This is the only Aston Martin DB2 rebodied in-period by highly-regarded Spanish coachbuilder Serra, and it’s now being offered for sale as a restoration project.
Interestingly, this car was given an upgraded 2.6 liter Vantage engine in 1952, offering 125 bhp versus the 105 bhp of the original engine. This vehicle would become a multiple race winner in the 1950s, including class wins at the Waterloo and DMC Speed Trials.
Fast Facts – A Serra-Bodied Aston Martin DB2
- This unique Aston Martin DB2, originally built in 1951, was rebodied by Spanish coachbuilder Pedro Serra after its aluminum panels suffered from metal fatigue on rough Spanish roads. Serra penned a distinctive design, drawing inspiration from the Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet, making it the only DB2 modified by him in-period.
- Originally fitted with a 2.6 liter straight-six engine producing 105 bhp, the DB2 received a Vantage-spec upgrade in 1952, increasing output to 125 bhp. The car saw multiple racing successes in the 1950s, with notable class wins at the Waterloo and DMC Speed Trials.
- The DB2’s post-rebody history is largely unknown until the 1980s, when it resurfaced in disrepair and was returned to Britain. Recently, the engine was rebuilt, and the car’s body panels were stripped back to bare metal, ready for restoration.
- This rare DB2, now offered as a restoration project, will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s in early November with an estimated price range of $235,000 to $325,000 USD. It includes a partially restored body and a numbers-matching, rebuilt engine.
The Aston Martin DB2
The Aston Martin DB2 is one of the most important cars produced by the British marque in the years shortly after World War II. It was a new design developed under David Brown’s ownership, after he bought Aston and Lagonda in 1947.
The Aston Martin DB2 would be one of the most important cars built by the British marque in the post-WWII period, and it helped put them on the map as a major competitor for the likes of Jaguar and Maserati. Image courtesy of Aston Martin Lagonda Plc.
Perhaps the main reason Brown bought Lagonda was to get the rights and tooling to the advanced Lagonda 2.6 liter straight-six engine that had been developed by William (Willie) Watson under the supervision of W. O. Bentley.
The Aston Martin DB2 was built on a shortened version of the tube-frame chassis used by the earlier four-cylinder Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports, with an all-new body designed by Frank Feeley.
The DB2 quickly proved to be far quicker than its predecessor, largely thanks to that new, larger 2.6 liter Lagonda six. It quickly began taking both race wins and class victories, including a 1st and 2nd in class at the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Aston Martin DB2 would remain in production from 1950 until 1953 with 411 built in total. It would be replaced by the Aston Martin DB2/4.
The Aston Martin DB2 By Serra Shown Here
The car you see here is one of the most unusual examples of the Aston Martin DB2 that we’ve come across. It was delivered to the J. Black & Co. dealership in Liverpool, England in February of 1951.
This is how the car looked after it had been rebodied by Pedro Serra. It’s an arguably more modern design than the factory-built DB2 and the front grille used by Serra is much more like the modern Aston grille that remains in use to the current day. Image courtesy of The Waterford Collection courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.
Originally, the car was finished in Maroon over Beige hide, and it was one of just 98 examples of the convertible DB2 that were made. The car proved immediately competitive and took a number of class wins including in the Waterloo and DMC Speed Trials.
It also took an additional three class victories in races in Turnberry, Croft, and Gamston – with Peter Reece at the wheel, an accomplished racer and 24 Hours of Le Mans veteran.
It was around this time, in 1952, that the original 105 bhp 2.6 liter straight-six was replaced with a Vantage-specification 2.6 liter six capable of 125 bhp. This was possibly done to make the car more competitive still, and the engine swap was completed by Wood Lane Garage of Timperley.
Pedro Serra Gets To Work
The car would then be bought by James Wears, a Royal Air Force pilot, who took the car to Barcelona. The rough state of the roads in Spain led to metal fatigue issues with the car’s aluminum body panels, and so Wears approached coachbuilder Pedro Serra to have the car rebodied.
The car is being offered for sale with its engine already rebuilt by the specialists at Clark & Carter Restorations.
Serra was a skilled coachbuilder who famously worked from instinct, using hammers, hand tools, and his eyes as his guide. He worked on special projects for the likes of Pegaso, Citroën, Dodge, and Seat, as well as the one-off Aston Martin DB2 you see here.
It’s believed that Serra took some inspiration from the Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet by Pininfarina in his new design for the DB2, though it has plenty of his own creativity in the design, and he created a correct Aston Martin-style grille opening up front.
During the rebuild Aston Martin provided some help, providing later DB4 instrumentation to finish a custom-designed fascia. The vehicle would be finished in an Ivory hue, though its history from the time of the Serra re-body until about 1980 is unknown.
The car resurfaced in a state of disrepair in the 1980s, and in mid-1986 it was bought by Kevin Bryant of Devon who returned it to Britain. At some point after this the car was acquired by The Best of British Collection.
This Aston Martin DB2 now presents a unique opportunity to a new owner to rebuild a truly unique example of the model family with period racing wins.
The engine has now been rebuilt by Clark & Carter Restorations and the body panels have been taken back to bare metal. The car is being offered for sale as a project, allowing a new owner to rebuild it (or have it rebuilt) back to its former glory.
If you’d like to read more about this unusual Aston or register to bid you can visit the listing here. It’s due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s in early November with a price guide of $235,000 – $325,000 USD.
Images: Tom Wood courtesy of RM Sotheby’s 2024©
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
