1957 Aston Martin DB 2/4 MKIII FastBack Coupe

Sir David Brown purchased Aston Martin and Lagonda just after World War II came to a close. He used the W.O. Bentley-designed Lagonda engine as a starting point for the post-war Aston Martin cars. Production began with the DB2 and evolved into the DB MKIII. Subsequent cars used a different larger aluminum engine. The factory was based in Feltham with the body building being done by Tickford of Newport Pagnell.

The DB MKIII was the last and most refined of the series. It is one of the first production cars to use the hatchback design with fold down rear seats. A redesign of the engine by Tadak Marek brought the output of the 2.9 liter engine to 178 bhp.

551 DB MKIIIs were produced from 1957 through 1959. These cars were the first Aston Martin production cars to use the now iconic grille. The basic shape, borrowed from the racecar, is still used on Astons produced today. It is one of the first production cars that featured the now commonplace hatchback design, as well as fold down seats.

The Lagonda engine was redesigned for the DB MKIII with a new cast iron block using top seating liners, raising the displacement to 2922cc, and the horsepower to 162 (178 with twin exhaust).

This example is the 18th DB MKIII produced. It has smaller taillights than the later cars. The current owner purchased the car in 2005. Due to previous aborted restoration, many parts were missing, including most of the interior. After 5 years the restoration was completed and the car was first driven from Chicago to Elkhart Lake WI without a single problem.