Lot 309: 1953 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe

DB2/4 Drophead Coup�, chassis number �LML 558�, was used as a works demonstrator and � as shown here � for magazine advertising, displays and general public relations activities in the 1953-1955 period. There are numerous photographs on file of �68 AMF� taken by famous motoring and motor racing photographer Louis Klemantaski for Aston Martin marketing purposes as well as other marketing materials and advertising brochures. Originally fitted with a 2.6-litre engine, the car was converted very early to 3.0 litres in late 1953/early 1954 and fitted with engine number �DP101/39� (a �Development Project� unit equivalent to the DB3S at that time and fitted with solid �cheeses�). At that time the car became a test mule for various carburettor set-ups (triple, twin and other arrangements) as well as bodywork alterations including vents, slats, wheels, etc. In period, �68 AMF� ran on SUs, triple side-draught Solexes and Webers.

As a works car, it was raced by Angela Abecassis (n�e Brown) - the daughter of company owner, David Brown - in club events in the UK in the 1954 and �55 period, achieving class wins at Oulton Park and Castle Combe. In 1957 the car was sold to a private buyer and later resurfaced in the ownership of Victor Gauntlett, one of Aston Martin�s many former � and much respected � owners. �68 AMF� was restored by TT Workshops in the late 1980s when owned by Hamish Burton, who was a principal in G Force Racing and involved with Zytek Engineering.

The current owner acquired 68 AMF in 1994 from Rory Stokes, a dealer on the south coast, and raced it periodically in the 1999-2003 period, achieving a number of �Feltham� class wins. This competition use took a heavy toll on the car, which had to be extensively restored as a result, the necessary work being undertaken between 2004 and 2006 by Wren Classics (restoration photographs are on file). On completion, �68 AMF� was featured in the Discovery Channel�s series about the vendor�s Le Mans racing team in 2006.

�68 AMF� is finished in Sea Green (its original colour) with similarly original pale beige interior and black hood (both black and pale beige hood bags are included). Its mechanical specification includes triple 40mm Dell�Orto carburettors; Turino (Borrani lookalike) wheels with three-eared spinners; upgraded hubs/axles; Alfin-type brake drums; and a limited-slip differential. The car has been featured in several books and (prior to restoration) had six pages of photographs devoted to it in a book on Feltham-built Astons. Rarely does such a famous and historic Aston Martin come to market.