This 1951 Aston Martin DB2 is among approximately 250 examples of the DB2 platform built with power from an uprated 2,580cc Lagonda inline-six that was the first engine to carry the company’s “Vantage” nomenclature. Chassis LML/50/65 was purchased new by the Honorable Sir Max Aitken, son of Lord Beaverbrook, as well as a newspaper heir and English fighter pilot credited with the destruction of 16 enemy aircraft during World War II, en route to being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Distinguished Service Order. Repairs during the car’s first nine years are documented in factory service logs and include work on the engine and running gear as well as the addition of disc wheels supplied by the first owner. In the mid-1990s, the car was offered at auction in London before earning class awards at Aston Martin Owners Club events in Hampshire, England, in 1995 and 1996. By 2000, the car had moved to the US and was subsequently purchased by an owner in Japan, where it was first registered in 2004 before being sent to Italy for participation in the 2005 Mille Miglia Storica. After upper-end engine work in Germany in 2015, the car returned to Japan, where it is said to have undergone refreshes of the four-wheel drum brakes, cooling system, suspension, and rear end between 2016 and 2018. It is said to have been pictured in Andrew Noekes Aston Martin DB: 70 Years before being purchased by its current owner three years ago. Finished in green over tan leather, the car is configured in right-hand drive and features twin SU carburetors, a four-speed manual transmission, coil-sprung independent front suspension, 16” painted wire wheels, and driving lights. This DB2 Vantage is now offered by the seller on behalf of its current owner in Osaka, Japan, with an Aston Martin Heritage Trust Vehicle Heritage Certificate, copies of its factory service log through 1960, service records from 2015 to 2018, and Japanese registration.
The DB2 was designed in the wake of David Brown’s purchase of Aston Martin and Lagonda and debuted at the 1950 New York Auto Show. The model was based on a shortened version of the Claude Hill-designed steel-tube frame from the 2-Litre Sports and featured fixed-roof aluminum bodywork that was later joined by a drophead variant. Beginning in 1951, the DB2 was available with a higher-performance version of the model’s inline-six engine that was known as the Vantage, a moniker that has since persisted as part of Aston Martin’s naming conventions.
Originally finished in Boticelli Blue, the car was repainted in its current shade of green under current ownership. Styling includes a forward-hinged hood section, a sloping roofline, and a single-piece grille that was introduced after the first 49 cars were built, while additional features include Lucas tri-bar headlights, driving lights, dual high-mounted side mirrors, and a roof-mounted antenna. The car wears license plates with the previous UK registration number MGO 404 at the front and rear.
Silver-painted wire wheels are secured by two-eared knock-offs and are wrapped in 185R16 Avon Turdbospeed tires. Stopping is handled by Girling hydraulic brakes that are said to have been refreshed in 2016, with work including replacement of the left-front wheel cylinder and re-lining of the rear drums.
The right-hand-drive cabin is trimmed in tan leather over two-place seating with matching upholstery over the door panels and dashboard. Features include color-keyed carpeting, door pockets, and dual dash cubbies, the left of which houses a rally computer. Badges affixed to the dashboard note a first place in class at the 1995 AMOC event in Beaulieu, England, and a second-in-class at the same event in 1996.
The wood-rimmed steering wheel sits ahead of Smiths instrumentation including a 140-mph speedometer with an inset clock, a reverse-sweep tachometer, and a combination gauge. The five-digit odometer shows 12k miles, approximately 100 of which have been added under current ownership.
The DB2 model’s 2,580cc Lagonda inline-six features dual overhead camshafts, hemispherical combustion chambers, and twin SU carburetors. In Vantage form, the engine incorporated higher compression, increased inlet-valve duration, and larger carburetors. The cylinder head, camshafts, valves, and tappet buckets were reportedly replaced during the 2015 service in Germany, while work performed in Japan between 2016 and 2018 is said to have included rebuilds of the carburetors, a re-core of the radiator, and replacement of the crankshaft pulley, fuel pump, and battery.
Engine number LB6V/50/505 is shown stamped on the block above, matching the number listed on the AMHT certificate.
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. The differential is said to have been rebuilt in 2018, with work including replacement of the pinion assembly, ring gear, bearings, and seals, as well as welding repairs of a hole in the differential cover. Independent front suspension incorporates trailing arms, a torsion bar, coil springs, and lever-arm hydraulic shock absorbers, while the solid rear axle is located by a Panhard rod and trailing arms and also utilizes coil springs and lever-arm shocks. The suspension height is said to have been lowered approximately 3 cm via lowering springs in 2017, while mounting brackets for the rear axle and suspension arms were repaired in 2018.
The AMHT certificate lists the original numbers and component numbers as well as the original ownership of Sir Max Aitken. A log of factory service between 1953 and 1960 can be viewed in the photo gallery below. Also viewable in the gallery are photos of the car at the 2005 Mille Miglia Storica.
The vehicle is being sold on its Japanese registration, which serves as an ownership document in Japan.