Initially, the DB2/4’s were first sold with the 2.6 litre VB6E/ engine in Vantage tune as first seen as an option on the DB2, which offered peak power of 125 bhp. From April 1954 until the end of DB2/4 production in October 1955, the 2.9 litre VB6J/ engine with 140 bhp as fitted as standard.

It is believed that 102 DB2/4 Drophead Coupes were built over two years with more than half in right hand drive for the British market. The left hand drive examples are highly desirable partly due to their rarity and the fact that most countries in the world drive on the right.

I’m often asked about the Aston Martin that was driven by Tippi Hedren in the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock film, ‘The Birds’. Well, the AMHT Register tells us that it was a DB2/4 Drophead coupe, chassis number LML/944 that was loaned to Universal Studios in 1963 especially for the film. This famous car still exists and lives in a private collection in the USA.

The DB2/4 Drophead was replaced by the updated DB2/4 Mark II in 1955, the first open Aston Martin with coachwork by Tickfords in Newport Pagnell.

A posting on the AMOC forum by someone who claims to have used the car may shed some light on this mystery. The contributor has stated that he had use of the car through work in the late 1950’s. Apparently the driver parked the car up in a London street whilst he served a little time in prison. During that time, a month or so, the open car was vandalised and then taken away by the authorities, perhaps to be scrapped. I have no way what-so-ever of checking this story but it could well be true. I very very much hope this car will resurface one day but I also fear that it, sadly, may no longer exist.

LML/505

Whilst chassis LML/502 and LML/507 were minimalist stripped out barchettas, LML/505 has the addition substantial overriders in the grille, full height windscreen plus front and rear bumpers. The rolling chassis originally had the 2.6 litre engine, but by the time that the bodywork and trim was completed in Italy, it appears that all chassis had received the more powerful 2992cc Vantage tuned engine, capable of producing 140 bhp. I first saw LML/505 at Andre Blooms Thoroughbreds in the Spring of 2000 whilst finished in light blue. Subsequently 505 has recently been fully finished to a concourse standard and was exhibited at the AMOC spring concourse at Woburn Abbey in May 2004. Not surprisingly, with 98.5 points, the car won outright the Feltham class. At Pebble Beach in 2007, LML/505 claimed third place in the Class for Aston Martin Post-war Coachbuilt Cars.  As of Summer 2013, the car on display in the Blackhawk Collection, Danville, California.

LML/507

Chassis LML/507,  with it’s totally red coachwork, was shown at the Kensington Palace Centenary Celebrations in July 2013. It still carries the ‘Arnolt Aston Martin’ badges that caused David Brown some upset and possibly in part led to AML ceasing to supply roiling chassis to independent coachbuilders. It is in remarkably original condition and is a credit to the owners of the past 60 years.

LML/502

Chassis LML/502, in Rosso Bordeaux, is shown taking part in the 2013 Pebble Beach Tour and the Concours d’Elegence. It is without doubt a 100 point Aston Martin and was 1st in the Aston Martin Centenary Class at Pebble that year.

The car has been owned by various collectors but has seldom been exhibited. Perhaps the first time displayed in the United Kingdom since 2009, the car was offered by auction by Goodings at the 2023 Concours of Élégance, Hampton Court.

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.