London, Kensington Gardens, 21th of July
In the early 20th century the motorisation and the more and more
popular motor racing led to the foundation of countless motor car
companies all over the world. Many of them stayed ambitious
projects of individuals that never made it into production, others
had a short heyday but closed during the great depression or did
not reappear after the war but a few ones have built a reputation
that kept them alive to the present day. Now in the early 21th
century almost every year is dedicated to the centenary of one of
these marques with Alfa Romeo and Bugatti in recent years and
the traditional British Sports Car Manufacturer Aston Martin in
2013. Few other companies can look back at such a chequered
past with a lot of changes in the ownership, sporting successes
and move of the production venues.
... MediaCenter gallery >>>
Beside some special classes at the top concours of the world
several centenary events by the Aston Martin Owners Club and
the factory itself celebrate this long history including race
meetings, rallies and the highlight, the centenary celebration in
Kensington Garden just around the corner where Lionel Martin
and Robert Bamford founded Bamford & Martin on January 15th in
1913.
A timeline with 100 of the most significant road and race cars
plus special displays for Le Mans and the connection to the Bond
movies were set up in the Royal Park on a sunny Sunday visited
by tens of thousands of spectators.
Bamford & Martin started dealing and tuning Singer cars and after
racing those with some success at the nearby Aston Clinton hill
climb the idea was born to built own cars under the name Aston
Martin. The first car was built in 1915 but with the first world war
in full swing it took until 1920 to built a second prototype. With
these two prototypes not longer in existence the oldest surviving
Aston Martin is the third car (Chassis A3) that started the
timeline in Kensington Gardens. Like most of the cars of this era
it has a four cylinder 1.5 litre engine and was beside two grand
prix cars built for the new financier of AM Count Zborowski (as
Bamford already left) the only car built in 1922. Today this most
important Aston is owned by the Aston Martin Heritage Trust and
was restored in recent years back to the original specification by
the leading marque experts.
Just next is one of the early race cars nicknamed “Razor Blade”
and it is easy to see the origin of this name. With a body width of
just about 18 inches this car powered by a 16 valve dual camshaft
grand prix engine was intended for records at Brooklands.
Brooklands was the centre of British motor sports between the
wars and Aston Martin was very active both in racing or speed
record attempts.
Another Brookland racer is chassis 1934 that is also fitted with
the 16-valve twin-cam engine built for Captain George Eyston who
raced this car alongside some Bugatti in the 1920s before later
set several land speed records in his “Thunderbolt”.
Beside the factory race cars Aston Martin started to sell cars to
customers in 1923, some of them were intended for racing as well
but some were converted or built for road usage. No less than
three of these boat tailed tourers were lined up, chassis 1925 is a
converted factory racer with touring equipment and a very tasteful
crème-brown colour combination and a wooden back. Just next to
it is a body design that was named clover leaf as it features a
third seat in the back, 3-seater where not uncommon these days
as they allowed a tapered end and some sports car races were
announced for cars with “more than 2 seats”. The third of these
side valve models is one of the last cars built in 1925 and
exhibited at the London Motor Show. Although these cars caused
some interest the sales were not enough to cover the costs of the
company and the finally the company was sold by the end of
1925 ending the Bamford & Martin era with just about 60 cars
built. With 6 of about 2 dozen surviving cars of this era the display
of these early years was worth alone travelling to London that
Sunday and many of the visitors of the park have seen this part of
the Aston history for the first time.
In 1926 the second chapter of Aston Martin started when
Augustus Cesare “Bert” Bertelli and William Renwick took over
the company and formed Aston Martin Motors with a new
production in Feltham. This is also the first time the wings in the
Aston Martin badge appear as the old circular AM-badge was
replaced marking the new start. Bertelli and Renwick had a
1492cc overhead camshaft engine that should be the base for all
the following International series. With a serial production in mind
right from the beginning the “International” was available in
different configurations and body styles built by Bert's brother
Enrico Bertelli. Beside the sportive short chassis (chassis
number starting with S) there is also a longer touring chassis
available. The oldest of the cars in Kensington is one of these rare
touring bodied cars and the 14th car built.
Most of the International were bodied as 2/4 seater with the spare
wheel on the back but a few more sportive 2-seater and 3-seater
were built as well. In 1928 Aston Martin started its Le Mans
history with the first works prepared racers (LM1 and LM2) and
with the 3-seater sports on show (S16) these racers were also
available for privateers, again the 3-seater concept was based on
regulations.
The best looking of the first series cars might be the one-off
Headlamp coupé (S44) named after its first owner and built by
Enrico “Harry” Bertelli to his ideas. This car was one of the stars
in Kensington and always surrounded by spectators and
thousands of photos of it were taken that day.
At the end of 1931 about 130 International were sold, some of the
last cars were replicas of the successful Le Mans entries when
Aston Martin won its class. The car on display (L1/125) is one of
these cars called “International Le Mans” with a low radiator and
the curved dashboard that should become standard in some later
Le Mans models. During the International period the system of
the chassis numbers was changed as the first letter indicates the
month (A=January, B=February...) and the year (O=1930,
1=1931...) that was kept for the following pre-war cars, so this car
was the 125th of the series and built in December 1931.
Early in 1932 a new model was introduced named “New
International”. Although it looked very similar to the previous
“International” except a slightly V-shaped radiator the chassis
was all new. To reduce the costs of the model the gearbox
(Laycock) and the back axle (ENV) were bought from other
companies to replace the own more expensive parts of the
previous model. Especially the spiral-beaver rear axle was
different from the worm drive of the first series that is a rare find in
today´s market. In 1932 also a trio of Le Mans team cars were
sent to La Sarthe for the 24 hours, two of them were displayed in
Kensington with the green LM8 currently in restoration and the
red LM10. LM10 won its class and in late 1932 the production
was changed to the Le Mans model looking similar to LM8 with a
lower radiator leaving the New International a short life with just
about 20 cars built in 1932. The Le Mans featured the curved
dashboard and a tuned engine with 70 instead of 57 hp of the
predecessor. Today the Le Mans model is one of the most sought
after as it is generally the only 1.5 Litre (beside the Ulster) that is
eligible for the Mille Miglia Storico and not few of them are in Italy
now. Beside the short chassis 2 and 2/4 seater a longer chassis
(the 12/50) version was available with Saloon or Tourer
coachwork, the longer version became the annex /L at the end of
the chassis number instead of the /S for the short chassis. During
this time also the enamelled winged badge was introduced.
In 1934 the Le Mans was reworked and the third series of the 1 ½
Litre was introduced with the MKII. The MKII is easy to differ from
the previous models with its thermostatically chromed controlled
radiator shutters and again available in two chassis length, most
of the cars were again bodied as 2/4 seater (L4/523/L) but some
with the long chassis tourer body (C4/412/L). Also available on
the long chassis was the Sports Saloon (L4/524/L), a very elegant
2-door saloon.
During this time the most iconic pre-war Aston Martin was
introduced with the Ulster. Like the Le Mans the Ulster was
named after its success at the Ulster TT. When none of the team
cars finished at Le Mans in 1934 the racing colour was changed
from the “unlucky green” to the Italian racing red from Italian born
Bertelli to win the team prize at the Ulster TT as seen on LM16
and LM21 in the Le Mans display
This model was also available as customer model as seen in the
timeline with two examples, the normal 2-seater and a rare 4-
seater version that belongs to the Heritage Trust as well, by the
end of 1935 the 1 ½ Litre production ended.
Under the leadership of Gordon Sutherland the size of the engine
was enlarged to 2 Litre for a new Le Mans entry in 1936 that was
cancelled. The sporting version of this car was named Speed
Model, the early one the Type A (K6/706/U). Beside the racing
cars the two litre was used in the type 15/98 designed by Claude
Hill, a fast touring version rather than the sportier 1 ½ Litre. When
Bertelli left the company also a new coachbuilder was needed
and the 15/98 were bodied by Abbey (G8/827/SO) and Abbott.
Although the racing program was ended due to financial pressure
the last 2 Litre models were some of the sportiest cars built be
the marque, the Speed Model C-Type with an aerodynamic body.
The car in Kensington is the earliest of the C-Type with his
headlights mounted on the front fenders, the later Speed Models
had them installed behind the radiator grille.
The last car of the pre-war era is one of the most important in the
Aston Martin History: the Atom.
With its 2 litre engine, an independent front suspension and a
frame based on rectangular steel tubes this was a very innovative
motorcar for its time, the fenders were fixed to the body.
Atom was used as test car during the war and many journalists
were convinced that this is the future of the motor car.
Just after the war a new (and maybe the most important) chapter
of Aston Martin started with the appearance of David Brown. David
Brown made a fortune with the production of tractors and had the
dream of winning Le Mans with a car bearing his own name. With
limited financial background to build a production car out of Atom
the company was announced for sale in The Times. David Brown
saw the potential in the marque with the good name and this
prototype and bought Aston Martin to lead it to its heydays in the
1950s. Brown also bought Lagonda at the same time especially
to get hands on the 2.6 straight six cylinder engine designed
under the supervision of W.O.Bentley but the first car, the two
litre sport was very much an open version of the Atom designed
by Frank Feeley. This car was later known as DB1 but just 16
were built. Although one of them was privately entered at Le Mans
1949 and finished 11th David Brown commissioned a new model
both for racing and the road. The first DB2 were ready in 1949 for
the Le Mans 24 hours, two of them with the 2 litre unit and one
with the new 2.6 litre. The car in Kensington (LML/49/4) was the
fourth car built and the factory prototype and David Brown´s
personal car. It shares the 3-piece grill with the first production
cars (LML/50/21) but the production cars were higher, wider and
with lower ground clearance for the intended touring purposes.
Later the grill was modified to a single piece unit that still is a
styling element of today Astons (although in very different form).
For 1951 the Aston Martin works team led by John Wyer (who
later became famous for the Gulf livered Porsche 917 entries)
finished well in the top ten encouraging Brown for further
developments on the way to his dream of the LM victory. The cars
were indicated by different radiator colours, the car with the red
radiator in Kensington (LML/50/50) was seventh.
In total 411 DB2 were built including 98 Drophead Coupé versions.
During this time also the name Vantage appeared to name the
higher specification engine version.
By 1953 the DB2/4 was announced as a 2/4 seater following the
2-seater version of the DB2. Instead of a small opening at the
back to get the spare tire the DB2/4 introduced the hatchback
with bigger rear opening to access the luggage compartment. The
DB2/4 was again available as Saloon and Drophead Coupé (some
might be confused when they see the designation “coupé” in the
built sheet for the DHC) and later the Fixed Head Coupe with a
fixed hardtop on the DHC lines.
Although a few DB2/4 were used for race and rally the intention of
the new car was fast touring, at the same time the race program
went to the open sports car racers with the goal of an overall win
rather than class wins. Under the development of Eberan von
Eberhorst (who designed the famous Auto Union D-Type before
the war) the DB3 was built between 1951 and 1953 but the 10
cars were not very successful with the 2.6 litre unit.
Just at the same time when the DB2 was followed by the DB2/4
the new DB3S racer was introduced in 1953. After von Eberhorst
left Aston after a short intermezzo the design was done by Frank
Feeley with a lighter and aerodynamic more efficient body. The
car was powered by a straight-six with 3 litre displacement. The
DB3S was both built as factory team cars (chassis 1-11) and as
a customer racer (chassis 101-120). In Kensington Gardens no
less than 3 team cars were displayed, chassis DB3S/6, DB3S/9
and the last DB3S/11. The best LM results were second places in
1955, 1956 and again in 1958, in the first two the winning Jaguar
D-Type had a larger engine, the 1958 was not a factory entry.
Although the DB2/4 was not intended for racing a few special
versions were built for Wacky Arnolt by Bertone with lines slightly
similar to the DB3S customer cars. Despite its very sportive look
it is surprisingly made out of steel rather than aluminium loosing
the weight advantage of the smaller body compared to the
standard saloon. Whereas one of the sister cars is prepared for
the concours circuit in the US the car in Kensington (LML/507)
sold in Monterey 2009 is race prepared and used in style.
The mid 1950s brought some important changes in the Aston
Martin history as the factory was moved in 1955 from the old
Feltham premises to Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire.
Shortly after the most successful race car was introduced with
the DBR1. Following the DB3S this was the most serious attempt
to achieve the overall victory at Le Mans as it was built to the
latest prototype regulations. The DBR1 was very successful right
from the beginning with a hat trick on the Nürburgring between
1957 and 1959 but it took until 1959 before the 3-litre version
finally won Le Mans. The car in Kensington (DBR1/4) completed
the good result with a second place to lay the ground for winning
the world sportscar championship in that year as well. The DBR1
is without doubt one of the best looking race cars of this era and
the Le Mans winning car is said to be sold just recently for more
than 20 Million dollar making this the most expensive Aston
Martin in existence. Some say that the final victory at Le Mans
was the beginning of the end as David Brown started to lose
interest in the racing program. After an excursion to the formula
one with the unsuccessful DBR4 the company concentrated on
the production of road cars.
After the final evolution of the DB2/4 into the 3 litre MKII a
completely new car was introduced in 1959 with the DB4. The
DB4 introduced the Tadek Marek designed 3.7 litre straight six
cylinder engine in a wonderful body designed by Touring of Milan.
After two prototypes the production was started in Newport
Pagnell under the licence of Touring. Over the following years the
DB4 was constantly developed in 5 series, the DB4 was both
available as saloon or Convertible.
Although the later DB5 might be more famous (because of the
James Bond Link) the DB4 is the most elegant of this era as it is
the pure Touring design.
Although AM did not have a race program by that time many
customers wanted to race Astons so the DB4 GT was introduced.
On a slightly shortened wheelbase (losing the rear passenger
seats) with a lightweight aluminium body with covered headlights
and a highly tuned engine the GT was entered in GT races in the
hands of Moss, Clark and others. Unfortunately the main rival of
these days was the very sporty Ferrari 250 GT SWB so a even
lighter version of the DB4 GT was needed to compete. Again the
solution was found in Italy as Zagato built a small series of DB4
GT Zagato, for some the most beautiful Aston Martin of all time.
In Kensington no less than 3 examples out of 19 built were
shown, one in road trim (DB4GT/0187/L including bumpers) in the
timeline and the two semi works racers in the Le Mans display.
Without an official race program the works racing department
supported the Essex Racing Stable of John Ogier as a “semi
works team”. Two cars registered 1VEV (DB4GT/0182/R) and
2VEV (DB4GT/0183/R) were entered at Le Mans 1961 were they
both failed to finish. Later 2VEV was entered in the hands of
Lucian Bianchi of the Equipe National Belge at Spa were it was
crashed. The car was sent back to the factory where it was
officially repaired but as the car reappears just a few days later in
a new lightweight specification it is almost sure that this is an
entire new cars built to Ogier´s order using the same chassis
number for tax reasons. The car went on racing in the hands of
Jim Clark at Goodwood. The display of the two Essex Racing
Stable Zagatos was certainly a highlight of the Le Mans Display.
The final DB4 GT again was clothed by an Italian coachbuilder,
the Bertone Jet (DB4GT/0201/L) was joined by two modern
versions from Bertone named Jet as well.
After the Zagato Aston Martin built their own version of lightweight
GT racers with the three Project cars DP212, DP214 and DP215
to compete with the Ferrari 250 GTO in Le Mans. All of them were
extremely fast and set the pace in the race but none of them
finished the race in the year of their entry. Nevertheless they are
an important part of the racing history and rarely seen all
together.
The next road car is the synonym for the David Brown era, the
famous DB5. Following the DB4 the reworked DB5 became
famous when used by James Bond in the movie Goldfinger. With
all the gadgets including guns, catapult seat or smoke launcher
this car was in every boys fantasy and brought Aston Martin to a
wider public. The Bond Theme was also present in Kensington
Gardens with an own display although the cars represented the
later movies including the DB5 from Skyfall, the DBS in various
state of destruction as seen in Casino Royale and Quantum
Solance.
The last version of the DB4/5/6 era on display is a late DB6 MKII
Volante (DB6MK2VC/3785/R). This particular car was donated by
Queen Elizabeth to Prince Charles when new and was last seen
during the wedding of Prince William and Kate in 2010. The car
has a small Welsh Dragon on the bonnet for the Prince of Wales.
Following the round Italian design of the DB4/5/6 the late 1960s
saw the introduction of the DBS. Whereas the first version still
had the straight-six from the DB6 the car finally got the new V8
that was base for the years to come. One need to mention the
DBS from the TV series “The Persuaders” driven by Roger Moore
as Lord Brett Sinclair (registered BS1). This is one of the early
straight six version that was optically converted to the V8
specification to feature in the TV Series.
In 1972 the era of David Brown ended and the AM V8 became the
model for the next years, the V8 engine was also used in a Lola
Chassis. Countless variations of the V8 were built over the years
including versions by Zagato as the company changed hands
several times without the support of a large manufacturer or a big
financial background. Finally the company was owned by Victor
Gauntlett, who was also responsible for the Le Mans entry of the
Nimrod cars with V8 Aston engines again in a Lola Chassis.
Partnered by Peter Linvanos Gauntlett finally sold Aston Martin to
the Ford concern and for a while Aston Martin shipped in shallow
water as the global player had the background to put Aston
Martin back on the market. New models were introduced with the
DB7 and even a Group C car was entered with the AMR-1 in Le
Mans 1989. Over the next years Ford built a completely new
factory and enlarged the model palette with the Vanquish, DBS,
AMV8 and DB9. But as Ford went into financial trouble during the
crises a few years ago Aston Martin was sold to investors and so
the company goes into its second century again as an
independent manufacturer.
The first hundred years were rich in variety and the display in
Kensington Garden was a great summary of the different eras.
Some of the cars even came all the way from the US or China to
be displayed in the timeline spanning the entire history including
rare one-offs or cars with special history. The event was also used
for the world premiere of a duo of Zagato bodied DB9 Convertible
and DBS special commissioned by two enthusiasts taking the
partnership of Aston Martin and Zagato into the next century. All
those who visited the gardens that Sunday agreed that this was a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these cars in one line-up, for
all those who did not have the opportunity to visit we hope our
galleries are a small compensation.
Report & images ... Peter Singhof
www.ClassicCarPhotography.de
London, Kensington Gardens, 21th of July
In the early 20th century the motorisation and the more and more
popular motor racing led to the foundation of countless motor car
companies all over the world. Many of them stayed ambitious
projects of individuals that never made it into production, others
had a short heyday but closed during the great depression or did
not reappear after the war but a few ones have built a reputation
that kept them alive to the present day. Now in the early 21th
century almost every year is dedicated to the centenary of one of
these marques with Alfa Romeo and Bugatti in recent years and
the traditional British Sports Car Manufacturer Aston Martin in
2013. Few other companies can look back at such a chequered
past with a lot of changes in the ownership, sporting successes
and move of the production venues.
... MediaCenter gallery >>>
Beside some special classes at the top concours of the world
several centenary events by the Aston Martin Owners Club and
the factory itself celebrate this long history including race
meetings, rallies and the highlight, the centenary celebration in
Kensington Garden just around the corner where Lionel Martin
and Robert Bamford founded Bamford & Martin on January 15th in
1913.
A timeline with 100 of the most significant road and race cars
plus special displays for Le Mans and the connection to the Bond
movies were set up in the Royal Park on a sunny Sunday visited
by tens of thousands of spectators.
Bamford & Martin started dealing and tuning Singer cars and after
racing those with some success at the nearby Aston Clinton hill
climb the idea was born to built own cars under the name Aston
Martin. The first car was built in 1915 but with the first world war
in full swing it took until 1920 to built a second prototype. With
these two prototypes not longer in existence the oldest surviving
Aston Martin is the third car (Chassis A3) that started the
timeline in Kensington Gardens. Like most of the cars of this era
it has a four cylinder 1.5 litre engine and was beside two grand
prix cars built for the new financier of AM Count Zborowski (as
Bamford already left) the only car built in 1922. Today this most
important Aston is owned by the Aston Martin Heritage Trust and
was restored in recent years back to the original specification by
the leading marque experts.
Just next is one of the early race cars nicknamed “Razor Blade”
and it is easy to see the origin of this name. With a body width of
just about 18 inches this car powered by a 16 valve dual camshaft
grand prix engine was intended for records at Brooklands.
Brooklands was the centre of British motor sports between the
wars and Aston Martin was very active both in racing or speed
record attempts.
Another Brookland racer is chassis 1934 that is also fitted with
the 16-valve twin-cam engine built for Captain George Eyston who
raced this car alongside some Bugatti in the 1920s before later
set several land speed records in his “Thunderbolt”.
Beside the factory race cars Aston Martin started to sell cars to
customers in 1923, some of them were intended for racing as well
but some were converted or built for road usage. No less than
three of these boat tailed tourers were lined up, chassis 1925 is a
converted factory racer with touring equipment and a very tasteful
crème-brown colour combination and a wooden back. Just next to
it is a body design that was named clover leaf as it features a
third seat in the back, 3-seater where not uncommon these days
as they allowed a tapered end and some sports car races were
announced for cars with “more than 2 seats”. The third of these
side valve models is one of the last cars built in 1925 and
exhibited at the London Motor Show. Although these cars caused
some interest the sales were not enough to cover the costs of the
company and the finally the company was sold by the end of
1925 ending the Bamford & Martin era with just about 60 cars
built. With 6 of about 2 dozen surviving cars of this era the display
of these early years was worth alone travelling to London that
Sunday and many of the visitors of the park have seen this part of
the Aston history for the first time.
In 1926 the second chapter of Aston Martin started when
Augustus Cesare “Bert” Bertelli and William Renwick took over
the company and formed Aston Martin Motors with a new
production in Feltham. This is also the first time the wings in the
Aston Martin badge appear as the old circular AM-badge was
replaced marking the new start. Bertelli and Renwick had a
1492cc overhead camshaft engine that should be the base for all
the following International series. With a serial production in mind
right from the beginning the “International” was available in
different configurations and body styles built by Bert's brother
Enrico Bertelli. Beside the sportive short chassis (chassis
number starting with S) there is also a longer touring chassis
available. The oldest of the cars in Kensington is one of these rare
touring bodied cars and the 14th car built.
Most of the International were bodied as 2/4 seater with the spare
wheel on the back but a few more sportive 2-seater and 3-seater
were built as well. In 1928 Aston Martin started its Le Mans
history with the first works prepared racers (LM1 and LM2) and
with the 3-seater sports on show (S16) these racers were also
available for privateers, again the 3-seater concept was based on
regulations.
The best looking of the first series cars might be the one-off
Headlamp coupé (S44) named after its first owner and built by
Enrico “Harry” Bertelli to his ideas. This car was one of the stars
in Kensington and always surrounded by spectators and
thousands of photos of it were taken that day.
At the end of 1931 about 130 International were sold, some of the
last cars were replicas of the successful Le Mans entries when
Aston Martin won its class. The car on display (L1/125) is one of
these cars called “International Le Mans” with a low radiator and
the curved dashboard that should become standard in some later
Le Mans models. During the International period the system of
the chassis numbers was changed as the first letter indicates the
month (A=January, B=February...) and the year (O=1930,
1=1931...) that was kept for the following pre-war cars, so this car
was the 125th of the series and built in December 1931.
Early in 1932 a new model was introduced named “New
International”. Although it looked very similar to the previous
“International” except a slightly V-shaped radiator the chassis
was all new. To reduce the costs of the model the gearbox
(Laycock) and the back axle (ENV) were bought from other
companies to replace the own more expensive parts of the
previous model. Especially the spiral-beaver rear axle was
different from the worm drive of the first series that is a rare find in
today´s market. In 1932 also a trio of Le Mans team cars were
sent to La Sarthe for the 24 hours, two of them were displayed in
Kensington with the green LM8 currently in restoration and the
red LM10. LM10 won its class and in late 1932 the production
was changed to the Le Mans model looking similar to LM8 with a
lower radiator leaving the New International a short life with just
about 20 cars built in 1932. The Le Mans featured the curved
dashboard and a tuned engine with 70 instead of 57 hp of the
predecessor. Today the Le Mans model is one of the most sought
after as it is generally the only 1.5 Litre (beside the Ulster) that is
eligible for the Mille Miglia Storico and not few of them are in Italy
now. Beside the short chassis 2 and 2/4 seater a longer chassis
(the 12/50) version was available with Saloon or Tourer
coachwork, the longer version became the annex /L at the end of
the chassis number instead of the /S for the short chassis. During
this time also the enamelled winged badge was introduced.
In 1934 the Le Mans was reworked and the third series of the 1 ½
Litre was introduced with the MKII. The MKII is easy to differ from
the previous models with its thermostatically chromed controlled
radiator shutters and again available in two chassis length, most
of the cars were again bodied as 2/4 seater (L4/523/L) but some
with the long chassis tourer body (C4/412/L). Also available on
the long chassis was the Sports Saloon (L4/524/L), a very elegant
2-door saloon.
During this time the most iconic pre-war Aston Martin was
introduced with the Ulster. Like the Le Mans the Ulster was
named after its success at the Ulster TT. When none of the team
cars finished at Le Mans in 1934 the racing colour was changed
from the “unlucky green” to the Italian racing red from Italian born
Bertelli to win the team prize at the Ulster TT as seen on LM16
and LM21 in the Le Mans display
This model was also available as customer model as seen in the
timeline with two examples, the normal 2-seater and a rare 4-
seater version that belongs to the Heritage Trust as well, by the
end of 1935 the 1 ½ Litre production ended.
Under the leadership of Gordon Sutherland the size of the engine
was enlarged to 2 Litre for a new Le Mans entry in 1936 that was
cancelled. The sporting version of this car was named Speed
Model, the early one the Type A (K6/706/U). Beside the racing
cars the two litre was used in the type 15/98 designed by Claude
Hill, a fast touring version rather than the sportier 1 ½ Litre. When
Bertelli left the company also a new coachbuilder was needed
and the 15/98 were bodied by Abbey (G8/827/SO) and Abbott.
Although the racing program was ended due to financial pressure
the last 2 Litre models were some of the sportiest cars built be
the marque, the Speed Model C-Type with an aerodynamic body.
The car in Kensington is the earliest of the C-Type with his
headlights mounted on the front fenders, the later Speed Models
had them installed behind the radiator grille.
The last car of the pre-war era is one of the most important in the
Aston Martin History: the Atom.
With its 2 litre engine, an independent front suspension and a
frame based on rectangular steel tubes this was a very innovative
motorcar for its time, the fenders were fixed to the body.
Atom was used as test car during the war and many journalists
were convinced that this is the future of the motor car.
Just after the war a new (and maybe the most important) chapter
of Aston Martin started with the appearance of David Brown. David
Brown made a fortune with the production of tractors and had the
dream of winning Le Mans with a car bearing his own name. With
limited financial background to build a production car out of Atom
the company was announced for sale in The Times. David Brown
saw the potential in the marque with the good name and this
prototype and bought Aston Martin to lead it to its heydays in the
1950s. Brown also bought Lagonda at the same time especially
to get hands on the 2.6 straight six cylinder engine designed
under the supervision of W.O.Bentley but the first car, the two
litre sport was very much an open version of the Atom designed
by Frank Feeley. This car was later known as DB1 but just 16
were built. Although one of them was privately entered at Le Mans
1949 and finished 11th David Brown commissioned a new model
both for racing and the road. The first DB2 were ready in 1949 for
the Le Mans 24 hours, two of them with the 2 litre unit and one
with the new 2.6 litre. The car in Kensington (LML/49/4) was the
fourth car built and the factory prototype and David Brown´s
personal car. It shares the 3-piece grill with the first production
cars (LML/50/21) but the production cars were higher, wider and
with lower ground clearance for the intended touring purposes.
Later the grill was modified to a single piece unit that still is a
styling element of today Astons (although in very different form).
For 1951 the Aston Martin works team led by John Wyer (who
later became famous for the Gulf livered Porsche 917 entries)
finished well in the top ten encouraging Brown for further
developments on the way to his dream of the LM victory. The cars
were indicated by different radiator colours, the car with the red
radiator in Kensington (LML/50/50) was seventh.
In total 411 DB2 were built including 98 Drophead Coupé versions.
During this time also the name Vantage appeared to name the
higher specification engine version.
By 1953 the DB2/4 was announced as a 2/4 seater following the
2-seater version of the DB2. Instead of a small opening at the
back to get the spare tire the DB2/4 introduced the hatchback
with bigger rear opening to access the luggage compartment. The
DB2/4 was again available as Saloon and Drophead Coupé (some
might be confused when they see the designation “coupé” in the
built sheet for the DHC) and later the Fixed Head Coupe with a
fixed hardtop on the DHC lines.
Although a few DB2/4 were used for race and rally the intention of
the new car was fast touring, at the same time the race program
went to the open sports car racers with the goal of an overall win
rather than class wins. Under the development of Eberan von
Eberhorst (who designed the famous Auto Union D-Type before
the war) the DB3 was built between 1951 and 1953 but the 10
cars were not very successful with the 2.6 litre unit.
Just at the same time when the DB2 was followed by the DB2/4
the new DB3S racer was introduced in 1953. After von Eberhorst
left Aston after a short intermezzo the design was done by Frank
Feeley with a lighter and aerodynamic more efficient body. The
car was powered by a straight-six with 3 litre displacement. The
DB3S was both built as factory team cars (chassis 1-11) and as
a customer racer (chassis 101-120). In Kensington Gardens no
less than 3 team cars were displayed, chassis DB3S/6, DB3S/9
and the last DB3S/11. The best LM results were second places in
1955, 1956 and again in 1958, in the first two the winning Jaguar
D-Type had a larger engine, the 1958 was not a factory entry.
Although the DB2/4 was not intended for racing a few special
versions were built for Wacky Arnolt by Bertone with lines slightly
similar to the DB3S customer cars. Despite its very sportive look
it is surprisingly made out of steel rather than aluminium loosing
the weight advantage of the smaller body compared to the
standard saloon. Whereas one of the sister cars is prepared for
the concours circuit in the US the car in Kensington (LML/507)
sold in Monterey 2009 is race prepared and used in style.
The mid 1950s brought some important changes in the Aston
Martin history as the factory was moved in 1955 from the old
Feltham premises to Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire.
Shortly after the most successful race car was introduced with
the DBR1. Following the DB3S this was the most serious attempt
to achieve the overall victory at Le Mans as it was built to the
latest prototype regulations. The DBR1 was very successful right
from the beginning with a hat trick on the Nürburgring between
1957 and 1959 but it took until 1959 before the 3-litre version
finally won Le Mans. The car in Kensington (DBR1/4) completed
the good result with a second place to lay the ground for winning
the world sportscar championship in that year as well. The DBR1
is without doubt one of the best looking race cars of this era and
the Le Mans winning car is said to be sold just recently for more
than 20 Million dollar making this the most expensive Aston
Martin in existence. Some say that the final victory at Le Mans
was the beginning of the end as David Brown started to lose
interest in the racing program. After an excursion to the formula
one with the unsuccessful DBR4 the company concentrated on
the production of road cars.
After the final evolution of the DB2/4 into the 3 litre MKII a
completely new car was introduced in 1959 with the DB4. The
DB4 introduced the Tadek Marek designed 3.7 litre straight six
cylinder engine in a wonderful body designed by Touring of Milan.
After two prototypes the production was started in Newport
Pagnell under the licence of Touring. Over the following years the
DB4 was constantly developed in 5 series, the DB4 was both
available as saloon or Convertible.
Although the later DB5 might be more famous (because of the
James Bond Link) the DB4 is the most elegant of this era as it is
the pure Touring design.
Although AM did not have a race program by that time many
customers wanted to race Astons so the DB4 GT was introduced.
On a slightly shortened wheelbase (losing the rear passenger
seats) with a lightweight aluminium body with covered headlights
and a highly tuned engine the GT was entered in GT races in the
hands of Moss, Clark and others. Unfortunately the main rival of
these days was the very sporty Ferrari 250 GT SWB so a even
lighter version of the DB4 GT was needed to compete. Again the
solution was found in Italy as Zagato built a small series of DB4
GT Zagato, for some the most beautiful Aston Martin of all time.
In Kensington no less than 3 examples out of 19 built were
shown, one in road trim (DB4GT/0187/L including bumpers) in the
timeline and the two semi works racers in the Le Mans display.
Without an official race program the works racing department
supported the Essex Racing Stable of John Ogier as a “semi
works team”. Two cars registered 1VEV (DB4GT/0182/R) and
2VEV (DB4GT/0183/R) were entered at Le Mans 1961 were they
both failed to finish. Later 2VEV was entered in the hands of
Lucian Bianchi of the Equipe National Belge at Spa were it was
crashed. The car was sent back to the factory where it was
officially repaired but as the car reappears just a few days later in
a new lightweight specification it is almost sure that this is an
entire new cars built to Ogier´s order using the same chassis
number for tax reasons. The car went on racing in the hands of
Jim Clark at Goodwood. The display of the two Essex Racing
Stable Zagatos was certainly a highlight of the Le Mans Display.
The final DB4 GT again was clothed by an Italian coachbuilder,
the Bertone Jet (DB4GT/0201/L) was joined by two modern
versions from Bertone named Jet as well.
After the Zagato Aston Martin built their own version of lightweight
GT racers with the three Project cars DP212, DP214 and DP215
to compete with the Ferrari 250 GTO in Le Mans. All of them were
extremely fast and set the pace in the race but none of them
finished the race in the year of their entry. Nevertheless they are
an important part of the racing history and rarely seen all
together.
The next road car is the synonym for the David Brown era, the
famous DB5. Following the DB4 the reworked DB5 became
famous when used by James Bond in the movie Goldfinger. With
all the gadgets including guns, catapult seat or smoke launcher
this car was in every boys fantasy and brought Aston Martin to a
wider public. The Bond Theme was also present in Kensington
Gardens with an own display although the cars represented the
later movies including the DB5 from Skyfall, the DBS in various
state of destruction as seen in Casino Royale and Quantum
Solance.
The last version of the DB4/5/6 era on display is a late DB6 MKII
Volante (DB6MK2VC/3785/R). This particular car was donated by
Queen Elizabeth to Prince Charles when new and was last seen
during the wedding of Prince William and Kate in 2010. The car
has a small Welsh Dragon on the bonnet for the Prince of Wales.
Following the round Italian design of the DB4/5/6 the late 1960s
saw the introduction of the DBS. Whereas the first version still
had the straight-six from the DB6 the car finally got the new V8
that was base for the years to come. One need to mention the
DBS from the TV series “The Persuaders” driven by Roger Moore
as Lord Brett Sinclair (registered BS1). This is one of the early
straight six version that was optically converted to the V8
specification to feature in the TV Series.
In 1972 the era of David Brown ended and the AM V8 became the
model for the next years, the V8 engine was also used in a Lola
Chassis. Countless variations of the V8 were built over the years
including versions by Zagato as the company changed hands
several times without the support of a large manufacturer or a big
financial background. Finally the company was owned by Victor
Gauntlett, who was also responsible for the Le Mans entry of the
Nimrod cars with V8 Aston engines again in a Lola Chassis.
Partnered by Peter Linvanos Gauntlett finally sold Aston Martin to
the Ford concern and for a while Aston Martin shipped in shallow
water as the global player had the background to put Aston
Martin back on the market. New models were introduced with the
DB7 and even a Group C car was entered with the AMR-1 in Le
Mans 1989. Over the next years Ford built a completely new
factory and enlarged the model palette with the Vanquish, DBS,
AMV8 and DB9. But as Ford went into financial trouble during the
crises a few years ago Aston Martin was sold to investors and so
the company goes into its second century again as an
independent manufacturer.
The first hundred years were rich in variety and the display in
Kensington Garden was a great summary of the different eras.
Some of the cars even came all the way from the US or China to
be displayed in the timeline spanning the entire history including
rare one-offs or cars with special history. The event was also used
for the world premiere of a duo of Zagato bodied DB9 Convertible
and DBS special commissioned by two enthusiasts taking the
partnership of Aston Martin and Zagato into the next century. All
those who visited the gardens that Sunday agreed that this was a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these cars in one line-up, for
all those who did not have the opportunity to visit we hope our
galleries are a small compensation.
Report & images ... Peter Singhof
www.ClassicCarPhotography.de
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