Left-hand drive
1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Sports Saloon Project
Coachwork by Mulliners of Birmingham
Chassis no. LML/524
Engine no. VB6E/50/1259

'The Aston Martin DB2/4 is an expensive car designed to cater for the connoisseur of sports cars who is not limited by financial considerations.' - Autocar, 2nd October 1953.

With the introduction of the '2+2' DB2/4 in October 1953, Aston Martin extended the DB2's appeal to the hitherto untapped yet increasingly important market comprised of 'sports car enthusiasts with a family'. By modifying the rear of the chassis and reducing the fuel tank capacity from 19 to 17 gallons, Aston's engineers liberated sufficient space within the existing design for two child-sized occasional rear seats. Alternatively, the rear seat backs could be folded down, thus creating a load-carrying platform that more than doubled the luggage space. The latter could be accessed via the 2/4's opening rear door, a pioneering example of the now commonplace 'hatchback' concept.

'This transformation gives the Aston Martin DB2/4 an unrivalled luggage-carrying capacity in a car which should be capable in favourable circumstances of achieving two miles a minute,' reported The Motor. 'The DB2/4 can truthfully claim to be the fastest car in the world capable of carrying two people with a month's luggage.'

Should the vehicle remain in the EU, local import taxes of 5% will be applied to the hammer price.

In addition, a raised roofline, one-piece windscreen, larger bumpers and other detail styling changes differentiated the newcomer from its predecessor. Otherwise, the DB2/4 remained much the same as the DB2, employing the latter's rectangular-tube chassis, trailing arm independent front suspension and well-located live rear axle. Bodies were supplied by Mulliners of Birmingham until the advent of the MkII version in October 1955, when Tickford - recently acquired by Aston Martin's owner, David Brown - took over.

The W O Bentley-designed, 2.6-litre, six-cylinder, twin-cam power unit came in tuned (125bhp) Vantage specification as standard for the 2/4. Despite this, the redesign's inevitable weight gain was not fully compensated for until the arrival of the 3.0-litre (VB6J) 140bhp engine in 1954. The DB2/4's top speed was now 118mph with 60mph reachable in around 11 seconds, making it one of the fastest British-built cars of the day.

The left-hand drive DB2/4 we offer was supplied new in July 1954 via J S Inskip, the Aston Martin concessionaire in the USA, and first owned by one Joesph L Kugel of Harrison, New York. Its accompanying copy order form records that the car was originally was finished in Sea Green with beige interior, and lists heavy duty 'shockers' and left-hand drive as the only non-standard equipment, while the only additional history recorded is the fitting of maroon leather sun visors in December 1955. The car's subsequent ownership history is not known. There is no registration document with this Lot, which is offered for restoration and sold strictly as viewed.

Should the vehicle remain in the EU, local import taxes of 5% will be applied to the hammer price.