Case histories
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ASTON MARTIN DB2/4 MKI
Year of manufacture 1954 Recorded mileage 7939
Asking price £349,975 Vendor Kaaimans International, Tollerton Hall, near Nottingham; tel: 01158 557171; www.kaaimans.com WHEN IT WAS NEW Price £2621 Max power 140bhp Max torque 178lb ft 0-60mph 10.5 secs Top speed 120mph Mpg 23
This Feltham-built Aston was first owned by the Hon Squadron Leader Philip Ingram Cunliffe-lister, son of the first Earl of Swinton, and is said to be the inspiration for the original James Bond car. Goldfinger, written in 1958, refers to a ‘grey Aston Martin,’ and Swinton held senior roles in the government during WW2, including dealings with MI5, so would have been known to Ian Fleming. The car is said to have regularly visited Hope Bay Studios, near the author’s home in Deal, and retains various features that Cunliffe-lister fitted for rallying, such as strengthened bumper mounts, hidden compartments and a Halda Speedpilot. Details of its original Oxfordshire rebuild are in a massive history file.
It’s not long out of restoration by a father-and-son team, and is in superb order. The body is straight, with good panel gaps for a 2/4 – tightish, though they do vary. The bumpers are straight, the chrome okay with a few polish marks, and the headlight rims are slightly pickled, with perished gaskets. The paint is all good except for a couple of tiny bubbles in the left side of the roof. The brake drums are polished, the wire-wheel spokes pass the ‘ring’ test when tinkled with the back of a pen, and the tyres are correctly tall and little-used Michelin Xs. The exhaust looks fairly new and the outside of the diff is dry.
Inside, the leather looks almost unused, the headlining and carpets are new, and the dash has been refinished with instruments that are likely original.
The motor is clean and tidy with no leaks, wearing original-type air filters. The fluids are clean and to the right levels, the spring towers are polished, and there are braided brake hoses. The straight-six starts easily (once you’ve remembered to turn on the battery) and goes well, with a guttural roar from the twin-pipe stainless-steel exhaust that sounds mightier than its 2922cc. There’s very little play in the steering, and the gearchange is precise, with the synchros all working, but the brakes remind you of the car’s age, with rather a long pedal. Oil pressure is 40psi on the move, temperature in the middle of the gauge, and the ammeter shows charge.
SUMMARY
EXTERIOR
Straight body; good paint with two tiny bubbles
INTERIOR
Still almost new
MECHANICALS
All rebuilt and feels healthy
VALUE ++++ ,,,,,,
For Fascinating back-story
Against That amazing story rather burdens it with expectations
SHOULD I BUY IT?
For serious collectors, because there’s only one. It’s nearly twice the price of a regular 2/4 in similar condition, but it’s all about the history