1957 | Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mk II

One of the Rarest 'Feltham Era' Cars, Fully Restored at Aston Workshop

Aston Workshop is delighted to present for sale this fully restored 1957 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkII FHC, resplendent in a timeless specification of Peacock Blue with a Silver Birch roof and Grey leather. One of only 14 Fixedhead Coupes built for sale in the UK market out of 34 cars in total worldwide, this DB2/4 MkII is a fantastic example of one of the rarest Feltham-era Aston Martins. The DB2/4 can be found on the Registro 1000 Miglia, making it an eligible model for entry in the Mille Miglia road race.

A full restoration was carried out in 2008 at Aston Workshop for one of the pre-eminent Aston Martin collectors in the UK, and has since then been dry-stored and kept in perfect condition. The car's history file features extensive records of MOT certificates dating from the 1960s confirming the mileage of the car to be genuine. A fully restored car that is as wonderful to drive as it is beautiful to look at, this exceptional DB2/4 is now available at Aston Workshop.

A Full Aston Workshop Restoration

The car came to Aston Workshop in 2008 for a full restoration, with the owner spending circa £250,000 bringing this rare Aston Martin back to better-than-new condition. A previous owner had changed the car's colour to Green, so the opportunity was taken during our full restoration to return the car to its original Peacock Blue with the addition of a Silver Birch roof. This specification matches our one-of-one DB2/4 Vignale, and given that both cars were restored at similar times it could be said that the two cars can be considered siblings. More on our award-winning DB2/4 Vignale can be found by clicking here.

As well as being made mechanically and structurally sound, the car was treated to a full Connolly leather re-trim in its original colour of Grey with a polished wood dash. Chrome trim was fully restored to a mirror-shine, and new period correct BF-Goodrich tyres were fitted. The car remains in 'better-than-new' condition following its full restoration, and since then has been dry-stored as part of one of the UK's largest Aston Martin collections.

The Final RHD DB2/4 MkII FHC Produced

34 DB2/4 MkII FHC were produced in total, of which only 20 were in RHD specification. Four of those 20 were built for export, one was an Aston Martin demonstrator and another was built for David Brown JR. That left only 14 for sale on the UK market. Our research into the Aston Martin records shows that the cars were numbered 1 through 34, with this car number 33, the final RHD car built. The cars original specification was Peacock Blue with an Ice Blue roof and Grey leather. Optional extras listed on the original build sheet include a Twin Exhaust System, Marchal Fog and Spotlamps, a built-up toolkit, instruction manual and the desirable VB6L/1 cylinder head providing uprated performance.

It was finished on the 12th of March 1957 and delivered to distributors J. Blake and Co. Ltd. on the 26th of June 1957. As both these dates fall before the 31st of December 1957, this car meets the eligibility guidelines for the famous 1000 Miglia race in Italy.

The DB2/4 MkII Fixed Head Coupe

Aston Martin DB2/4 MkII - a 1950s Icon

The DB2/4 MKII marked another step in the evolution of Aston's sports car range that began in 1950 with the DB2. The DB2 was an all-new design featuring the W.O.Bentley-designed 2.6L straight 6 engine, and as a pure 2-seater, it became the leading GT/Sports car of the early 1950s. In 1953 the DB2 was thoroughly updated, mainly to allow for a second row of seats giving the newly named DB2/4 a 2+2 seating layout that modern Astons use today. The standard 'Saloon' coachwork featured an opening panel to give access to the luggage area, meaning the DB2/4 was the first hatchback to reach production in the UK.

The DB2/4 had other improvements over the DB2 including a 2.9L version of the W.O.Bentley straight 6. The car was fine-tuned again in 1955 with the release of the DB2/4 MkII. The introduction of the MkII could be considered a predecessor of the modern-day "facelift" with improvements to the coachwork designed to reduce production costs while increasing cabin space. The Tickford-badged DB2/4 MkII was one of the first Aston Martins to be mainly built at the Newport Pagnell factory that would become the home of Aston Martin from then onwards.

The Rarity of the Fixed Head Coupe

The DB2/4 was originally built in Saloon and Drophead Coupe (DHC) body styles, however in 1953 David Brown commissioned Mulliner of Birmingham to fabricate and fit a hardtop roof to an otherwise DHC car. This Fixed head Coupe (FHC) prototype was the only one built in the DB2/4 production run, but with the introduction of the DB2/4 MkII in 1955 the FHC became a factory option, built alongside the Saloon and DHC variants at the Aston Martin factory at Newport Pagnell.

The Fixed head Coupe body style, also known as 'Notchback' to Aston Martin enthusiasts, is exceptionally rare; of the 199 DB2/4 MkII produced, only 34 were Fixed head Coupes. Of the 34 cars only 20 were RHD, of which four were built for export, one was built as a demonstrator and another was built for David Brown JR. himself. That left only 14 Notchbacks built for the UK market, making our car exceptionally rare.