Aston Martin DB 2/4
- Production Dates: 1953 – 1955
The DB2 was Aston Martin’s best selling model to date, but the economic climate for a two-seater car at this price was limited, so Aston Martin began work on making changes to the car.
Removing the cross-bracing above the rear axle had allowed space for two rear seats to be fitted and a lift-up rear door – which today we would call a hatchback – was let into the rear bodywork for access to the luggage space. Further revisions to the body included seperate bumpers – the DB2 had a chrome rubbing strips – and a single piece windsreen. To counteract a small increase in weight, the 125 bhp Vantage spec engine was now standard.
The DB2/4 was shown at the London Motor Show in 1953, both saloon and drophead versions were available. Further improvements in the design of the body included a different shape for the rear quarter lights, headlamps set higher in the bonnet and improved bumpers.
In September 1953, a new 3-litre unit, which could produce 140bhp at 5000bhp.
In 1955 David Brown moved production to Tickford at Newport Pagnell when the second generation DB2/4 (which became known as the Mark II) was built. At its peak the DB2/4 was being built at the rate of six/seven cars a week even though it was strictly hand built.
Specification
- Price New: £ 2,622 (Saloon), £ 2,910 (Drophead Coupe)
- Engine: dohc I-6, 2580 cc, 125 bhp @ 5000 rpm, 144 lbs-ft @2400 rpm; 1954-57 Mk II: 2922 cc, 140 bhp @5000 rpm, 178 lbs-ft @ 3000 rpm
- Transmission: 4-speed manual
- Suspension: Front: trailing arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear: live axle, trailing links, Panhard rod, coil springs - Brakes: Front and Rear hydraulic drums
- Wheelbase: 8’3″
- Weight: 1179kg
- Top Speed: 120 mph
- 0-60 mph: 12.6 sec.
The DB2/4 was certainly one of the fastest production cars, especially given its modest engine capacity, of its day. The Bentley Drivers’ Club even called it “the fastest shooting brake in the world”. Apart from the new 2+2 seating arraignment and the more powerful big-valve Vantage version of the 2.6-litre engine fitted as standard, the DB2/4 had a curved windshield rather than the vee-screen of the DB2, higher set headlamps and more substantial bumpers. An optional 140 bhp 2.9-litre engine could be specified offering an additional 15 bhp over the standard 2.6-litre unit. This car, much used for Continental touring, featured in the 1984 movie, ‘Dance with a Stranger’, staring Miranda Richardson and Rupert Everett, the tragic tale of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged for murder in England.
