Aston Martin DB2/4 MKI 3,0 Coupe by Allemano
|
Car producer : |
Aston Martin |
|---|---|
|
Model: |
DB2/4 MKI 3,0 Coupe by Allemano |
|
Year: |
1954-1955 |
|
Type: |
Coupe |
A Mark II model (Aston Martin DB2/4 MkII), introduced in 1955, allowed for an optional large-valve, high compression (8.6:1) engine capable of 165 hp (123 kW). Other changes include small tailfins, bubble-type tail lights as on the Morris Minor, and added chrome. The bonnet horizontal split line was also changed from door sill height to a horizontal line carried backwards from the top of the front wheel arch. A 2-seat Fixed Head Coupé (FHC) was new, which was also commonly known as the “Notchback”, in addition to the continued Drophead. Just 34 of the 199 Mark II cars used this new coupe body, being the personal choice of David Brown. The occasional rear seats provide more cabin room due to a slightly higher roof line at the rear. As with the other Mark IIs, these bodies were made at the famous Tickford coachbuilding facility in Newport Pagnell.
Three Mark II chassis were sent to Carrozzeria Touring in Italy to become Spider models. Touring would later help Aston with the Superleggera design of the DB4.
Supersonic was the 15th and last of a series of unique motor cars that have been individually created by Ghia to variations on a race-bred Giovanni Savonuzzi design, and it is the only example on an Aston Martin chassis.
Coachbuilt sports cars of this period were, of course, not entirely uncommon, but there were relatively few Aston Martins of the period that were constructed with non-factory bodywork. Unfortunately, very little reliable documentation exists regarding the finer details of the Supersonic production run, as recordkeeping at Aston Martin and Ghia was lamentably vague. The first known photograph of this extraordinary Aston Martin Supersonic was taken at the car’s show debut at the Turin Auto Salon on April 21, 1956. The car was displayed there alongside one of the first examples of the Dual-Ghia, the exclusive American luxury car that was just entering production. It is believed that Harry Schell was subsequently presented with the car on loan directly from Aston Martin, with the intention of engendering additional publicity, particularly since he was a racing driver of some renown.
In execution, it is interesting to note how successfully the Supersonic coachwork was grafted to Aston’s powerful but roomier DB2/4, which substituted a 2+2 seating arrangement for the prior DB2’s smaller two-seat interior. Provided with a slightly longer chassis than the Otto Vu Fiats with which Ghia had surely grown comfortable, the coachbuilders were able to endow Savonuzzi’s design with a slightly taller profile in the characteristic lightweight aluminum. (Early press descriptions of the Aston being bodied in fiberglass are actually incorrect.) Furthermore, the Aston Supersonic’s body is distinguished from its siblings by the presence of a unique front bumper—a delicately curved piece that seems to serve as a more sculptural form than safety function.
A Mark II model (Aston Martin DB2/4 MkII), introduced in 1955, allowed for an optional large-valve, high compression (8.6:1) engine capable of 165 hp (123 kW). Other changes include small tailfins, bubble-type tail lights as on the Morris Minor, and added chrome. The bonnet horizontal split line was also changed from door sill height to a horizontal line carried backwards from the top of the front wheel arch. A 2-seat Fixed Head Coupé (FHC) was new, which was also commonly known as the “Notchback”, in addition to the continued Drophead. Just 34 of the 199 Mark II cars used this new coupe body, being the personal choice of David Brown. The occasional rear seats provide more cabin room due to a slightly higher roof line at the rear. As with the other Mark IIs, these bodies were made at the famous Tickford coachbuilding facility in Newport Pagnell.
Three Mark II chassis were sent to Carrozzeria Touring in Italy to become Spider models. Touring would later help Aston with the Superleggera design of the DB4.
Supersonic was the 15th and last of a series of unique motor cars that have been individually created by Ghia to variations on a race-bred Giovanni Savonuzzi design, and it is the only example on an Aston Martin chassis.
Coachbuilt sports cars of this period were, of course, not entirely uncommon, but there were relatively few Aston Martins of the period that were constructed with non-factory bodywork. Unfortunately, very little reliable documentation exists regarding the finer details of the Supersonic production run, as recordkeeping at Aston Martin and Ghia was lamentably vague. The first known photograph of this extraordinary Aston Martin Supersonic was taken at the car’s show debut at the Turin Auto Salon on April 21, 1956. The car was displayed there alongside one of the first examples of the Dual-Ghia, the exclusive American luxury car that was just entering production. It is believed that Harry Schell was subsequently presented with the car on loan directly from Aston Martin, with the intention of engendering additional publicity, particularly since he was a racing driver of some renown.
In execution, it is interesting to note how successfully the Supersonic coachwork was grafted to Aston’s powerful but roomier DB2/4, which substituted a 2+2 seating arrangement for the prior DB2’s smaller two-seat interior. Provided with a slightly longer chassis than the Otto Vu Fiats with which Ghia had surely grown comfortable, the coachbuilders were able to endow Savonuzzi’s design with a slightly taller profile in the characteristic lightweight aluminum. (Early press descriptions of the Aston being bodied in fiberglass are actually incorrect.) Furthermore, the Aston Supersonic’s body is distinguished from its siblings by the presence of a unique front bumper—a delicately curved piece that seems to serve as a more sculptural form than safety function.
