Description
Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning, magnificently restored Aston Martin DB2/ 4 Drophead Coupe.
This car is well known to Oldtimer Australia, having been sold by us to its current owner back in August 2015.
This is a UK delivered factory right hand drive example that was sold through Brooklands to Messrs Carr & Co Ltd of Shirley, Birmingham in the UK. The car was delivered new on the 25th March 1955. It was finished in blue haze with a blue leather interior. The soft top was grey plastic with a fawn headliner.
Incredibly, the previous owner of the car was distantly related to its first owner Mr Neville Carr (his wifes great uncle) and according to history he was the black sheep of the family. Having a reputation as somewhat of a rogue and playboy he is understood to have used the car as it was intended . . . and that was to drive it, hard! Mr Carr was an amateur racing driver and living family members recall him driving the car in numerous sprint and hill climb events, including Prescott. The car travelled circa 30, 000 miles in its first five years of ownership! Carr owned the car until circa 1960.
According to the factory documentation, a replacement rear axle was fitted on the 25th May 1955 (@ 4, 181 miles) and a replacement engine was fitted on the 21st August 1959 (@ 27, 608 miles). This work was undertaken by Aston Martin. The mileage is noted as 38, 772 on 19th June 1960 when the car was serviced by Aston Martin.
The factory documentation also notes subsequent owners as a Mr D Conyers Esq of 18 Egerton Garden Mews SW3 (London) and in 1982 RL MacKenzie from Houghton in South Africa.
Jaguar works racing driver Peter Sutcliffe spent significant time in South Africa whilst motor racing in the early 1960s and it is understood that he acquired the car in the UK and shipped it to South Africa to use when he was there. It is probable that he bought the car off Conyers.
According to a hand written letter on the file the car was subsequently acquired by an Attorney who lived in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. In 1977 the car was discovered in Elandsfontein (Johannesburg) by a Mr Mike Spencer. It was in generally poor condition and Spencer spent the next two years generally improving the car to a roadworthy condition. The car was then sold to RL MacKenzie in 1982.
The previous owner acquired the car from MacKenzie in April 1986 in Johannesburg, South Africa and used it until early 1990 before deciding to take it off the road and restore it. As a senior mining industry executive his career took priority over cars and the to be restored Aston Martin travelled with his family across the world, firstly to the USA in 1990 and then to Australia in 1997
It wasn't until 2011 that the car was finally placed with a specialist to be restored. That task was entrusted to Jaguar and Aston Martin specialists, Concours Sportscar Restoration in Tuggerah just north of Sydney.
The car underwent a concours standard nut and bolt restoration and it was painstakingly restored to its former glory over a three year period.
The body was in reasonably good condition, however, it was fitted with a new boot skin, door skins and repairs were completed to both rear wheel arches during restoration.
Every mechanical component was disassembled and either refurbished or replaced. All of the instruments were refurbished. All of the bright work has been re-chromed and the trim restored. The interior and soft top have been completely retrimed to the highest standard.
The car has been restored in its original colour scheme of blue haze with a blue leather interior. The previous owner opted to have the soft top finished in blue rather than the original grey which really suits the car.
When the current owner acquired the car in 2015 the restoration had only just been completed. Therefore, it required some post restoration bugs to be ironed out, which was undertaken by the Classic Car Clinic at Biggera Waters on the Gold Coast.
This car is part of a significant Aston Martin collection and it has been kept in a climate controlled garage over the last 10 years. It has only been used sparingly in that time and today the odometer reads 1, 076 miles, which is the mileage that the car has travelled since it was restored.
The car was exhibited at Motorclassica in October 2015, where it was incredibly well received. At that time Motorclassica was Australias leading classic car show and concours delegance.
Even though it has been some 10 years now since the restoration was completed, this Aston Martin DB2/ 4 Drophead Coupe still presents as a freshly restored car. In fact, its presentation would be better than the day its restoration was completed, given the owners pedantic nature and attention to detail.
This car is simply magnificent and must be one of the best surviving examples of this highly sought after and collectible Aston Martin in the world.
Timeless elegance is perfectly embodied by the Aston Martin DB2/ 4 Drophead Coupé. Finished in its original colour scheme of blue haze with a blue leather interior, the colour combination beautifully enhances the cars presence. The deep blue paintwork is in exceptional condition, presenting as though it were applied yesterday, with a mirror like finish that retains remarkable depth and high gloss. The bright work and painted wire wheels provide a striking contrast to the bodywork, completing the cars outstanding presentation.
The painted wheels are like new and are shod with period correct Dunlop Road Speed tyres size 6. 0H16.
The external trim is minimalistic and quite delicate. Its noted feature is the horizontal slatted trade marque DB2 front grill. All the bright work on the car is, as one would expect, in beautiful condition. The same can be said for all the lights and lenses, which present similarly well. The glass is also in excellent condition with no scratches evident.
The interior of this car is equally stunning as the exterior. Everything essentially presents like new. The leather upholstery, which is soft and supple, is free from blemishes. The seats are comfortable and provide ample support. The wooden dashboard is understated yet elegant and presents exceptionally well. All the instruments are crisp and clear, and during our test drive they appeared to be in proper working order. The carpets likewise present as new, completing the cabins refined appearance.
The car has never seen rain since it was restored and the soft top has only ever been raised for cleaning and photos! It also presents like new.
We were keen to discover whether the car would drive as well as it looks. It starts easily, even from cold, and quickly settles into a smooth, steady idle. As with all cars of this vintage, allowing a brief warm-up before setting off is advisable. Once on the road, the car does not disappoint. The engine revs freely and feels strong, the gear changes are smooth, and it keeps pace effortlessly with modern traffic. The suspension is firm yet compliant, absorbing road imperfections with ease, while the brakes bring the car to a confident, straight stop when required.
Whilst the car has been used sparingly in the last 10 years, it has been regularly maintained by the Classic Car Clinic and in more recent times by SJ Classics.
A thick and expansive history file accompanies the car, including a copy of the original factory records, documentation from its time in the UK and South Africa, as well as extensive documentation, receipts and photographs from the restoration. The car has its original jack and foot pump in the boot, a mallet and crank handle mounted under the bonnet in the engine bay, as well as a spare wheel under the boot floor. There is also a full set of tools in the tray under the centre console between the front seats.
It would be hard to find a better Aston Martin DB2/ 4 Drophead Coupe anywhere in the world. This car is simply STUNNING in every regard and it is a credit to its current and previous owners as well as the team at Concours Sportscar Restoration.
Simply the best!
Highlights:
- a magnificent early Aston Martin.
- rare car, being 1 of 102 examples built.
- beautifully restored by Concours Sportscar Restoration.
- Stunning original colour scheme.
- ready to show, use and enjoy.
The price is AUD $749, 950.
Background
Aston Martin has produced bespoke sports cars for over 100 years. The company began in 1913, when founders Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford realised their desire to build distinctive, high quality sports cars that were both exhilarating to drive and a beauty to behold. Martin regularly competed in hill climb races at Aston Clinton, and a simple combination of the name of the event and the driver gave birth to one of the most famous automotive marques. Source: - details above.
Whilst Aston Martin produced some wonderful cars in their early years, business was always a struggle and the company was severely disrupted during both World War I and II. The company went bankrupt on more than one occasion and has endured many different owners throughout its history.
David Brown acquired Aston Martin in February 1947 and the first car produced during his ownership was the Aston Martin 2 Litre Sports, later known as the DB1, which was built in extremely limited numbers from 1948 to 1950. This was succeeded by the Aston Martin DB2 in 1950, which featured a new double overhead cam straight six engine of 2. 6 litre (2580 cc) capacity, and was a car that really put post war Aston Martin on the map. Some 411 cars were built from 1950 to 1953, of which circa 100 were the convertible or drophead coupes. Its successor, known as the DB2/ 4, was first shown at the London Motor Show in 1953 and production started soon thereafter. Initially the car had the same engine as its predecessor, however, it was enlarged to 2, 922cc in April 1954. Compared to the DB2 the DB2/ 4 had an extended roof line with a larger rear window, a one piece curved windscreen and real bumper bars. The biggest difference between the two cars was inside the cabin where the successor had far more room with two small occasional rear seats. The DB2/ 4 sold well through until 1957. In total 764 DB2/ 4s were built which included 565 of the Mk Is and 199 of the Mk IIs. The biggest change for the Mk II was that the bodies were made in-house by the recently acquired Tickford Coachbuilding Works in Newport Pagnell, otherwise the differences between the Mk I and Mk II were subtle. The DB2/ 4 was available as a four seat fixed head coupe or two seat drop head coupe from the start of production with a two seat coupe introduced on the Mk II. The DB2/ 4 MkII was succeeded by the DB MkIII and 551 examples were built from 1957 through until 1959.
The Aston Martin DB2/ 4 Drophead Coupe, particularly with its soft top down, is arguably the most elegant of the DB2/ 4 range. There were only 101 DB2/ 4 Drophead Coupe Mk Is and 17 or 18 DB2/ 4 Drophead Coupe Mk IIs.
The David Brown era was arguably Aston Martins finest with the company winning LeMans in 1959 and the iconic early DB series cars of the 1950s paving the way for the legendary DB4, DB5 and DB6 models of the 1960s.
