Mille Miglia eligible
1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark II Sports Saloon

• Formerly owned by Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez
• One of the fastest production cars of its time
• Original registration 'LDB 2' included
• Present ownership since 2013

The need to widen the appeal of the already-successful DB2 resulted in the launch in October 1953 of the 2+2 DB2/4. Extensive revisions to the car's rear end arrangements made room for two occasional seats and more luggage, the latter being accessed via a hatchback rear door, one of this now-common feature's earliest applications. 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. The W O Bentley-era, 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, 140bhp engine in 1954. The DB2/4's top speed was now 118mph, with 60mph reached in around 11 seconds, making it one of the fastest sports cars of its day. Many were raced in period by their owners, and it is worthwhile noting that the DB2/4 is eligible for the Mille Miglia.
David Brown's acquisition of Tickford Ltd in 1953 led to bodywork for the revised Mark II model, launched at the London Motor Show in October 1955, being manufactured by the Newport Pagnell coachbuilder. While mechanically very little different from its predecessor, the DB2/4 Mark II was readily identifiable by its subtly altered lines, the most significant change being a ¾" increase in roof height that afforded greater headroom.
According to the original logbook on file, 'LDB 2' was first registered to one Thomas Taylor of Waddington, Lancashire on 30th November 1956. A hand-written list of subsequent owners is on file, one of whom was none other than Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO and Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda, who owned the DB2/4 from October 2008 until the current vendor purchased it from Aston Martin Milton Keynes in May 2013. The history file contains numerous MoTs and confirms that the odometer reading when purchased was 26,800 miles (currently 27,600 miles).
The vendor advises us that the Aston is totally original apart from the addition of an electric cooling fan under the bonnet (operated by a manual switch beneath the dashboard). Retaining its valuable original registration, 'LDB 2', the car is offered with Aston Martin Works' 2013 invoice and a current V5C listing Dr Bez as previous keeper.