110 | THE GOODWOOD REVIVAL SALE
Another notebook accompanying the car dates from Chris Coulman’s
ownership in the late 1950s into the Bishop tenure through the 19 0s.
The car competed in the embryonic historic racing events held at
Goodwood in 19 4 - finishing 5th amongst a very strong field including
ERAs. The file also features many invoices for work done from the
early 1950s forward, while numerous race programmes and cuttings
demonstrate the car’s successful competition life. Indeed it was widely
regarded as the quickest pre-war Aston Martin in historic racing, as it
had been when new in contemporary racing, before its active hiatus
between 1973 and 19 .
Geoff Bishop rebuilt the car around 19 - 9 within his exceptionally
long ownership, while marque specialist Ecurie Bertelli has
completed considerable further work upon the car for its current
owner who has taken, in his own words “... a money no object
approach to the cars ownership”.
He has used ºFGY409’ offered here with great success in all of the
world’s premier historic motoring events including the Le Mans
Classic, Monaco Historique, Mille Miglia Retrospective amongst many
others, in all of which it has proved not just extremely competitive,
but at the same time an excellent and most tractable road car. Aston
Martin ‘Red Dragon’ was also invited to the 2014 Pebble Beach
Concours where it was much admired on the lawn and performed
faultlessly during the accompanying road rally Tour d’Elegance.
Following a minor racing accident at Brands Hatch in 2013 the
opportunity was taken to refurbish the car cosmetically, and fully
rebuild the engine at cost of circa £35,000, since when the car
has remained fresh, being little used. The context in which such
historic Aston Martin endurance-racing cars are viewed today makes
this ex-Works, ex-Dick Seaman, ex-Eddie Hertzberger, ex-Dudley
Folland car - with which the late, great John Wyer had such a close
relationship - of particular appeal. It remains as it so clearly always
has been the ultimate pre War competition Aston Martin, ready as it
always has been to punch above its weight on the racing circuits of
the world or be an effortless high speed touring car. 0t is offered here
complete with FIA HTP and FIVA papers, and we recommend it highly
as a valuable - and immensely useable and enjoyable - collector’s
Aston Martin warranting the closest possible consideration.
£1,600,000 - 2,000,000
€1,900,000 - 2,300,000
© Stuart Collins