1928 Aston Martin S-Type Short-Chassis Sport

This Aston Martin was purchased at the London Motor Show by the Maharajah of Patiala and shipped to India. The car was one of the 30 cars made that year and sports a 1.5-liter inline four-cylinder motor with an overhead cam and 2-valves per cylinder, a 114-inch wheelbase, and coachwork by Bertelli. The car has been fully restored and is the third oldest known Aston still running.

Bertelli was the technical director of Aston Martin between 1926 and 1937, and the designer of all subsequent Aston Martin cars during this period. The cars built during this period - which include the 1½ litre 'T-type', the 'International', the 'Le Mans', the 'MKII' (and the racing derivative known as the Ulster), were known as the 'Bertelli cars.' Most of the cars produced during this period were bodied by Bert Bertelli's brother Enrico (Harry).

This Aston Martin was offered for sale in 1967 by a Mr. Paraamjiit of Locknow, India, but did not surface again until it was found in pieces. By this time, it had been modified much and had lost its original wet sump engine, so restoration was not thought possible.

However, in 2006, Andy Bell of Ecurie Bertelli Ltd. located a 'T' type engine and found the last known wet sump in the world, in a second-hand parts bin in his workshop. So, it was decided to restore the vehicle using this engine and a newly made rear axle. The car was shipped from Malta to Olney in the U.K. for restoration, which took nearly three years to complete.

This S-Type with its T-Type engine is considered the first production 'Sports Model,' a direct ancestor to today's Aston Martins, and the third oldest Bertelli Aston Martin known to be still running.