1929 Aston Martin 1.5-Liter LM3 Works Team Car

This 1929 Aston Martin 1.5L Works Team Car made its racing debut at the Double 12 Hours at Brooklands where it was driven by chief mechanic Jack Bezzant and Bertelli to a fifth overall finish and third in the 1.5-liter class. Its next outing came at the 1929 Irish Grand Prix where Bezzant and Bertelli finished ninth, followed by the 1929 RAC Tourist Trophy, also in Ireland, where Bezzant failed to finish.

Before its next outing at the 1930 Double 12 Hours of Brooklands, LM3 was re-bodied with a two-seater Sports Model coachwork with a stub-tail. It then raced at the 1930 Irish Grand Prix at Phoenix Park, where it was piloted by Bertelli and Auburn to a twelfth-place finish.

In 1932, LM3 received its present 'International' 2/4 seater body, stamped with chassis number 129R, and sold to Peter Farquharson. Registered as GX599, it was campaigned by Farquharson at the 1932 International Relay Race at Brooklands before it was sold to John Horsfall. By 1939, ownership of LM3 had passed to R. Churchill of 1 Broad St. London, who subsequently sold the Works Aston to David Elwell-Smith in June of 1963. The car's next caretaker was Jim Young, who treated the car to an exacting restoration conducted in the 1980s. More recently, LM3 was given a comprehensive mechanical and cosmetic refurbishment courtesy of SPB Historics in East Sussex, England, from 2015-2016.

In 2015, the Aston Martin was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in the K-1 British Prewar Sports Early Class, and the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance where it received First in the Race Cars (Pre-War) Class. Additionally, LM3 has been a repeat entrant in the Mille Miglia in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2023

Aston Martin LM3 was the only new factory-built Aston Martin team car for 1929. Drivers Augustus Cesare 'Bert' Bertelli and Jack Bezzant took 5th place at the Brooklands Double Twelve in that year, and they finished 9th at the Irish Grand Prix at Phoenix Park and participated in several races in 1930. The car was then used by Aston Martin in development and testing. In 1932 it was sold with the same chassis and engine but was rebodied to the first international Le Mans specification. Privateer P. Farquharson purchased it and drove it at Brooklands that year. In 1935 it was acquired by S.F. 'Jack' Horsfall, who finished 1st in the Donnington Handicap. Decades later it was discovered in very poor condition by Jim Smith, a well-known Aston Martin historian, who rebuilt it in the 1980s. The car has just completed the 2015 Mille Miglia. The 2015 Pebble Beach Concours was the first time it was shown in the United States. The vehicle has an Aston Martin Provenance Assured Certificate.