1951 Aston Martin DB2 Fastback Coupe

The Aston Martin DB2 was a very important automobile for the company as it was the first 'real' Aston Martin produced under David Brown's stewardship.

In 1947 Aston Martin owner David Brown acquired the Lagonda Company, making the W.O. Bentley-designed, twin overhead-camshaft, 2.6-liter six available for a new sports car.

The Aston Martin DB2 was announced in April of 1950, with production commencing the following month. Using the Claude Hill-designed DB1, the chassis was shortened and modified and fitted with an identical suspension system. The elegant GT bodywork was European inspired and designed by Frank Feeley. The interior offered plenty of space for its occupants and a forward-hinging entire front section. The bodies were coach-built in the traditional manner with numerous differences between individual examples, the most obvious in the treatment of the front grille.

As with the DB1, the frontal aspect of the car received a three piece grille. On each side of the hood was an air vent. This design was applied to just the first 49 cars built, and often called the 'Washboard' DB2s.

The car made its debut at the New York Auto Show in April of 1950 and early cars were reserved for racing. The old saying of 'win on Sunday, sell on Monday' helped create a market presence for the automobile.

Among the early owners in this country were Bill Spear, Cameron Peck and Briggs Cunningham.

Chassis no. LML/50/44
This car is the 44th to leave the production line. It was purchased by Sölve Relve of Goteborg, who is believed to have acquired the car as primary sponsor for its next owner, Sture Nottorp, to drive.

The car left the factory in the usual color scheme of 'Crushed Strawberry' with a grey 'Poly' (vinyl) interior. The car remained in Sweden for the first half of its life, passing among various enthusiasts. In 1960, it was purchased by Yngve Eriksson, who after a while decided that he did not care for its right hand drive configuration and changed this over to a left-hand-drive arrangement. He also modified the car's appearance, arguably to resemble contemporary Ferraris, with a larger grille opening and fared in headlamp treatment. He also improved the rear visibility with a larger rear window.

The next owner was Swedish owner, Gunnar Elmgren. After Elmgren, the car was sold to its last Swedish owner, Ingemar Engstrom in February 1979. The car arrived in America in the late 1980s, passing through two further owners before arriving with the current enthusiast in the early 2000s. During its life, the car has been sympathetically and extensively refurbished. At some point a later DB2 Vantage power unit was sourced, most likely to improve the car's performance; it was then rebuilt and fitted.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2013