1953 Aston Martin DB2 Vantage Drop Head Coupe

Chassis No. LML/50/364
Engine No. VB6B/50/1192
Transmission No. DBCW/50/579

Introduced in April 1950, the Aston Martin DB2 launched the David Brown era that would define the marque for decades. Brown, who acquired Aston Martin in 1947, added Lagonda to gain W.O. Bentley's twin-cam 2.6-liter straight-six, and housed the combined operation at Hanworth Park in Feltham, giving rise to the ''Feltham era'' cars built through 1959. Styled by Frank Feeley with sleek, Italian-influenced fastback lines on a refined DB1 chassis, the DB2 paired independent front suspension with a clamshell hood for easy servicing. Autosport called it the perfect companion ''whether one would go shopping, to the theatre, on a long-distance tour, or even race at Le Mans.'' A Drophead Coupe joined the range for 1951 and just 98 were built among 411 total DB2s, making these open cars a genuine rarity today.

Documented by a copy of its factory build sheet, this DB2 was sold new through J.S. Inskip of New York City to Richard W. Stoney Esq. of Montclair, New Jersey, on 7 March 1953. It was ordered in Crushed Strawberry over Grey Connolly leather with red piping, and specified with the potent Vantage 125 horsepower engine with larger SU carburetors, higher compression, and a sportier camshaft. Additional options included a rear seat, Purolator oil filter, and manual choke and ignition controls.

By 1999 the car had entered the Ohio collection of Don Marsh, founding partner of MidVo, the Midwest's Volkswagen, Porsche, and Audi distributor, later adding BMW. Marsh maintained the car meticulously until his passing in early 2020 when it passed to its next caretaker that November. A recent service by Gran Turismo of Los Angeles in the summer of 2025, covering the wheel cylinders, brake master cylinder, tie rods, and a rebuilt water pump, totaled nearly $12,000. An exceptionally rare Vantage-specification Drophead, this DB2 is poised for sporting rallying or concours display.