Description
Kelham Hall | Newark, Nottinghamshire
Viewing: Tues 9th September from 12pm
Auction: Wed 10st September from 9am
Location: Main Street, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG23 5QX
1937 Aston Martin 15/ 98 2-Litre 'Ulster'
Estimate
£120, 000 - £150, 000
Registration No: CPO 831
Chassis No: A7/ 732/ LS
MOT: Exempt
1 of just 124 across all 15/ 98 variants manufactured
Originally supplied with Saloon coachwork by Bertelli, before being converted to Ulster-style coachwork, believed in the 1950s
Exhaustively restored to a high standard in the late 2000s and finished in Alfa Rosso Red, as the Aston Martin Team cars of the 1930s
Utilsing a high-performance naturally aspirated 2-Litre racing engine built by renowned pre-war Aston Martin specialist Alan Brooke Engineering
Eligible for VSCC competition
Offered with a large history file including AMOC correspondence
Introduced at the 1936 Olympia Motor Show, the Aston Martin 2-Litre 15/ 98 reflected an increasing bias among the buying public towards comfort and sophistication. Notably more refined than its predecessors, the newcomer sat on a 9ft 8in wheelbase (though, later 2/ 4-seater and Speed Model variants utilised 8ft 3in and 8ft 6in wheelbases). Initially available with a choice of four-seater Saloon or four-seater Tourer coachwork, its rigid cross-braced chassis frame featured all-round leaf-sprung suspension, Andre-Hartford shock absorbers, and four-wheel drum brakes. An impressive unit that would later earn the marque victory in the 1938 Tourist Trophy and 1946 Belgian Grand Prix, the model's 1950cc SOHC four-cylinder engine was credited with developing 98hp (the `15' in its 15/ 98 designation being a RAC HP rating). Fitted with a positive throw four-speed manual gearbox, the Feltham machine was reputedly capable of over 85mph. Handbuilt, the 2-Litre encountered various teething troubles, which saw Aston Martin slash its sales expectations. Priced at £595 and £575 respectively, the total production of the 15/ 98 across all body styles amounted to just 124 cars. Often not especially long-lasting in their original forms, once the coachbuilt bodies were damaged or aged beyond uneconomic repair, pleasingly, this wasn't the end of these otherwise well-engineered cars, with many of them being re-bodied as much sportier Speed Models.
More information to follow.
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Parking and entry into the auction is free for auction attendees with a catalogue, available at the door.
Catalogues can be purchased for £20 (admits 2 people).
