Vehicle Description
Aston Martin DB2 Works Competition Lightweight
This exceptionally important Aston Martin is one of just two
lightweight DB2s constructed by the works to contend the 1951
season.
XMC76 and its sister car, XMC77, were built at Aston Martin's
Feltham factory, Middlesex in 1951 and designed from the outset to
be purebred racing sports cars. Unlike production DB2s, they
featured an extensively drilled chassis and employed lighter gauge
aluminium in their bodies, which, combined with bucket seats,
minimal trim, and selective use of Perspex instead of glass,
delivered a weight reduction of almost 20% compared to a road car.
Performance was further enhanced by an uprated 2.6 Litre engine
with high compression aluminium cylinder head and triple weber
carburettors, which delivered a potent 138bhp.
XMC76's competition debut came at the Daily Express International
Trophy meeting at Silverstone on May 5th 1951. Against a field
packed with XK120s driven by the likes of Stirling Moss, Leslie
Johnson and Duncan Hamilton, Parnell managed to bring home the
Aston home in 7th place overall and win the 3 Litre class. The next
outing, held 6 weeks later on 23rd June, was the hugely important
24 Hours of Le Mans. For this race Parnell was paired with David
Hampshire and together they scored an admirable 3rd in class, again
finishing 7th overall. It was Brian Shawe-Taylor who piloted XMC76
on its third works outing for the year at Dundrod for the Tourist
Trophy. After averaging almost 80 mph for 3 hours 45 minutes
Shawe-Taylor ended the race 2nd in his class. The final appearance
during the 51 season was at the Midland Automobile Club's Shelsley
Walsh Hill Climb where Parnell was once again at the wheel and
achieved the 5th fastest time of the day.
Delays with the new DB3 resulted in the DB2s being pressed into
service for the works team again in 1952. The first event on the
racing calendar was the Goodwood International meeting held on
April 4th and the driver of XMC76 on this occasion was Eric
Thompson who took victory in the fourth handicap for sports cars.
The next big event for Aston Martin was the Mille Miglia held on
the 4th of May. This was the David Brown team's first attempt at
the gruelling road race and as team manager John Wyer would later
recall they saw it as a reconnaissance for later entries and didn't
take this first outing too seriously. In spite of this rather
relaxed approach, two of the three works entries finished with
Parnell and Serboli piloting XMC76 to a highly creditable 13th
place. A little under two weeks later Parnell and XMC76 were in
action again, this time at the Swiss Bremgarten circuit for the
Grand Prix de Bern. The first three positions were taken by the
Mercedes 300 SLs of Kling, Lang and Riess but 4th and 5th place
were secured for Aston Martin with Geoff Duke, in XMC77, coming
home just ahead of Parnell. This event was to prove the last
official works race for the DB2 but its competition career was
continue over the next two years at the hands of private drivers.
Later in 1952 Pat Griffith won the Welsh MRC meeting at Fairwood
and in 1954 Angela Brown, the daughter of Aston Martin Boss David,
took a 1st and 2nd place in club events with XMC76. Tommy Wisdom,
the famous journalist / racing driver, also drove XMC76, entering
it into the 1954 Alpine Rally, with some works support, although a
collision with another car forced him to abandon his attempt.
Following its retirement from front line competition work the Aston
eventually found its way to Australia where it received an initial
restoration in the late 1960s in preparation for a return to
racing. With completion of this work the car appeared in early
historic events, driven by Alan Puckett at locations such as
Warwick Farm, Oran Park and Hume Weir. John Fitzpatrick also ran
the car at Adelaide Raceway and Collingrove hill-climb in the
mid-1970s. It remained in Australia for the next decade or so
before returning to the UK where it benefited from a more thorough
restoration at the hands of specialists R.S. Williams. The car was
subsequently owned by Rowan Atkinson and a number of other
well-known collectors who have continued to campaign the car at
top-level historic events including the Goodwood Revival. Recently
acquired by J D Classics the car is now in race-ready condition and
comes accompanied by a large history file and many period
photographs documenting its fantastic provenance. Being a car of
such historical significance it will be eligible for all
prestigious historic events including the Mille Miglia and Goodwood
Revival. Please contact us for further details.
