Description:

To be offered at Bonhams Goodwood Members Meeting Sale on the 7th April 2019

Estimate: £100,000 - £130,000

1952 Aston Martin DB2 3.0-Litre FIA Competition GT
Registration no. PUM 777
Chassis no. LML/50/282

*FIA Competition GT (road legal)
*Converted for racing in 2008 by Wren Classics
*Current HTP (new in 2018)
*Eligible for Historic Le Mans, Goodwood, and Mille Miglia

• 'The fruits of the company's post-war competition experience are now to be seen in a new model, the DB2, which is a 100mph touring car of really individual design. It is designated a sports saloon but is really a streamlined two-three-seater coupé with space for a considerable amount of luggage.' – The Autocar, 21st April 1950.
  
  Aston Martin owner David Brown's 1947 acquisition of Lagonda made the latter's W O Bentley-supervised, twin-overhead-camshaft, 2.6-litre six available for a new sports car. Announced in April 1950, with production commencing the following month, the DB2 owed much to the Claude Hill-designed DB1, using a shortened and modified version of the latter's chassis and identical suspension. Italian-inspired, the timelessly elegant GT bodywork was the creation of Frank Feeley, and with more power (105bhp at 5,000rpm) and less weight, the sleek DB2 comfortably out-performed its predecessor. Writing in 1952, Autosport's John Bolster enthused: 'The DB2 is a very fast sportscar of immense stamina, as a long list of racing successes has proved. (The) model is remarkable for its comfort and luxury, and is also about the easiest thing there is to drive, outside of the "automatic transmission" carriages.' Bolster enjoyed the DB2's outstanding performance, particularly that of the 120mph Vantage version, and remarked on the car's inherent safety and versatility: 'Whether one would go shopping, to the theatre, on a long-distance tour, or even race at Le Mans, one could have no more perfect companion than the Aston Martin.'
  
  And talking of racing at Le Mans, the works lost no time in putting its latest GT to the test in that most demanding of motor sports arenas, entering a team of three lightweight DB2s in the 1950 event. Although one retired, the other two came home in 5th and 6th places, a most creditable result for a hitherto untried car pitted against larger-engined opposition.
  
  This particular DB2 was delivered as a non-runner to marque specialists Four Ashes garage in 1987. The car was then restored for road use and maintained by Four Ashes until it was purchased for racing by the current owner. Wren Classics converted the Aston for racing in 2008 with an up-rated engine. FIA papers were obtained and since then the DB2 has competed in the following races/series:
  
  AMOC 1950s, Masters GT (2008)
  Le Mans Legends, Woodcote Trophy, AMOC 1950s (2009)
  Woodcote Trophy, AMOC 1950s (2010, 2011)
  AMOC 1950s, Woodcote Trophy, FISCAR 1950s (2012)
  Le Mans Legends, AMOC 1950s, Woodcote Trophy (2013)
  Goodwood Members' Meeting, Woodcote Trophy (2014)
  Woodcote Trophy (2018)
  
  Its specification includes the following:
  
  Full roll cage by Custom Cages 
  Light weight body panels including floor and transmission tunnel 
  Front splitter fitted with brake cooling ducts
  Correct lightweight correct radiator
  Lightweight (classic style) aircraft-specification wiring loom by TMME
  Low mileage 3.0-litre engine (rebuilt by Rex Woodgate)
  Correct triple Weber 35 DCO carburettors (Miglia Mille specification) 
  Correct low mileage DB2 gearbox (rebuilt by Rex Woodgate
  Low mileage 4HA axle with correct LSD (rebuilt by Hardy Engineering)
  (There is also a spare axle with 4HA centre and 3HA hubs. Both axles have competition drive shafts and spare shafts, and two final drive ratios)
  Alloy-rim spoked wheels (x6) by Motor Wheel Services plus steel-rim spoked wheels, all shod with period-type Dunlop racing tyres
  Correct vented drum brakes front and rear
  Dual master cylinder adjustable pedal box (correct for FIA racing)
  Aeroquip brake lines
  Carbotec lined brake shoes
  Up-rated road springs and anti roll bars. 
  Recently serviced front lever-arm dampers
  Up-rated four-bolt fixing rear lever-arm dampers 
  Fully overhauled suspension (new bushes and bearings)
  Long-distance alloy fuel tank
  Twin fuel pumps 
  
  Ready to compete in the forthcoming season, this is a well-known, competitive and reliable car, affording the prospect of access to some of the most prestigious historic motor sports events.

Please contact the Bonhams Motor Car Department for further information.

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