One to Buy: 1 of 1 ex-Stanley Arnolt 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Convertible 'Indiana'
Between 1954 and ‘55, Aston Martin supplied seven DB2/4 rolling chassis to millionaire Chicago industrialist, Stanley Arnolt.
In addition to having been a distributor for the likes of Rolls Royce, Bentley, MG and Aston Martin, Arnolt was a shareholder in Carrozzeria Bertone, the famed Turinese coachbuilder. The tie up came about after Arnolt and Nuccio Bertone met at the 1952 Turin Motor Show. Arnolt wanted to begin manufacturing cars under his own name and duly became a Director of the cash-strapped coachbuilder.
Towards the end of 1953, Arnolt convinced David Brown to send five of his new Aston Martin DB2/4s to Bertone. The quintet of sequentially numbered DB2/4s were then transformed into a trio of competition-style Spyders and a brace of luxurious Convertibles.
A further pair of DB2/4s then found their way to Italy during 1954, the first of which was chassis was LML/762 that Bertone configured as a unique two-seat Convertible dubbed the Indiana which Stanley Arnolt subsequently retained for his personal use until 1960.
On September 1st, Gooding & Company will be putting chassis LML/762 under the hammer at their annual London sale.
The car is offered in superb condition throughout having undergone a ground up restoration to its original specification between 2007 and ‘08. Most recently, LML/762 earned a first in class award at the Zurich Concours d’Elegance in August 2020.
Reprinted below is Gooding & Company’s description for this handsome one-of-one Bertone-bodied Aston Martin DB2/4:
Estimate: £1.2m - £1.8m
Chassis: LML/762
Engine: VB6J/208
A Spectacular, One-of-a-Kind David Brown-Era Aston Martin
Attractive Franco Scaglione Design Executed by Carrozzeria Bertone
The Personal Car of Noted American Industrialist S.H. “Wacky” Arnolt
Displayed at Leading European and American Motor Shows in Period
Outstanding, Concours-Quality Restoration to Original Specifications in 2007–2008
Matching-Numbers Engine per Factory Records; Offered with Extensive Documentation
Based in Chicago, Stanley Harold “Wacky” Arnolt was an American entrepreneur who made a fortune selling marine engines during WWII, which he then parlayed into the automobile business, establishing an MG, Morris, and Riley distributorship in 1950. Wacky loved foreign sports cars, and at the Torino Motor Show in 1952 he struck a deal with Nuccio Bertone to build a series of custom-bodied MG TDs. Over 100 of these cars were built and sold in the US as Arnolt-MGs; their success inspired Wacky to try his hand at similar projects. Over the next few years, Mr. Arnolt commissioned several special Bertone-bodied sports cars, including a Bentley R-Type Continental, Bristol 404s, and a limited series of Aston Martin DB2/4s.
In 1953, Mr. Arnolt struck a deal with Aston Martin to acquire eight DB2/4 chassis, which he planned to have bodied by Carrozzeria Bertone and sold in the US as Arnolt-Astons. Three DB2/4s – chassis LML/502, LML/505, and LML/507 – were completed as competition-style roadsters with styling by Franco Scaglione. Freelance designer Giovanni Michelotti designed two similar drophead coupes, chassis LML/504 and LML/506, while a French customer of Arnolt’s commissioned a one-off coupe, chassis LML/765. One car, LML/503, remains a mystery as it is thought to have perished in a fire at Arnolt’s Chicago factory. The final example, chassis LML/762, is the car presented here – a one-of-a-kind Spider, which was retained by Wacky Arnolt for his personal use.
According to accompanying factory records, LML/762 was completed by Aston Martin Works in Feltham, England, on August 20, 1954, and dispatched to Carrozzeria Bertone in Torino on November 16th. Consistent with its mid-1954 build date, this chassis was fitted with Aston Martin’s latest 2.9-litre, 140 hp engine, no. VB6J/208.
Upon arriving at Bertone, LML/762 was fitted with a unique open, two-seater Spider body designed by the great Italian stylist Franco Scaglione. Arguably the most attractive of the Bertone-bodied Aston Martins, this body possesses styling elements shared with several Scaglione masterpieces, particularly his famous designs for Alfa Romeo, including the 2000 Sportiva, Giulietta Sprint, Sprint Speciale, and of course, the three Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica cars. Like other Bertone designs for Mr. Arnolt, this Spider incorporates the classic Aston Martin grille shape and features a dramatically sculpted bonnet, stylish wraparound windscreen, crisp wheel arches, and a rounded boot with protruding taillamps. The overall design is cohesive, well proportioned, and beautifully detailed with a decidedly sporting Italian character.
Interestingly, the Spider was dubbed “Indiana” and carries scripting on the front fenders, just ahead of the Bertone badge. While the origins of the name have never been definitively confirmed, it is believed to be a reference to either the Indianapolis 500, the most famous American race, or simply a reference to the location of Arnolt’s corporate headquarters – Warsaw, Indiana.
Completed in spring 1956 and invoiced to Mr. Arnolt at a cost of $10,000, the Aston Martin “Indiana” Spider was debuted at the Torino Motor Show, held between April 21st and May 2nd. In addition to its show duties, the Bertone-bodied Aston Martin was photographed for promotional purposes. Charming photos contained in the car’s extensive history file reveal the original color scheme – a striking gray blue metallic exterior contrasted by off-white upholstery.
In September 1956, the Aston Martin was shipped to the US aboard the SS Marquette, arriving in time to make its stateside debut at either the Chicago or New York International Auto Show, both of which were held during January 1957. In 1958, the “Indiana” Spider made one final showing at the Henry Ford Museum’s annual Sports Cars in Review exhibit, which displayed the latest American and European sports cars alongside their prewar predecessors.
Mr. Arnolt retained LML/762 until 1960, using the exotic sports car to travel between his operations in Chicago and Indiana. That November, he sold the Aston Martin to William Fowler, a dentist living in St. Joseph, Michigan, who paid $5,200 for the car. Over the next decade, the Aston Martin passed among a succession of documented Michigan-based owners, eventually ending up in the hands of Frank Windham, a Detroit-area used-car dealer.
In 1975, the “Indiana” Spider was sold to Lester Neidell, a professor at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. Early in his ownership, LML/762 was extensively restored, with Mr. Neidell carrying out much of the work himself. Between 1977 and 1986, he exhibited his prized car at the annual Aston Martin Owners Club Lime Rock Concours d’Elegance, earning awards each year and, in 1987, the Bertone Spider was invited to take part in the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®. Not long after showing the car at Pebble Beach, Mr. Neidell sold the “Indiana” Spider, and it passed through a few hands before being acquired by Simon Draper, the renowned Aston Martin collector and owner of Palawan Press in London. Between 1988 and 2006, LML/762 remained in Mr. Draper’s collection, during which time it was never publicly exhibited.
The current owner, a Swiss Aston Martin enthusiast, added the Bertone Spider to his impressive stable of David Brown-era models in 2006. After conducting significant research into this car’s unique history, he embarked on a nut-and- bolt restoration with the expressed goal of returning this important Aston Martin to its original specification and presenting it at international concours d’elegance. With this directive, local Swiss specialists restored the car in a no-expense-spared manner between 2007 and 2008, as is documented with voluminous photos and invoices.
Upon completion, LML/762 was shown – for the first time in over two decades – at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in April 2009, where it earned a Second in Class award and a Mention of Honor. Since this successful outing, the Aston Martin has been shown selectively, most recently at the Zurich Classic Car Award Concours d’Elegance in August 2020, earning First in Class.
The fact that the seven Bertone-bodied DB2/4s have been owned by noted collectors and featured in countless books and magazines on the marque and model is a lasting testament to the vision of Wacky Arnolt.
Only one example, however, was Mr. Arnolt’s personal car – LML/762 – this one-off, Scaglione-designed “Indiana” Spider, a car which possesses a truly unique design, period motor-show pedigree, well-documented provenance, and magnificent restoration. Gooding & Company is proud to present this coachbuilt DB2/4 for the first time in its history and recommends it to any collector in search of a historically significant David Brown-era Aston Martin.
