Vehicle Description
The 1950s were a rich and fruitful time in automotive history.
World championship Grand Prix and sports car racing was back in
full swing after the post-war recovery period, and manufacturers
were again throwing large sums of money into the development of new
machines and technology. Exotic, twin-cam engines were now becoming
the norm and cars were becoming lighter and faster than ever.
Sports car racing, in particular, had a strong influence on road
car design and cars like the Mercedes Benz 300SL, Jaguar XK, and
Aston Martin DB MkIII had been heavily influenced by their Le
Mans-racing counterparts. Some of the most desirable sports racing
cars were born of this era - the Ferrari Testa Rossa, Aston Martin
DBR1, Maserati A6GCS and Jaguar C and D Types. Today, these cars
are worth tens of millions of dollars, though they continue to
inspire generations of car enthusiasts with their beauty and
performance. In the mid-1990s, a California-based graphic artist,
car restorer, and enthusiast named Ron Lawless was so inspired by
the great Le Mans racers of the 50s that he decided to build one of
his own. He had long felt a particular fondness for Maserati's
impossibly gorgeous Fantuzzi-bodied A6GCS spyder, but given their
rarity and value, a recreation was the only way he'd get close to
the experience. There was at least one tribute available in kit
form, but it lacked the delicacy and purity of the original, and
Ron simply wasn't content to settle for someone else's loose
interpretation of his dream car. With that, he decided to build a
car from the ground up. He sourced a fiberglass recreation of an
A6GCS body from Maserati parts supplier MIE of Washington. The body
was said to have been made using a genuine A6GCS as a template, and
it beautifully captures the purity and compact proportions of the
original. Adapting an existing chassis would no doubt cause too
many compromises, so a custom one was fabricated by Specialty Cars
of Artesia, California to mate perfectly with the body. The robust
chassis is built out of square-tube steel, accommodating a narrowed
Ford 9" rear end and Mustang II independent front suspension. A
tubular steel skeleton was fabricated and affixed to the chassis,
which served to support the body, much in the same manner as the
Fantuzzi-bodied original. A Datsun 240Z donor car was sourced for
its 2.4 liter engine and 4-speed manual gearbox. It was upgraded
with a trio of Weber DCOE carburetors, dressed with an alloy valve
cover and fitted with a custom fabricated side-exit exhaust. The
classic inline-six layout stays on-script while delivering ample
power in a reliable, easily serviced package. Ron Lawless went to
great lengths to ensure his creation captured the essence of the
1950s, adorning the body with numerous carefully chosen details.
Lights, bumpers, Monza filler cap, and other body fittings were
selected from other cars and at swap meets. Other items handcrafted
by Ron include the egg-crate grille, DBR2-style fender vents, and
Testa Rossa-style deck lid hold-downs. Perhaps the most important
detail adorns the nose: a handmade emblem which carries the name
"DML Special." The name comes from Ron's wife's initials, whose
nickname was "Damilla." Remarkably, Ron was able to title and
register the car in California as the 1953 Damilla Special. Today,
the DML Damilla Special presents in very good condition, having
acquired a moderate patina through the years in Ron Lawless'
collection. The high-quality body is finished in a fetching
Aston-like shade of light metallic green that beautifully
highlights its curves. The paint is in generally good order, though
a few touchups and minor flaws can be found. The interior is
similarly well-kept and thoughtfully detailed. The seats and
steering wheel were carefully chosen for their looks - sourced from
an Austin Healey and Aston Martin DB2, respectively. Ron designed
and built the bespoke chrome gate and lockout device for the
four-speed shift lever. He sourced the clock and oil gauge from a
1934 Chrysler, and the rest from Classic Instruments which he then
customized with new needles and "DML Special" script on the faces.
For both the body and interior, the collection of parts and custom
pieces come together in a cohesive and convincing package. Living
up to its evocative looks, the Damilla is great fun to drive. On
the road, it is quite fast and remarkably well-sorted with a
fantastic six-cylinder growl from the side exhausts. Thanks to the
reliable Datsun power and simple underpinnings, it would no doubt
be a fabulous car for rallies and events such as the California
Melee. Far from an assemblage of found parts, the Damilla is a
truly unique collage of carefully selected and custom-built
components assembled into a beautiful automobile that harkens back
to the glory days of Le Mans, all while maintaining a unique
character of its own.