1953 Aston Martin DB2 Vantage

Original delivery customer based in Kent; entered multiple rallies in 1954 and retained the original registration plates when selling.

Twenty-year-old motorcycle racing enthusiast who re-registered the car as TPC 846 after the previous owner kept the original plates.

AMOC member who continued rally use of the car, by then carrying the registration TKR 51; correspondence with him is preserved in the file.

Montreal resident who had the bodywork repainted burgundy; shipping documents and correspondence are included in the file.

Toronto-based owner who acquired the car from Desroches.

Walnut Creek, California owner who had the car refinished in French Racing Blue and drove it regularly; also added bonnet straps and various accessories.

Commissioned a thorough restoration including a bare-metal respray in Ecurie Ecosse blue, full mechanical rebuild with upgraded engine components, and a new five-speed gearbox, while preserving the original interior leather and retaining the original gearbox.

New York collector through whose hands the car passed after the Toronto ownership.

Fairfield, Virginia owner who held the car for approximately thirteen years.

Referenced as part of the DB2 model's broader motorsport record, not specific to this chassis.

Referenced as part of the DB2 model's broader motorsport record, not specific to this chassis.

Referenced as part of the DB2 model's broader motorsport record, not specific to this chassis.

Entry resulted in minor bodywork damage repaired by the factory; a works differential was fitted for these events.

One of three rally appearances in 1954; bonnet frame reinforced by the factory after the event.

Third 1954 rally entry for this chassis; minor repairs followed.

Car was rallied by Fortescue across a two-year span, documented in the Aston Martin Heritage Trust Archive.

Entered on multiple occasions during the current ownership as part of ongoing vintage rally activity in Canada.

One of several historic rallies contested during the present ownership period.

Factory-fitted Works 4.1:1 differential installed by Aston Martin for rally competition; this component remains in the car.

Minor bodywork repairs carried out after each of the three 1954 rally events, including factory reinforcement of the bonnet frame.

Exterior repainted burgundy during Canadian ownership.

Carried out during Gilles Desroches's ownership in the mid-1970s.

Car repainted French Racing Blue; leather bonnet straps and additional cosmetic accessories fitted.

Carried out during John Vardanian's ownership between 1994 and 2002.

Comprehensive sympathetic restoration in current ownership: exterior stripped to bare metal and resprayed in Ecurie Ecosse blue; every removable panel removed and rebuilt where needed; interior refurbished with original red leather seats retained; originality prioritised throughout.

Body number was found stamped on every panel and on numerous trim pieces, confirming the car's authenticity.

Full engine rebuild upgrading the original Vantage unit to approximately 180 bhp: billet crankshaft, forged Venolia pistons, forged connecting rods, stainless steel valves, upgraded camshafts, and a lightened flywheel were fitted. Competition-specification Alfin brake drums, new splined hubs, and a five-speed ZF gearbox also added; original gearbox retained and supplied with the car.

Carried out as part of the restoration in current ownership; the car was prepared to handle the demands of modern historic rallying.

Freshening respray carried out approximately one year before the auction listing.

Engine overhaul completed shortly before the auction listing, with roughly 2,000 miles of subsequent trouble-free use.