1953 Aston Martin DB2

The Aston Martin DB2 was the first of David Brown's cars to bear the manufacturer's initials and while later DB cars were known as being a gentleman's luxury grand tourer, the DB2 was a proper sports car, combining Aston's chassis construction with the W.O. Bentley-designed six-cylinder engine. Among the accomplishments and accolades were a 1st in Class at the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a 1-2-3 in their class the following year, with two privateers finishing 5th and 6th. Overall, Aston Martin finished 3rd, 5th and 7th against larger-displacement rivals.

David Brown acquired Lagonda in 1947, gaining the W.O. Bentley-designed, twin-overhead-camshaft, 2.6-liter straight six-cylinder engine. Initially, it had a 78mm bore and 90 mm stroke and delivered 105 horsepower with dual SU carburetors. It was installed in a shortened version of its predecessor's tube-frame chassis with a wheelbase of 99-inches and a length of 162.5 inches. Comparatively, the DB1 had a length of 176 inches and was powered by a two-liter four-cylinder engine with 90 horsepower. A total of 15 examples of the DB1 were built compared to 411 DB2 models.

The Aston Martin DB2 used a four-speed manual gearbox and Girling four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. The suspension was independent at the front with coil springs, trailing links, and an anti-roll bar. In the back was a live axle with coil springs, radius rods, and Panhard bar.

Announced in April 1950 at the New York Auto Show, with production commencing the following month, the DB2 owed much to the Claude Hill-designed DB1, with an identical suspension and a shortened and modified version of the chassis. The elegantly styled, Italian-inspired GT bodywork was the creation of Frank Freeley, and with more power and less weight, the DB2 comfortably out-performed its predecessor.

Aston Martin introduced its first Vantage engine option in 1951, an option that would come to represent Aston Martin's ultimate performance model. In regards to the DB2, the Vantage engine gained larger intake valves, bigger SU HV6 carburetors, higher compression ratio pistons (1.16:1), and an increase in power to an estimated 125 brake horsepower (an increase of 20 horsepower over the stock engine). The first DB2 Vantage, LML 50/21, was delivered to, and raced by, Briggs Cunningham in the United States.

The Aston Martin DB2 had a generous amount of interior space with space to accommodate two occupants with luggage space located behind the front seat, accessible only from within the car. The rear of the fixed-head coupe (FHC) had a small top-hinged lid allowing access to the spare wheel. DB2 bodies were coachbuilt in the traditional manner, resulting in numerous differences between individual examples. A drophead coupé version was announced towards the end of 1950. Maintenance and accessibility to the engine bay were accommodated via a forward-hinged front section.

The Aston Martin DB2 had a zero-to-sixty mph time of approximately 11.2 seconds and a top speed of 116 mph.

Production ceased in April of 1953 after a total of 411 DB2s had been built, 98 (some sources state 102) of them dropheads. The first 49 examples wore a chrome-framed front grille in three separate parts, and the front wings carried large rectangular cooling vents. The cars that followed were devoid of side vents and received a one-piece grille with horizontal chrome slats.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2021