The DB2 was a grand success, but Aston Martin wanted to entice more people to its creations.
In 1953, AM launched its second car, at the Earls Court Motor Show, with the company’s savior’s initials: the DB2/4. Other than a modification to the chassis and a smaller fuel tank to allow for the almost non-existent rear seats, the 2/4 was a beast very similar to the DB2. Among the ways to tell the two apart were that the 2/4 had a one-piece windshield, larger bumpers, and raised roofline; yet underneath they both shared the same rectangular tube frame, as well as front and rear suspension. Their power came from a W.O. Bentley-designed twin-cam 125 bhp, 2.6-liter power plant. The 2/4 got a boost in power, in 1954, with the DBS3-derived 3.0-liter engine raising it to 140 bhp.
The 2/4 was not a competition car, but did carry the Aston flag into rallying with some success.
Three works cars were entered in the 1955 Monte Carlo Rallye with Reg Parnel and photographer Louis Klemantaski in one car and Peter Collins and Graham Whitehead in the second. Two former rally winners, Maurice Gatsonides and Marcel Becquart rounded out the team. Gastonides and Becquart were in the lead until missing a checkpoint dropped them down to 7th. Two more 2/4s joined in the fray at the Mille Miglia… and on the other side of the world, one even found its way into an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Aston—always a low-volume, hand-built manufacturer—had created only 565 DB2/4s by the time the MKII came into being: 73 in Drop Head Coupe configuration; even fewer with the steering wheel on the left-hand side. This David Brown Aston arrived in the U.S. in November of 1955, brought in by Inskip and sold on through Count Cars in Media, Pennsylvania. Passing through a number of hands, it eventually came back into the light with a fresh restoration in 2001. After a few more years it was hidden away in a museum, but has now been set free by its new owner.
The term “velvet hammer” comes to mind as you start to get aquatinted with the DB2/4. It has the selfsame elegance that’s second nature with Astons carrying H.J. Mulliner coachwork, but this is no soft car.
Climb over the high sill and you drop down into a firm leather seat with a large, wood-rimmed, three-spoked steering wheel directly in front of you. The upper-class wood veneer dash holds all the business: a collection of three Smiths gages and a fourth mimicking the others, along with the starter button and other necessities.
Hit that button and a very angry growl makes itself well known.
You have to take charge from the very beginning and not be gentle. The DB2/4 needs a firm hand and lots of upper body strength. As you accelerate, you listen to the whine of the straight-cut gears. Soon that sound is overshadowed by the hooligan shout of the double overhead cam inline-six, which is informing—in a none-too-polite way—for lesser machines to get the hell out of the way.
This is not a car for the casual drive. No iPhone or Chai latte in one hand and your other holding the wheel…Oh, no! To be un-P.C., you have to manhandle this machine; to hang on tight and correct it from wanting to go where it wants to go… although part of the blame could just perhaps be put on the bias ply tires the Aston is currently running on. The vague approximation of brakes that the Aston’s drums afford you do slow the forward motion, but it is a good idea to keep some distance between you and hard objects.
Specifications
Length: 4356 millimeters/171.5-inches Width: 1651 millimeters/65-inches Height: 1359 millimeters/53.5-inches Wheelbase: 2521 millimeters/99.25-inches Front track: 1372 millimeters/54-inches Rear track: 1372 millimeters/54-inches Clearance: 210 millimeters/8.3-inches Fuel capacity: 77 liters/20.4 U.S. gal/16.9 imp. gal Dry weight: 1177 kilograms / 2595 pounds Curb weight: 1235 kilograms / 2720 pounds Engine manufacturer: Lagonda Straight-6 naturally aspirated, two valves per cylinder Cylinders: Inline-6 Carburetion: Twin SU HV6 Displacement: 2922 cc / 178.4 cubic inches Bore: 83-millimeters / 3.27-inches Stroke: 90-millimeters / 3.54-inches Compression ratio: 8.2 : 1 Horsepower: 104.5 kW / 142 PS / 140 hp (SAE) Torque: 178 lb-ft@3000 rpm
Performance
Top speed 107 mph 0-60 mph 11.4 seconds Fuel Consumption 20 mpg
Valuation
Price When New $6,000.00
Concours $430,000
Excellent $372,000
Good $284,000
Fair $230,000
