Aston Martin DB2 / 4

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Aston Martin DB2 / 4
Production period: 1953-1959
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Station wagon , convertible , roadster
Previous model: Aston Martin DB2
Successor: Aston Martin DB4

The Aston Martin DB2 / 4 is a sports car from the automobile manufacturer Aston Martin . The construction of the model offered from 1953 to 1959 was based on the DB2 , which it replaced. However, it was designed as a 2 + 2-seater and thus had two emergency seats in the rear. The car was one of the first vehicles to have a new type of tailgate. Other changes included a panoramic windshield, larger bumpers and offset headlights. As with the previous model, there was also a convertible , and few Spider built by Bertone .

Mark I.

Mark I.
Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Mark I (1953–1955)

Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Mark I (1953–1955)
Production period: 1953-1955
Body versions : Station wagon , convertible , roadster
Engines: Petrol engines :
2.5-3.0 liters
(92-103 kW)
Length: 4300 mm
Width: 1650 mm
Height: 1360 mm
Wheelbase : 2511 mm
Empty weight : 1179 kg

The Mark I was equipped with the Lagonda six-cylinder twin-camshaft engine designed by Walter Owen Bentley , which was also used in the Vantage version of the DB2. The displacement of the VB6E engine was 2580 cm³, the output 125 bhp (92 kW). From mid-1954, the VB6 / J engine with 2922 cm³ and 140 bhp (103 kW) was installed, which accelerated the car up to 192 km / h.

102 of the 565 Mark I models were designed as convertibles. One appeared in the Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds .

Three factory cars were made available for the 1955 Monte Carlo Rally and two for the Mille Miglia , but the company focused more on the DB3 racing car model .

  • Rear view

  • Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Mark I Convertible (1953–1955)

  • Rear view of the convertible

Mark II

Mark II
Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Mark II (1955–1957)

Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Mark II (1955–1957)
Production period: 1955-1957
Body versions : Station wagon , convertible , roadster
Engines: Otto engine :
3.0 liters
(103–121 kW)
Length:
Width: 1650 mm
Height: 1360 mm
Wheelbase :
Empty weight :
Rear view

The Mark II model introduced in 1955 had the option of a larger valve engine developing 165 bhp (121 kW). Other changes included small tail fins , bubble-shaped taillights like the Hillman Minx and additional chrome trim. A two-seat coupe was also new on the market; the convertible continued to be built. Of a total of 199 Mark II models, only 30 were built as coupes.

Three Mark II chassis were sent to Carrozzeria Touring in Italy to develop Spider models. Touring later helped Aston Martin with the "Superleggera" in the construction of the DB4 .

A key change behind the scenes with the launch of the Mark II was the transfer of body responsibility from the Feltham plant to the Tickford Coachbuilding Works in Newport Pagnell . David Brown bought these factories in 1954 and relocated all manufacturing there when production of the DB4 began .

Mark III

Mark III
Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Mark III (1957-1959)

Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Mark III (1957-1959)
Production period: 1957-1959
Body versions : Kombicoupé , convertible
Engines: Otto engine :
3.0 liters
(121–143 kW)
Length: 4356 mm
Width: 1651 mm
Height: 1360 mm
Wheelbase : 2515 mm
Empty weight : 1270 kg

In 1957 the model DB2 / 4 Mark III - often just called DB Mark III or Mark III - was introduced. It had the further developed 2.9-liter engine of the Mark II. Other changes concerned the radiator grille, which now looked similar to that of the DB3 / S , a new dashboard and the option of having Girling disc brakes installed. The hydraulic clutch was also new, an overdrive from Laycock-de-Normanville on request or - also on request - an automatic transmission. The steering and drive axle construction were carried over from the previous model. The tail fins were also modified so that the Humber Hawk's taillights could be used.

A double exhaust was optionally available for the standard DBA engine taken over from the Mark II , which increased the engine output to 178 bhp (131 kW). Equipped in this way, the car reached 100 km / h in 9.4 s and drove 192 km / h. An optionally available high-performance machine , type DBB , with three Weber carburetors, sharper camshafts and double exhaust reached 195 bhp (143 kW), but is rarer than the DBD machine in the medium output range of 180 bhp (132 kW).

Girling disc brakes received all Mark III from the 101st copy as basic equipment. Many cars previously made have been retrofitted.

Out of a total of 551 units, only five were built with an automatic transmission.

A report in Road & Track magazine in 1959 praised the car but criticized its high price of US $ 7,450 . “The Aston Martin has many advantages and few defects.” The latter included stiff steering, high sills and poor maneuverability. The new station wagon design with tailgate and folding rear seats, which had already been introduced in the Mark I in 1953, was not mentioned.

As with the previous model, coupé and convertible versions were again offered. Five coupés with DBB engines and 84 convertibles were produced. Both variants had no tailgate, but a conventional trunk lid.

In the novel Goldfinger , James Bond drives an Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mark III. However, this is incorrectly referred to as DB III . It is the only car in the James Bond novels that is specially equipped. In the film , which came out half a decade later, an Aston Martin DB5 was used because it was the current model at the time of shooting.

  • Rear view

  • interior

  • Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Mark III Convertible (1957-1959)

production

  • Mark I: 565 pieces
    • including convertibles: 102 pieces
    • of which Bertone Spider: 4 or 5 pieces
  • Mark II: 199 pieces
    • including coupés: 34 pieces
    • including cabriolets: approx. 16 pieces
    • of which Touring Spider: 3 pieces
  • Mark III: 551 pieces
    • including convertibles: 84 pieces
      • of which with DBA engine: 68 pieces
      • of which with DBB engine: 2 pieces
      • of which with DBD motor: 14 pieces
    • Coupés: 5 pieces

Web links

Commons : Aston Martin DB2 / 4  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Steve Wakefield / Mathias Paulokat: Aston Martin DB2 / 4 Drophead Coupé: Beware of the birds! classicdriver.com, April 29, 2013, accessed June 17, 2013 .
Aston Martin models timeline since 1948
Type / engine David Brown era 1947–1972 Various owners From 1986 to 75%, from 1993 to 100% part of Ford Independently
1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0
Microcar Cygnet
Luxury limousines Lagonda 2.6 L. Lagonda 3 L Lagonda Rapide Lagonda Fast
Taraf
Sports car R4 DB1
R6 DB2 DB2 / 4 DB4 DB5 DB6 DB7
DB2 Vantage DB4 Vantage DB5 Vantage DB6 Vantage
DB4 GT Zagato DBS Vantage
V8 DBS V8 V8 Virage V8
V8 Vantage V8 Vantage V8 Vantage Vantage
V8 Zagato
V12 V12 Vantage
DB7 Zagato V12 Zagato DBS GT Zagato
DB7 Vantage DB9 DB11
DB7 AR1 Virage
V12 Vanquish DBS Vanquish DBS Superleggera
One-77
SUV DBX
Prototypes and GT racing cars DB2 DBR1 DP212 DP214 RHAM / 1 DBR9 V8 Vantage GT2 / GTE Vantage GTE
DB3 DBR2 DP215 DBRS9 V12 Vantage GT3 Vantage GT3 / GT4
DBR3 V8 Vantage N24 / GT4
EMKA AMR1 LMP1 AMR-One
Formula 1 - racing cars DBR4 DBR5
  • Under the brand Lagonda sold
  • Underbody from the Jaguar XJS
  • Based on the Toyota iQ