motor cars

MOTOR CARS | 165

P R Southall Esq. is listed on the Aston Martin chassis card as the
second owner, the third owner purchasing the car from him in 1975,
an ownership that was to last 39 years until 2014. As with many
forays into Aston Martin ownership, the purchase in 1975 resulted
from the encouragement of a close friend who was already an Aston
owner. During a custodianship of almost four decades, the car was
stored for 29 years and last taxed for the road in 1985. It emerged
only in March 2014.

The third owner entrusted the Aston’s maintenance to the nearby
Vicarage Garage, who serviced it regularly. When Vicarage’s proprietor
retired, maintenance was entrusted to a local specialist where it was
worked on by a young mechanic named Andy Chapman, who would
later co-found Chapman Spooner Ltd, one of the UK’s leading Aston
Martin restorers, and who for many years has been Technical Adviser
to the Aston Martin Owners Club.

Reappearing after its 29-year sojourn, this car may well be the most
original extant and is probably the last un-restored example of the
model given the limited number manufactured. Very unusually for cars
of this age, particularly those that have been stored, chassis ‘1191’
is complete with all its original tools to the engine compartment and
armrest, and even the brake bleed tin and its contents.

Though requiring body restoration, the car secured an MoT certificate

in April 2014 with little servicing necessary other than expected items

such as new brake lines, wheel cylinders and brake master cylinder,

flushing and treating the petrol tank and, with safety in mind, the

replacement of the aged Avon Turbospeed tyres. We are advised

that the engine holds excellent oil pressure and is exceptionally sweet

running, which a recent fast run through the Cotswolds attested,

though given the lengthy time in storage, a full check of all the car’s

mechanical components is recommended.

At the AMOC annual Concours d’Élégance at Ragley Hall on 18th May,

the car - definitely the only one on the lawn that had not been washed

and polished since 1985 - was exhibited in the ‘Pride of Ownership’

class, to the intense interest of members and Aston Martin directors.

With special cars such as Aston Martin ‘1191’, originality, rarity and

a proven unblemished provenance are the most important factors

determining their value. In meeting these three criteria perfectly, this

Aston Martin DB2/4 represents a very rare opportunity, not having

been offered on the open market for almost four decades. Taxed, MoT

tested and ready for the road, this is surely a most interesting and

unusual ‘barn find’.

£200,000 - 250,000

€250,000 - 310,000