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DB2/4 Drophead coupe by Bertone

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.

DB2/4 Mark II Drophead Coupe

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.

DB2/4 by Vignale

DB2/4 by Vignale

DB2/4, chassis LML/802 as recorded as being delivered to master Italian coachbuilder Alfredo Vignale in Turin on the 28th September 1954 for a very special VIP, his Majesty King Baudouin of Belgium, the eldest son of King Leopold.  King Baudouin reigned from the time of his father King Leopold’s abdication in 1951 to his death in 1993; after 42 years on the throne he was the longest reigning monarch in Europe at the time.

The car was completed to a one-off distinctive fastback design with a large opening rear hatch, subtle lines and rakish good looks. The stunning Grand Tourer was delivered on 10th March 1955.

Aston Martin DB2/4 LML/802 is believed to be the only surviving original Vignale bodied Aston Martin of this era. It has recently been the subject of a comprehensive restoration by The Aston Workshop, based in Beamish, County Durham.

DB2/4 Mark II Fixedhead Coupe

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 34 examples were made making them one of the most desirable of all the Aston Martins of the 1950’s.

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.

DB2/4 Fixedhead Coupe prototype

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.

DB2/4 Mark II ‘Supersonic’ by Carrozzeria Ghia

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.

DB Mark III saloon

DB Mark III saloon

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

DB2/4 Mark II Spyder by Touring

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.

DB Mark III Drophead Coupe

During the two year production run of the Mark III, 551 examples of all derivatives were built, yet only 84 were dropheads. A majority of these drop heads were built with the standard fit 3 litre DBA engine with twin SU carburettors offering 162 bhp. Fourteen cars had the more powerful DBD triple SU carburettor unit with 180 bhp, and just two had the most powerful DBB special series engine (195bhp) with triple Webers instead of the SU’s. Thus, the DB Mark III drophead coupes with either the DBD or DBB engines are amongst the most desirable of the Feltham era cars.

Of course, not all Aston Martins are quite so shiny. Occasionally they are found rotting away in barns and lock-ups. The Drophead coupe (above) attracted great attention from bidders at the 2014 Bonhams Aston Martin auction.

Aston Martin DB Mark III drophead coupe

How to identify the Mark III drop head coupe

DB Mark II (DB2 prototype)

During the 1949 Le Mans 24 hour race, the first 4 cylinder car, UMC64, crashed heavily and the driver, Pierre Marechal sadly died the following day. The second car, UMC65 went on to finish 7th overall and third in class. The six-cylinder car, UMC66 was less successful and retired shortly into the race with water pump failure. A little later, at the Spa 24 hour race, 6 cylinder UMC66 finished 3rd overall and the 4 cylinder UMC65, 5th. Yet despite the strong performance from the 4 cylinder car, it was the last engine of that configuration fitted to an Aston Martin (until the Cygnet!). The six cylinder UMC66 went on to be the development car for the upcoming production DB2.

Since UMC66 is now resident in the USA, I was fortunate to see the very first six-cylinder Aston Martin in the paddock at Laguna Seca and at the Pebble Beach Concours in the Summer of 2007.

The forth DB2 prototype and second with the six cylinder engine is LML/49/4 which carries the number UMC272. UMC272 became David Brown’s personal car but was also driven by Lance Macklin in competitive events during 1950. It was photographed during the Kensington Palace, Aston Martin Centenary Celebration in 2013.

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