward by S.H. Arnolt, Chicago and Carrozzeria Bertone, Torino, Italy.”Although I don’t know for sure, the Arnolt cars may have actually also have undercut the standard DB2/4 in the US.

The car is adorned by various gold plated monograms such as that seen on the wheel spinner and horn push. Special bespoke features also include a custom red leather picnic hamper, fitted luggage and a bar that fitted under the seat. The car was rather ‘colourful’ when new with metallic blue coachwork, red leather piped in cream and tan carpets. The images here are from 2007 when the car was presented at Pebble Beach with red coachwork.

Despite being bodied by Bertone, the car was actually penned by the freelance stylist, Giovanni Michelotti, who was also responsible for many Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia and Triumph models. Chassis LML/506 also received similar coachwork.

Seven of the eight cars are still known (see the subsequent pages) but the whereabouts of LML/503 are totally unknown. Indeed, whilst it is assumed that it did receive a Bertone body of unknown design, it might not have actually been sold to Arnolt. If indeed it was sold to Arnolt, it’s loss could perhaps be explained by a fire at his Chicago factory where 12 similar Arnolt Bristol’s were destroyed.

At some point, the Bertone bodied cars were badged as Arnolt-Aston Martin which apparently displeased David Brown. Subsequently no further AM’s were sold as chassis only and Arnolt continued his work using chassis supplied by Bristol cars.

All of the photographs on this page were taken at the Pebble Beach Concorse d’Elegance, 2007 where three of the Bertone bodied cars were shown together. A further four DB2/4’s were sold as rolling chassis and were bodied by other coachbuilders.

Out of the 199 DB2/4 Mark II’s only 15 were built as drophead coupes, which makes is a particularly rare Aston Martin.

The car illustrated above was  a surprise entrant into 2014 AMOC Spring Concours. It had recently been awoken from a 30 year rest in a  Coventry Council lock-up garage, serviced, taxed, tested and put back on the road. It is in outstanding original condition with the addition of a rallying spotlight, brake servos and Jackall inbuilt hydraulic jacking system.

Although it doesn’t appear so, the occasional rear seats are a little more spacious than the regular saloon due to a higher roof line. During just two years of production only 37 examples were made making them one of the most desirable of all the Aston Martins of the 1950s.

The fixedhead coupe was also continued with the Mark III although this was only introduced at the tail end of Mark III production and only six were built.

The outcome of the work was a delightful  coupe which was subsequently used in the press photographs to launch the production DB2/4 Mark II FHC. The ‘lift the dot’ fasteners for the tonneau, fitted when the car was built as a drophead, can still be seen on the chrome strip running along the top of the doors.

This particular car was the only fixed head coupe built by Mulliners in Birmingham, the Mark II and Mark III versions were bodied by the coach builders Tickfords in Newport Pagnell.

In May 2014, the car was offered for sale by Bonhams at the annual Aston Martin sale at Newport Pagnell.

In many publications the car is described as having a fibreglass body but I am assured that has aluminium coachwork. The car was exhibited at the 1956 Turin Motor Show and then disappeared from view. Yet the car survived in the USA although in very poor condition and is missing most of the mechanical components.

From 2003, the car underwent a total restoration which was completed in 2011. The car debuted at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegence and took second place in the post-war touring class. After success in other US concours, the car was sold in the ‘Art of the Automobile’ auction November 2013 in New York by RM auctions where the car achieved a sale price of $2,310,000.

Below you will find some rare images found by ‘Supersonic expert’, Erik Nielsen, and show the pristine car in 1956 and again at sometime in the early 1970’s, still in the US, but less well cared for. When first displayed at the Turin Motor Show, the car was originally finished in pale green with beige leather upholstery. The remaining images by Michael Furman are used with the kind permission of RM Auctions.

The standard 3 litre (2922cc, twin SU carbs) engine fitted to the Mark III was designated as the DBA version and produced 162 bhp @5500 rpm although with the fitting of optional twin exhausts, this could be raised to possibly 178 bhp. A special series engine using three twin choke Webers, twin exhausts and special camshafts, called the DBB version was able to produce 195 bhp. Just to add more choice, a DBD version was also available with three SU carbs and producing 180 bhp.

This (below images) was the first production DB Mark III and was owned by David Brown himself. This particular car and the first examples of the DB Mark III have the rear wings and lights as seen on the Mark II. Most cars had a different design of rear wings which was altered to take the Humber Hawk rear light cluster, a feature which carried through to the first three series of the DB4.

Without doubt, the DB Mark III is the best looking car of the DB2 line. The style of the sculptured single piece bonnet can be followed through to the AM V8.

Production of the Mark III lasted just a shade over two years and actually overlapped the DB4 by seven months. Production of all variants during this time was 551 cars. This example was photographed at the 40th Anniversary meeting at Donnington Park in 1999.

You would not be surprised to find out that the Mark III was the heaviest of the Feltham Cars and indeed it is by about 160kg. But as it is also the most powerful of the line, the extra weight is more than cancelled out and thus the Mark III is a popular racecar. But during the mid to late 1950’s AML were using the DBR1 in sportscar racing; the Mark III was never raced by the factory. This car was photographed in the paddock and on the track at the 1997 and 1998 AMOC race meetings at Donnington Park.

If you are interested in the Mark III, you will very much enjoy this video featuring the prototype car , DP193

Touring received a total of three rolling chassis in 1956 and created what they anticipated to be a sales sensation. After being displayed at the Turin Motor Show, the Paris Salon and London Motor Show, Touring were expecting orders which sadly (and unexpectedly) were not forthcoming.

The first example (AM300/1161), was offered in a Daily Mail newspaper caption competition. The lucky winner, a Scot, called Alexander Smith soon sold the car as I believe, he couldn’t drive. This car remains in the UK in a private collection but is occasionally seen at historic events. The second car, (AM300/1162), was shown at the 1956 Paris Motor Show and eventually ended up in the US. Following restoration and exhibition at many prestigious concours, the car is now on public display in a motor museum in South Africa. 

As for the  final car, (AM300/1163), I have had the opportunity to photograph twice now. Firstly I saw the car back in the 1990’s at a Silverstone Coys Classic weekend when it was being offererd for sale by Talacrest, a dealer more closely associated with classic Ferraris. Almost 20 years later in August 2013, I very fortunate to be able to see and photograph this beautiful car again during ‘The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering’ in Carmel, California.

Although the Spyder generated no additional sales, the association between Touring and Aston Martin had begun.  Touring went on to style the highly successful 1958 DB4, also using the Superleggera method of construction. It is easily possible to see many styling cues on the Sypder that were carried through to the early DB4 such as the pronounced headlights, grille, bumpers and vertical tail lights.