1952 | Aston Martin DB 2

The DB2 was the first Aston Martin produced after David Brown purchased both Aston Martin and Lagonda companies in 1947 – creating Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. The Lagonda 2.6 litre, dual overhead cam, straight-six engine was the principle gain from one half of this merger, which Brown used to replace the smaller, less powerful engine used in the earlier Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports in a shortened version of its tube-frame chassis, with a freshly designed coupé body, to create the DB2.

The DB2 Coupé was first shown at the New York Auto Show in April 1950 and a little later in the same year, a Drophead Coupé variant was introduced. Both continued in production until April 1953, by which time it is believed over 400 had been made, 3/4 of which were coupés.

At launch, the car’s performance potential caught the attention of visitors to the show and 100 cars were ordered. The Motor magazine tested a standard coupé in 1950 and recorded a top speed of 116 mph and 0-60 mph acceleration time of 11.2 seconds.

The factory records show this DB2 Coupé was supplied new in October 1952 to its first owner in Essex and was factory maintained for the first 4 years of its life. It passed through the hands of several further owners until 1966 when the latest owner undertook replacement of the original, somewhat worn engine and commissioned a full respray in the original colour of Botticelli Blue. The car remained in the same careful ownership until 2021 – always maintained (there are MOT records on file from 1985 until 2012) and latterly in storage (from 2012). The MOT record records indicate that just under 7,000 miles have been covered from 1985.

In 2021, the DB2 underwent thorough servicing and re-commissioning works (at a cost of some £11,000) prior to purchase by the current owner.

That recent re-commissioning work has seen the engine fully serviced; carburettors rebuilt; fuel pipes replaced, distributor refreshed, water hoses replaced, brakes overhauled, dynamo rebuilt and any other works required completed. The car runs and drives very well.

At first glance the Botticelli Blue paintwork looks very presentable but on closer inspection there is evidence of micro-blistering, probably caused by moisture in the air compressor when last painted. All exterior trim is present and in good condition, as are the painted wire wheels, which have been fitted with new Blockley tyres.

The smart interior of the car retains the original leather seats & door cards. New carpets have recently been fitted and the dashboard, door cappings and rear parcel shelf have been re-trimmed. The wood-mounted instrument panel is complete and in very good condition.

This is a fine example of a car that has been kept in very close to original condition, with limited use over the last 50 years but properly maintained and stored during that time.

It comes with period toolkit and has a large history file, including original factory worksheet, MOT history and full details of recent works.