VIN: the works Aston Martin DB2 Le Mans Prototype chassis LMA/49/2
/ Ben Tyer
HISTORY OF CHASSIS LMA/49/2
Chassis LMA/49/2 was the second of four DB2 Le Mans Prototypes built.
Cosmetically, the four rakish Le Mans Prototypes differed substantially from the Series 1 DB2. They were produced to test the DB2 platform to its limit and, accordingly, three of the four cars were raced at the top level.
The fourth and final example (LML/49/4) was reserved for David Brown’s personal use.
LMA/49/1 and LMA/49/2 were equipped with 1970cc four cylinder Claude Hill engines.
LML/49/3 and LML/49/4 came with 2580cc versions of the WO Bentley-designed inline ‘six’ that would go on to power most Aston Martins for the next 20 years.
The three Almond Green team cars destined for competition use were consecutively registered UMC 64 (chassis 1), UMC 65 (chassis 2) and UMC 66 (chassis 3).
They were entered for the 1949 Le Mans 24 Hours and driven to France for what was the first post World War 2 running of the event.
The race took place over the weekend of June 25th and 26th.
Chassis 2 was driven by Arthur Jones and Nick Haines.
Instead of practice times, grid order was decided on engine size. This meant the two-litre cars began 27th and 28th while the 2.6-litre entry started 19th.
The race began badly for Aston Martin when the six cylinder car went out after just six laps as a result of water loss.
By contrast, the pair of four cylinder entries ran with no major problems until disaster struck with little more than an hour remaining.
Pierre Marechal was seventh overall in chassis 1 when a brake line fractured heading into Maison Blanche. The subsequent brake failure caused him to crash at high speed and violently barrel roll. The unfortunate Marechal succumbed to spinal injuries the next day.
In chassis LMA/49/2, Jones and Haines inherited Marechal’s seventh position and took third in the two-litre Sports category behind the race winning Ferrari 166 Mille Miglia and a Frazer Nash High Speed Le Mans Replica.
After a refresh back at the factory, chassis 2 and 3 appeared at the Spa 24 Hours two weeks later. Aston Martin had won this event the previous year with their cycle-winged 2-litre ‘Spa Special’.
Chassis 2 would, on this occasion, be driven by Nick Haines and Lance Macklin.
Against stiff opposition, both DB2 Prototypes ran for the duration of the 24 hour race.
Johnson / Brackenbury placed third overall and second in class with the six cylinder car while Haines / Macklin took fifth overall and third in class driving chassis 2.
Both cars were retained by Aston Martin throughout 1950, but LMA/49/2 was not raced again by the factory.
It was purchased for the 1951 season by privateer Bill Whitehouse who was the owner of Westmount Garage in Blendon, Kent.
Whitehouse was friends with fellow car dealer, Bernie Ecclestone, and started racing a 500cc Cooper Formula 3 car in 1949.
Whitehouse used the car sparingly in 1951 but picked up a few good results.
In 1954, chassis 2 reappeared at some minor club events with a driver named Barrow.
In 1965, it passed to Aston Martin Owners Club member, Christopher Angell. After an outing at the 1971 Le Mans 24 Hours demonstration parade, Angell’s health began to fail and chassis 2 was laid up in his garden.
The unrestored car was stolen in 2002 and Christopher Angell passed away in 2003. His relatives subsequently had to retrieve the car via litigation.
Having done so, they sold LMA/49/2 at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale in 2016.
Notable History
David Brown / Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.
Four cylinder Claude Hill engine
Almond Green
Registered UMC 65
26/06/1949 IND Le Mans 24 Hours (A. Jones / N. Haines) 7th oa, 3rd S2.0 class (#27)
10/07/1949 IND Spa 24 Hours (N. Haines / L. Macklin) 5th oa, 3rd S2.0 class (#30)
Sold to Bill Whitehouse, Blendon, Kent
26/03/1951 IND National Gamston Handicap (B. Whitehouse) 3rd (#??)
05/05/1951 IND Silverstone International (B. Whitehouse) 16th (#31)
12/05/1951 IND Altcar Sprint (B. Whitehouse) 2nd in class (#??)
14/06/1951 IND British Empire Trophy, Douglas (B. Whitehouse) DNF (#11)
01/09/1951 IND Turnberry (B. Whitehouse) 1st in class (#??)
Sold to Barrow and used at some minor club events in 1954
1965 sold to Christopher Angell
2002 stolen
Later retrieved and sold by Bonhams at Goodwood in 2016
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Aston Martin - https://www.astonmartin.com
Aston Martin chassis DB3S/5 was one of five DB3S constructed in 1953. Built to contest a domestic and World Sportscar Championship programme, the new DB3S wore a beautiful Frank Feeley…
Aston Martin launched the DB4 in late 1958 to replace the ageing DB MkIII which could trace its origins back to 1949. In addition to handsome new Touring of Milan coachwork, the DB4 ushered in a…
By the mid 1980s, the super high end front-engined GT had become something of an endangered species, especially in open-bodied form. Ferrari’s 412 along with the much less expensive Porsche…
Two years after Aston Martin had launched its souped up, short wheelbase, more aerodynamically efficient DB4 GT, the company introduced a visually similar iteration of the regular DB4 with an…
Having experienced a period of relative stability under the stewardship of renowned British industrialist David Brown between 1947 and 1972, Aston Martin Lagonda (AML) found itself in disarray…
Because demand for the V8 Vantage Zagato exceeded the limited run of 50 cars promised by Aston Martin, the British firm was left with a dilemma about how best to satisfy those customers who had…
Chassis LML/50/7 was one of three DB2 team cars produced in 1950. First registered VMF 63 in May 1950, its Cadillac Green sister cars were consecutively registered VMF 64 and VMF 65. For their…
When Aston Martin boss David Brown wanted to create the ultimate low drag super light DB4 GT, he commissioned Zagato of Milan to come up with an air piercing featherweight body. With its…
Amazing period footage from the Aston Martin team’s trip to the 1956 Nurburgring 1000km which was the penultimate round of that year’s World Sportscar Championship.
Chassis 0180/L was the first of two GTZs originally painted white although the Australian-bound second example (0186/R) was described as Desert White and came with red upholstery while 0180/L…
Although Aston Martin had not planned to make an open top version of its range-topping V8 Vantage, the early 1980s began to see a handful of special order cars built to such a configuration…
When Ferrari returned to the front-engined Gran Turismo market with the critically-acclaimed 550 Maranello in 1996, Aston Martin suddenly found itself with a big budget rival in a sector it had ruled…
Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 1965 as the successor to Aston Martin’s iconic DB5, the DB6 most notably offered a more spacious cockpit that was the result of switching to a longer…
Although prior years had seen some spectacular attempts to bring F1 performance to the street, arguably nothing has come closer to achieving that feat than Aston Martin’s radical Valkyrie.
In addition to Kensington’s Radford coachworks, FLM Panelcraft based two miles across London in Battersea also offered a Shooting Break conversion for Aston Martin’s DB6. In a similar vein to…
Having seen how quickly Ferrari shifted over 200 examples of its premium priced 288 GTO, Aston Martin decided to get in on the act with their own low volume special: a short wheelbase Zagato…
During the late 1980s, nothing in class could match Aston Martin’s formidable X-pack-equipped V8 Vantage. Whereas the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini only offered models with north of 400bhp in…
During the 1990s, Aston Martin produced a litany of low volume specials for VIP customers, many of which still remain little known today. One such model is the spectacular Vantage V550 / V600…
Chassis 30036 was one of 37 Aston Martin V8 Volantes built with coachwork by Zagato and one of nine completed during the final year of production: 1989. It was configured in Litchfield Black with…
The 1970s was a tumultuous time for Aston Martin which, owing to the effects of multiple ownership changes, poor trading conditions and labour reforms, seemed to lurch from one crisis to another.
Chassis 30015 was one of 37 Aston Martin V8 Volantes built with coachwork by Zagato and one of 27 completed in 1988. It was configured in Vulcan Black with Black upholstery, right-hand drive and…
Chassis 20021 was one of three V8 Vantage Zagatos supplied new to the Brunei Royal Family, the others having been chassis 20023 (a manual 1986 example finished in Lightning Silver with Blue…
Twelve months after the base DB4 had made its highly anticipated debut, Aston Martin displayed a high performance, short wheelbase version generally supplied without rear seats aimed at those…
Three years after the original V8 Vantage had been launched (the V540), Aston Martin introduced an updated version variously known as the V580 and Oscar India. Most significantly, the V580…
Having been announced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2002, Aston Martin’s Zagato-bodied DB7 V12 Vantage (officially dubbed the DB7 Zagato) was subsequently given a public launch at the…
It’s no secret that here at Supercar Nostalgia we think, of all the high end machinery produced this century, the Aston Martin Valkyrie is far and away the most impressive. In addition to a…
Aston Martin built 1567 examples of the much-loved DB6 between October 1965 and November 1970 of which just 240 were the updated Mk2 variant. Introduced in July 1969, the Mk2 was a…
Although Aston Martin’s Virage was clearly an accomplished Grand Tourer, some customers wanted a machine with more punch than the standard car offered. From January 1992, those that desired…
Of all the ultra high end supercars produced in recent years, our favourite at Supercar Nostalgia is the Adrian Newey-designed Aston Martin Valkyrie. In addition to a beauty unmatched by its…
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Aston Martin’s victory at the 1959 Le Mans 24 Hours when the DBR1s of Carroll Shelby / Roy Salvadori and Maurice Trintignant / Paul Frere finished first and…