Formerly the property of French Aston Martin specialist Pierre Lamy
1957 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark II Sports Saloon

• One of the fastest production cars of its time
• Owned and extensively upgraded by Pierre Lamy
• Converted from right- to left-hand drive
• Fast Road or Rally Car

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.

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 famous 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.

Other than a handful of DB MkIIIs from early production, the DB2/4 MkII is the last Aston Martin from the Feltham era that is eligible for all the best touring and rally events with a cut-off date of 1957, including the Mille Miglia.
This DB2/4 MkII was the personal car of the well-known French Aston Martin marque specialist and expert Pierre Lamy, who built it for his own use and to his own specification, incorporating a number of practical improvements and performance enhancements. The penultimate DB2/4 MkII produced, chassis number '1298' was originally constructed in right-hand drive configuration and left the factory finished in Burgundy with beige interior trim. The accompanying copy guarantee form records the first owner as one John H Pawle of Hertfordshire and the original registration as '191 DPG'. Garage Lamy is listed as owner from 1996.

Those who knew Pierre Lamy say that he had an extraordinary personality that left no one indifferent - a real character apparently. He was meticulous, hardworking and left nothing to chance with his cars. We understand that he was also celebrated for his preparations for the Tour Auto, which he assisted with for many years, alongside organiser Patrick Peter.

Lamy's DB2/4 was his own vision of the ultimate Aston Martin. Pierre wanted a car that would be as comfortable cruising down the Champs-Élysées as it would be lapping quickly at Montlhéry. He spent 10 years working on this car himself, incorporating his own ideas and upgrades into the build. He preserved the luxury interior with its leather and wood trim, and added numerous gauges and a beautifully finished bespoke roll cage. On the mechanical side of things, Pierre paid meticulous attention to the car's competition potential, with triple Weber 45DCOE52 carburettors replacing the original twin SUs. Aviation-specification armoured hoses were installed for all under-bonnet fluids. The suspension was completely overhauled for international competition using new components throughout, which were reinforced wherever he considered necessary. The braking system was also completely upgraded to front discs with competition front callipers and custom-made fittings. The rear window was replaced with a Perspex item to the full original dimensions, giving greatly improved rear visibility. It is assumed that the car was converted from right- to left-hand drive by Lamy.

This DB2/4 MkII currently has French documents. It was imported into the UK prior to Brexit and has formed part of an exclusive collection of Aston Martins and other classics in the North of England. The culmination of Pierre Lamy's years of expert experience with the marque, this much-improved Aston Martin DB/4 MkII represents a wonderful opportunity to acquire a well prepared car for fast road use or indeed historic rallying.