Guide: Aston Martin 2-litre Sport 'DB1'
Background
British industrialist David Brown purchased Aston Martin in February 1947 but, at the time, the firm only had the Claude Hill-designed four cylinder engine to offer. The new boss quickly concluded this not to be a long-term solution for the marque.
Brown sought an alternative and, in early 1948, he purchased Lagonda. The Lagonda motor company was acquired as it had a state-of-the-art dual overhead camshaft straight six engine being designed under a team led by WO Bentley.
However, the new engine was not expected to be running until 1949 so, in the meantime, David Brown commissioned an interim model to offer the public.
The earliest Aston Martin produced under Brown’s control was the 2-litre Spa Special. A cycle-winged racer, it was constructed to test Aston Martin’s underpinnings to their limit. Rather than carry out all this work behind closed doors, the car was entered for the Spa 24 Hour race held over July 10th and 11th 1948.
Against a strong field, it went on to win in the hands of John Horsfall and Leslie Johnson.
Aston Martin then used the 2-litre Spa Special as a foundation to produce a more practical road car with fully enveloped Drop Head coachwork.
Known officially as the 2-litre Sport (and retrospectively as the DB1), the new road car was manufactured between September 1948 and May 1950, during which time 15 were built.
Publicly unveiled at the London Motor Show in October 1948, the 2-litre Sport was launched when Britain was still recovering from the effects of World War 2. Domestic demand for expensive cars was therefore extremely subdued.
Chassis
The rectangular steel tube chassis used by the 2-litre Spa Special was adapted to accommodate a full-width body but otherwise remained little changed.
Suspension was independent at the front via coil springs and trailing arms. The live rear axle was located by a pair of parallel radius arms on each side and a transverse Panhard rod. Armstrong hydraulic shock absorbers were fitted all round.
At 9ft (2743mm), the wheelbase was quite long.
Track measured 4ft 6-inches at either end (1372mm).
Girling 12-inch hydraulic drum brakes were used along with 16 x 5.75-inch Dunlop centre-lock wire wheels.
A fuel tank of 14.5-gallons (66-litres) was installed under the boot floor.
The electrical system was supplied by Lucas.
Engine & Gearbox
Claude Hill's single overhead camshaft four cylinder engine used a cast-iron block and light alloy two valve head. It displaced 1970cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 82mm and 92mm respectively.
Ignition was via a single spark plug per cylinder and wet-sump lubrication was employed.
With a compression ratio of 7.5:1 and two sidedraught SU carburettors, the longitudinally mounted motor produced 90bhp at 4750rpm.
Transmission was via a four-speed David Brown synchromesh gearbox, a single dry-plate Borg & Beck clutch and hypoid bevel final drive.
Bodywork
Like so many European designs of the mid-to-late 1940s, the 2-litre Sport’s bodywork was effectively an updated pre-WW2 affair. Within a couple of years, the kind of projecting fenders and high bonnet line it incorporated would be consigned to history.
At the front of the car was an elaborate three-piece grille which was chrome-plated to match the full-width bumpers, handles, bezels and window frames.
Rear wheels were partially shrouded and the tail was tapered into a neat point.
A folding canvas roof had two small rectangular windows and, when lowered, stowed beneath a neat cover.
Interior
The cockpit had a full width front seat and further accommodation could be found in the rear.
Leather was used to upholster the seats, door panels, dash and hood cover.
The dash itself had primary gauges for engine and road speed directly behind the three-spoke Bluemels steering wheel. Supplementary instrumentation was located off to the centre. In front of the passenger seat was a large open-face glovebox.
Weight / Performance
Aston Martin quoted a weight of 1143kg and top speed of around 100mph.
Production
Production was underway by September 1948 but demand proved limited.
Aside from the price, the 2-litre Sport’s biggest problem was that its specification was not well suited to the lucrative North American market where large displacement engines ruled.
Export sales were further hampered by an over-valued British Pound: as a result, the model was discontinued at chassis 12 so Aston Martin could focus on the DB2.
However, soon after production stopped, the firm were approached by chairman of the RAC, Lord Chesham (John Cavendish), who wanted one. The factory responded by informing him that the model had been discontinued but suggested that, should an order for three cars be placed (to make the job cost-effective), they would build a final batch
The three final examples were laid down in spring 1950 and Cavendish took delivery of the last car in June.
Given the 2-litre Sport’s hand-built nature and comparatively long lifespan (for such a low production volume), there were inevitably detail differences from car-to-car. For example, chassis 6 was manufactured with a unique fold-down windscreen while some cars also had a decorative chrome strip applied to the central bonnet line.
1949 Le Mans 24 Hours
One 2-litre Sport (chassis 5) was specially prepared to contest the 1949 Le Mans 24 Hours which took place over the weekend of June 25th and 26th.
Although the car’s first owner, Robert Lawrie, had never raced, he managed to secure an entry for the 1949 event which was the first time the 24 Hours had been held since World War 2.
When the organisers discovered Lawrie had no experience, he was asked to drive several observed laps of the circuit. Lawrie passed the assessment with flying colours.
Against a strong international field that included Aston Martin’s own trio of works DB2 Prototypes, Lawrie and his co-driver, Robert Parker, finished a fine eleventh overall.
This was good enough for fourth in the two-litre Sport class behind the Selsdon / Chinetti Ferrari 166 Mille Miglia (first overall), the Culpan / Aldington Frazer Nash High Speed (third overall) and the Jones / Haines Aston DB2 Prototype (seventh overall).
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Aston Martin - https://www.astonmartin.com
