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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Unique Custom Aston Resurfaces
DB2/4 was custom bodied by Swiss coachbuilder then hidden away for decades.
The Hermann Graber-bodied Aston Martin DB2/4 drophead was seen publicly for the first time in decades at Pebble Beach. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
A unique post-war Aston Martin with a custom body by Swiss coachbuilder Hermann Graber made its first public appearance at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance after being hidden away for decades.
The 1953 DB2/4 drophead coupe is very distinctive yet retains enough cues to be immediately recognizable as an Aston Martin. Its original Swiss owner delivered bare-chassis LML/562 from England to Graber for its custom coachwork.
After the car was completed, it remained in Switzerland in relative obscurity until it was purchased several years ago by its current American owner, who had it fully restored. The one-of-a-kind Aston Martin debuted at Pebble Beach in August.
The Graber-bodied DB2/4 was a piece of Aston Martin’s renaissance during the 1950s after gearbox manufacturer David Brown bought the company. Brown had been impressed with the Aston Martin Atom in 1947, which prompted his famous purchase of the automaker.
With the Claude Hill-designed Atom chassis, Brown had a strong basis for a new range of models, but he rightfully felt that the available push-rod engines were inadequate. Instead of having a new engine designed, he shopped around some more and bought Lagonda.
As part of the Lagonda deal, Brown obtained the rights to produce the W.O. Bentley-designed twin-cam six cylinder engine. Before this deal was done, Aston Martin had already produced a small series of two-liter sports cars based on the Atom design. These were called 2-Litre Sports at the time, but in retrospect are usually referred to as DB1. At the first Post-War 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1949, a six-cylinder racer debuted that would prove to be the first of a long line of successful Aston Martin road and racing cars.
At the New York Auto Show in April in 1950, the production version of the six-cylinder car was launched. Dubbed the DB2, it featured a 2.6-liter version of the Lagonda six-cylinder engine and sported an attractive two-door coupe body penned by Frank Freeley. The new Aston Martin was an immediate hit and the small factory could hardly cope with the orders.
On track, there were plenty of successes as well with the Works DB2s scoring first and second in their class at Le Mans in 1950. The win in the Index of Performance was possibly an even better indication of the DB2's excellent design. The first 50 cars off the production line featured very prominent external grilles, which were fortunately removed. A more powerful Vantage model was offered from 1951.
From 1951 onwards, the Works used the specifically built DB3 for racing purposes and the DB2 served as a road car only. The first major revision to the successful two-seater was the addition of two rear seats in 1953, which resulted in the aptly named DB2/4. Like the DB2, the four-seater was available as a fixed or drop head. The hard-top model was the first car ever to feature a hatchback to access the rear luggage compartment.
The 1953 DB2/4 drophead coupe is very distinctive yet retains enough cues to be immediately recognizable as an Aston Martin. Its original Swiss owner delivered bare-chassis LML/562 from England to Graber for its custom coachwork.
After the car was completed, it remained in Switzerland in relative obscurity until it was purchased several years ago by its current American owner, who had it fully restored. The one-of-a-kind Aston Martin debuted at Pebble Beach in August.
The Graber-bodied DB2/4 was a piece of Aston Martin’s renaissance during the 1950s after gearbox manufacturer David Brown bought the company. Brown had been impressed with the Aston Martin Atom in 1947, which prompted his famous purchase of the automaker.
With the Claude Hill-designed Atom chassis, Brown had a strong basis for a new range of models, but he rightfully felt that the available push-rod engines were inadequate. Instead of having a new engine designed, he shopped around some more and bought Lagonda.
As part of the Lagonda deal, Brown obtained the rights to produce the W.O. Bentley-designed twin-cam six cylinder engine. Before this deal was done, Aston Martin had already produced a small series of two-liter sports cars based on the Atom design. These were called 2-Litre Sports at the time, but in retrospect are usually referred to as DB1. At the first Post-War 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1949, a six-cylinder racer debuted that would prove to be the first of a long line of successful Aston Martin road and racing cars.
At the New York Auto Show in April in 1950, the production version of the six-cylinder car was launched. Dubbed the DB2, it featured a 2.6-liter version of the Lagonda six-cylinder engine and sported an attractive two-door coupe body penned by Frank Freeley. The new Aston Martin was an immediate hit and the small factory could hardly cope with the orders.
On track, there were plenty of successes as well with the Works DB2s scoring first and second in their class at Le Mans in 1950. The win in the Index of Performance was possibly an even better indication of the DB2's excellent design. The first 50 cars off the production line featured very prominent external grilles, which were fortunately removed. A more powerful Vantage model was offered from 1951.
From 1951 onwards, the Works used the specifically built DB3 for racing purposes and the DB2 served as a road car only. The first major revision to the successful two-seater was the addition of two rear seats in 1953, which resulted in the aptly named DB2/4. Like the DB2, the four-seater was available as a fixed or drop head. The hard-top model was the first car ever to feature a hatchback to access the rear luggage compartment.
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