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For Sale: 1951 Aston Martin DB2 in Maldon, Essex,

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.

Vehicle Details

  • 1951 Aston Martin DB2
  • Listing ID: CC-1016010
  • Price: Contact Seller
  • Location:Maldon, Essex,
  • Year:1951
  • Make:Aston Martin
  • Model:DB2
  • Exterior Color:Black
  • Odometer:0
  • Stock Number:12825
  • VIN:LML/50/50
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