THE WASHBOARD REGISTER
ASTON MARTIN DB2

LML/49/4 (UMC 272)
 
PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO SEND CONTRIBUTIONS !

Built at the same time than the first three Team cars for David Brown personal use. Later, he drove LML/50/10, the DHC prototype and DB3/2, a DB3 specially built for road use... After all, he owned the company !

At first, those four cars were known at Works as "Le Mans Fixed Head Coupes". A later record calls them "DB Mark II" and a log book issued in 1961, "Saloon".

Body number 48005.
Engine was LB6/49/27R. LB6/49/29 fitted in 1950.


Very rare LB6 engine (on an Aston Martin of course, not on a Lagonda...)

Below left, a July 1949 ad and at right, a photo from when it was David Brown's car:
   
                                                                          (Source AM Magazine v21 n88)
The car was marron with beige interior when owned by David Brown.
In March 1950, it went back to Service Department and Jack Sopp replaced the steering column gear change by a floor change. It was then that LB6/49/29 engine was fitted along with some other mods.

Then the car was resprayed dark green and sold to Lance Macklin who raced it with factory support.

LML/49/4 (UMC 272) in green next to LML/50/7 (VMF 63)
Motor 100 meeting, Silverstone, 1985
Thanks Alex for this photo!

1950 : Fitted with three Weber 35 DCO carbs (a first for a British car).
          Inter-Europa Cup, Monza (Macklin), 2nd.
          Targa Florio, Sicily (Macklin), crashed.
          Described in Motor, February 1.

At the Targa Florio (source: RAC2)

    

Tried by Laurence Pomeroy in Motor (source: 48-59)



1952 : Silverstone St John Horsfall meeting.
          Goodwood.
1954 : Notts S.C.C. Ossington (J. Dalton), 1st overall.
1955 : Shenstone and Buxton rally (J. Dalton), 1st in Class.

Superb period photo sent by Dom

1960s Many attempts to improve ventilation.
          You must remember that LML/49/3, also equiped with a 6 cylinder was nicknamed " The Sweatbox ".
          Body had suffered from those "improvements".
1965 - 1970 First rebuilt with body in Roman Purple.
Here are some 1965/1970 photos kindly sent by current owner of the car:
    

      

          

       

      
   
              

        


1977 - 1987 Second rebuilt.
   
Three shots taken during the rebuilt (source: VOL1)


3 May 1989 : Sold at auction by Christie's at Monaco.

Thanks to Dom, here are the photos and text from the catalogue:
 

 

Other photos sent by Dom:

     



Here is the history of this car as published in Summer 1989 AM Magazine:
     

1991 : Further restoration by AML Service Dept.

1993 : Featured in Automobile for October.

The car now:
   

  

Those photos come from an article published in November 1993 in French magazine Auto Rétro n°159.
Here is the full article:
    

Two more photos from friend José:
 


UMC 272 was recently tested. Spotted by both Aston67 of a French forum and José.

Click here of in PDF: 

                

   

   




Current owner kindly sent me the following photos, taken at Stokepark:
   
   
   
  

I'd like to focus on a detail that is especially neat: the way the bonnet handles are "hidden" in the side strips.


Curent owner also managed to find a full tachs set in Ireland:


A Villa d'Este 2010 photo cover. Many, many thanks to owner Daniel from Legendary Astons for those stupendous shots !
   
    

  
 
   
   
   



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