CarBrandLogos archive · Aston Martin · 1950

Aston MartinDB2

David Brown's first Aston, powered by an engine he bought a second company to get.

Photo: Chilterngreen at German Wikipedia Later version(s) were uploaded by Noddy93 at d · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Aston Martin history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Aston Martin DB2, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

David Brown, a gearbox and tractor manufacturer, bought Aston Martin in 1947 after answering a newspaper advertisement. He then bought Lagonda as well, and the reason was an engine: a 2.6-litre twin-cam straight-six designed by a team under W. O. Bentley, which Aston Martin had nothing to match.

AM DB2 top · Klaus Nahr from Germany;Cropped by uploader Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 2.0

Design and engineering

The DB2, launched in 1950, put that engine into Claude Hill's rectangular-tube chassis with trailing-arm front suspension, clothed in a body by Frank Feeley - a two-seat coupe or drophead with a one-piece front section that hinged forward to expose the whole engine bay, and a grille shape that would evolve into Aston Martin's signature. It was a grand tourer rather than a sports car, comfortable enough to cross a continent and quick enough to be taken seriously while doing it.

1953 AM DB2 competition quasi-Vantage · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

Aston Martin DB2 in Morges 2013 - Engine left

In production

Racing came with it. Prototypes ran at Le Mans in 1949, and production-based DB2s took class honours there and on the Mille Miglia in the early 1950s, which mattered enormously to a company trying to establish that its expensive new car was worth what it cost.

Aston Martin DB2 in Morges 2013 - Engine left · Akela NDE · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr

Legacy

Only 411 were built between 1950 and 1953, before the DB2/4 added occasional rear seats and an opening tailgate - an early example of the type. The DB2 set the template for everything the David Brown era produced: a big six, a hand-formed body, and a car built for distance.

At a glance