Aston Martin DB2/4

Estimate: € 270,000 to € 290,000

VIN:                LML/555

• Successfully competed in the 1992 Carrera Panamericana finishing 5th OA
• One of the quickest DB 2/4 with a record at Lime Rock
• Well-built Competition Special

In October 1953, Aston Martin launched the 2+2 DB2/4 as the successor to the successful DB2. A modified rear chassis and a smaller fuel tank created space within the existing design for two occasional rear seats. These could also be folded down to more than double the luggage space, which could be accessed via a hatchback rear door – at the predecessor, it had to be accessed through the inside only. The newcomer also was distinguishable from the DB2 by a slightly raised roofline, its one-piece windscreen and larger bumpers.

Technically, 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. The W.O. Bentley-designed, 2.6-liter, 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-liter, DB3S-derived, 140bhp engine in 1954. The car's top speed was now 118mph, with 60mph reached in around 11 seconds. 

Although it was not in the first place meant to be a racing car, the DB2/4 made an impressive career in this field. For example, in 1955, the Aston Martin Works entered three cars in the Monte Carlo Rallye, and one of them won the tournament.

The Aston Martin offered here reached the U.S. in 1954.